Michael Landon is famous for numerous acting projects – Bonanza, Little House on the Prairie, Highway to Heaven among them – but did you know that he was once a teen pop idol? In 1957, Landon released a single, “Gimme a Little Kiss,” during the height of his fame for his role in the film I Was a Teenage Werewolf.
In fact, so identified was Landon with this role that on some copies of his single he was credited as “Teenage Werewolf” instead of “Michael Landon.” He continued his singing career with a boost from his Little Joe popularity in Bonanza, and even guest starred on television, singing on The Dean Martin Show, Hullabaloo and many others.
He also took to the stage in theatrical venues, sometimes with a holster and gun strapped to his hip, reminiscent of his Little Joe character.
Michael Landon before the fame
Born Eugene Maurice Orowitz in Queens, New York, he and his family moved to Collingswood, New Jersey when he was four. There Eugene celebrated his bar mitzvah and attended high school, doing very well in track and field, especially javelin throwing. His athletic skills earned him a scholarship to the University of Southern California.
He was lucky to be athletically inclined, as his scholastic scores were abysmal. However, an accident injured his shoulder ligaments, ending his athletic career and his USC enrollment.
To make ends meet, Landon worked a number of odd jobs at different places, including a gas station and a warehouse. He also took on small acting roles, ultimately deciding that the thespian life was for him.
Feeling that his birth name wasn’t catchy enough for an aspiring actor, Eugene Orowitz chose his professional moniker by picking the name Michael Landon out of the Los Angeles telephone book.
The early work of Michael Landon
While working as an attendant at the aforementioned gas station, located opposite Warner Bros. studios, he was noticed by a local talent agent. As a result, his first starring appearance was on the TV series Telephone Time, other parts quickly coming his way.
Beyond I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957), roles came in such films as Maracaibo (1958), High School Confidential (1958), God’s Little Acre (1958) and The Legend of Tom Dooley (1959).
He appeared in a wide variety of television series, including three episodes of Crossroads, the pilot episode of The Restless Gun, U.S. Marshal, Crusader, The Rifleman, The Adventures of Jim Bowie, State Trooper; Tales of Wells Fargo, Wanted Dead or Alive and many more throughout the 50s. Then came his breakout role on TV’s Bonanza at age 22 as Little Joe Cartwright.
Michael Landon as ‘Little Joe’ in Bonanza
The TV series was one of the first to be broadcast in color, showcasing Little Joe’s curly brown hair. The show stars Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts and Dan Blocker, but it was Landon who received more fan mail than any other cast member.
Little Joe was the youngest of the three Cartwright boys and was a cocky, rebellious young man who had a way with the ladies. For 14 years, Landon became the heart and soul of the show with a fan base that ran the gamut of teen to older viewers.
Feeling he had developed some clout, Landon negotiated to write and direct some episodes, writing his first script in 1962. Three years later, he directed his first episode — Little Joe’s two-part wedding — which was one of TV’s most memorable specials.
As with all TV series, it eventually had to come to an end, the final episode of Bonanza airing on January 16, 1973. But Landon quickly rebounded with Little House on the Prairie.
Landon stars as the Little House on the Prairie patriarch
Just one year after Bonanza was cancelled, Landon went on to star as Charles Ingalls in another successful Western series, Little House on the Prairie. The show was based on a 1935 book written by Laura Ingalls Wilder, whose character in the show was played by 9-year-old Melissa Gilbert.
“Michael Landon was like a father figure to many of us, obviously, and a very, very important influence in my life,” Gilbert told PEOPLE in a recent interview.
“My own father passed away when I was 11,” she said. “I had been working with Michael for two years at that point, and he really sort of stepped in and kind of watched over me in a much more paternal way.”
While Melissa Sue Anderson and Karen Grassle rounded out the Ingalls household, it was Landon who ran the show — literally. He starred as the enduring patriarch and farmer and served as executive producer, writer and director.
Throughout its successful run, the show was nominated for several Emmy and Golden Globe awards. It even spawned Little House: A New Beginning in 1982, which focused on the Walnut Grove community, but did not feature Charles and family.
Landon remained the show’s executive producer, director and writer. Three made-for-television Little House on the Prairie movies aired after the series was cancelled.
Landon in Highway to Heaven
After 14 years on Bonanza and eight years on Little House on the Prairie, Landon didn’t have to wait very long before Highway to Heaven came his way. Hanging up his Western boots and hat for that of probationary angel Jonathan Smith, whose job was to save people’s lives in order to help him earn his wings, Landon found another hit series.
It was Landon who pulled the plug on this series after his co-star and friend, Victor French, who played retired policeman Mark Gordon and joined Jonathan on his assignments, died as a result of lung cancer.
The short lived 1973 Love Story anthology saw Landon as director and writer, and in 1982 he co-produced and starred in an NBC “true story” TV movie, Love Is Forever. The movie marked Priscilla Presley’s acting debut.
The coming of age film, Sam’s Son (1984), was written and directed by Landon and loosely based on his own early life.
A tragic end
In April 1991, Landon was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson to talk about his battle and the disease.
He began a healthy eating regimen and coffee enemas, but was devastated to learn that the cancer had tripled in size. Just three months after his diagnosis, Landon succumbed to the disease after a short battle at age 54.