Born Eugene Orowitz in October 1936, Michael Landon was best known as an American Actor and Filmmaker. He made his film debut in the 1957 movie “I Was A Teenage Wolf,” after which he bagged other significant roles such as Little Joe Cartwright in “Bonanza” and Charles Ingalls in “Little House on the Prairie.”
For Landon, achieving such greatness in the movie industry was an incredible feat, seeing that he had a difficult childhood. He was born to a Jewish father and a Catholic mother and was exposed to his parents’ bitter fights at a young age.
The traumatic moments were so much that the actor once revealed he always wanted to get away from his family. Landon also described his mother as a mentally unstable and childish person. According to the actor, his mother always tried taking her life through various means, like sticking her head in the oven.
At some point, he became used to his mother’s attempted suicide acts and would think, “Gee, if it’s Tuesday, it must be suicide.” Overall, Landon’s upbringing left him with many scars, which made him promise that his family would not experience the same traumatic things.
In the “Little House on the Prairie,” star words: “I never wanted to have a family even close to what my parents had, and I never have.” Here are more details about the filmmaker’s personal life.
LANDON’S FIRST MARRIAGE AND HIS KIDS
In 1956, Landon walked down the aisle for the first time with Legal Secretary Dodie Levy Fraser. Upon their marriage, the actor adopted his wife’s 12-year-old son, Mark, from a previous relationship and took good care of him. Later, the couple adopted another son, Josh, when he was a baby.
A few years later, Landon and Fraser decided to expand their family again. They adopted another boy, Jason, when he was a week old, right before their divorce.
Although the children were not his flesh and blood, Landon did not treat them any differently and made it known to the world how much he cared about his sons. He hated it when people would call Josh and Jason adopted because, to him, they were his sons.
“They’re my sons — period. Not my ‘adopted sons.’ They’re my sons, and I’m their father until they die — or I die,” Landon once said.
Unfortunately, while Josh remained the actor’s son till the latter’s demise, it was not the same for Jason. Following Landon and Fraser’s divorce in 1962, the legal secretary gained custody of their three sons. However, it was tough on Fraser, as a single mother of three, and she decided she could not continue raising Jason.
So, Fraser gave her youngest son to another couple, Bill and Alma Smith. Years later, during Jason’s adolescent years, he tried to reach out to Fraser and Landon but never got a response and decided to let them be.
For Jason, dealing with abandonment was difficult, but it is believed that it was more difficult for Landon because he never spoke about it. Later, American Singer Nik Venet explained that Landon did not know how to handle the situation, hence his decision to remain mute about it.
After his first divorce, the actor gave love a second chance. He tied the knot with his second wife and fellow movie star, Marjorie Lynn Noe, in 1963.
While married, Landon adopted Cheryl, Noe’s daughter, from a previous relationship. Later, the couple would welcome four more children, Leslie, Michael Jr, Shawna, and Christopher.
Sadly, after 19 years of marriage, Landon and Noe called it quit in 1982. Many assumed that the couple’s marriage ended because the actor wanted a younger woman, Cindy Clerico, whom he later married and welcomed two children, Jennifer and Sean with. However, Landon claimed it was because they did not grow in the same direction. In his words:
“I don’t consider that a failed marriage. I don’t think it was a disaster. We just didn’t grow in the same direction. We became different people. We both changed.”
On the other hand, Cheryl had a different notion about her parents’ marriage and divorce. According to her, in the couple’s 17th year, Landon began acting strangely, and she could sense something in the air. Cheryl said her dad was caught up living in a lie and was dealing in deceit.
Cheryl said at some point, Landon began to treat Noe “dreadfully,” and she could not believe the actor could be so cruel to her mother.
The young lady also disputed Landon’s claims of not having a “failed marriage.” According to Cheryl, when the couple parted ways, she did not see two happy parents for an extremely long time.
Overall, Cheryl made it known that Landon was close to destroying his family, but thankfully, Noe fought her way back and created a new life for herself.
Although many believed Landon was a lousy husband, the actor tried to be an excellent father to his kids, including Cheryl, who had a problematic past.
Cheryl was hooked on drugs at a young age, and when she was 19, she overdosed on a combination of drugs and nearly died. Landon was present throughout his daughter’s addiction, but it weighed significantly on him.
“You get very guilty about some of your feelings about your child, one of which is, ‘I wish she did not exist. If she didn’t exist, I wouldn’t feel all this pain,'” Landon once confessed.
While dealing with the consequences of Cheryl’s addiction, the actor also faced another significant traumatic experience — his daughter’s accident that almost claimed her life.
At 19, Cheryl got into an accident that killed the three people in the car with her and left her in a coma for four days. It was difficult for Landon as he watched his young daughter endure so much pain. The pain fueled the actor’s decision to help Cheryl get back to life.
“My father willed me back to life. He sat with me for a month. After the doctors had given up on me, I remember him saying to me, ‘Fight, Baby!'” Cheryl recalled her father’s support.
Landon accompanied his encouraging words with lots of prayers. The filmmaker told CBS that he had never prayed the way he did following the accident. Thankfully, Landon’s prayers were answered as Cheryl managed to pull through.
WHERE ARE LANDON’S CHILDREN NOW?
It’s been more than five decades since Cheryl’s near-death experience, and many wonder what Landon’s children have been up to. Here are some facts about the actor’s children.
Mark bagged some movie roles, but he passed away in 2009. His second child, Josh, lives privately, and little is known about him. Cheryl is doing well away from the spotlight. She wrote a book detailing her bond with Landon, titled “I Promised My Dad: An Intimate Portrait Of Michael Landon.”
Leslie is a clinical psychologist with a daughter, while Michael Jr is a writer, producer, and director. Shawna is a Los Angeles real estate agent, while her brother, Christopher, is a successful screenwriter, producer, and director. Jennifer is doing well as an actress with three Emmy nominations, while Sean is a successful Realtor.
With all Landon’s children succeeding in their fields, it is safe to say the actor died a fulfilled father. The actor died in 1991 after a short battle with pancreatic cancer.
In his last months, Landon spent quality time with his children, especially the youngest, Jennifer and Sean. He made them ask him one question before bed, which he would answer wholeheartedly.
The bedtime routine continued for a while until Landon finally passed. Recalling the final moments with his father, Christopher implied that it was tough. “You could say a thousand goodbyes, and it would never be enough,” he said.
Following Landon’s death, the actor’s family was greatly affected, and they had to add therapy to their routine. With time, they healed from the pain but could not fill the void.
To date, Landon’s children still remember him as a man devoted to his family. According to Jennifer, the “Bonanza” actor was a present father. “I felt admired by him — which is an amazing feeling to have as a child,” she added.
Besides the filmmaker’s family, other celebrities also remember Landon for the roles he played in their lives. For example, Melissa Gilbert once said that Landon became her father figure after her father died.
The actor will always be remembered and celebrated for his impact on the movie industry and the lives of people around him.