Actors

Michael Landon

Born Eugene Maurice Orowitz, Michael Landon developed a passion for acting at a young age. Born on October 31, 1936 in Queens, New York, Landon was a sports lover and excelled in track and field. His extraordinary skills landed him a sports scholarship to University of Southern California, Los Angeles. But after a sports injury cut his athletic and college career short, he decided to try his hand at acting. It was at that time the professional acting name Michael Landon was born. He didn't have to wait long before he was cast in his first roles. In 1957, Landon was cast as Tony Rivers in I was a Teenage Werewolf. By 1959, Landon landed his first major acting gig when he was cast as Little Joe Cartwright in Bonanza. For over a decade, Landon played the defiant ladies man in the popular western television show. Bonanza took its final bow in 1973 after fourteen successful years and 461 episodes.

Landon barely had a moment to rest before he became the heart and soul for his next long running series. In Little House on the Prairie, viewers got to see a very different Michael Landon. As the assiduous husband and father striving for a better life on the western frontier, audiences witnessed a different Landon; an actor who could be gentle, compassionate and courageous at the same time. With Little House, Landon was able to spread his wings and have a hands-on approach with the highly rated program. As producer, writer, director and executive producer, Landon had a direct impact on the direction and success of the program. Audience and critics alike praised Landon for his on and off camera work. After eight years, Little House on the Prairie aired its last episode on March 21, 1983.

Again, Landon delved right in to his next television project. Unlike the westerns he played so comfortably in, Landon chose a different path and starred in the NBC fantasy/drama Highway to Heaven. As Jonathan Smith, Landon played the role of an angel sent back to earth to help save the souls of the children of God. His Little House co-star and good friend, Victor French, also starred in the show. After five seasons and with the death of French, Landon abruptly ended his work on Highway to Heaven in 1989.

In April 1991, Landon discovered that he was stricken with Cancer. He appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson to reveal to the world and discuss his battle with Pancreatic Cancer. Unfortunately, it was not long after that taping when Landon succumbed to the terminal cancer. On July 1, 1991, Michael Landon passed away at 54-years-old.