Michael Landon

Born: October 31, 1936, Forest Hills, New York
Died: July 1, 1991 (aged 54), Malibu, California

Michael Landon (Eugene Maurice Orowitz) was an American actor, writer, director, and producer, who starred in three popular NBC TV series that spanned three decades. He is widely known for his roles as Little Joe Cartwright in Bonanza (1959-1973), Charles Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie (1974-1983), and Jonathan Smith in Highway to Heaven (1984-1989).

What do you know about Michael Landon?  Try this quick quiz.

1. His running made him very good at track in High School and won him a scholarship. What college did he win the scholarship?

2. It is a 1957 horror film starring Michael Landon as a troubled teenager and Whit Bissell as the primary adult. It was co-written and produced by cult film producer Herman Cohen, and was one of the most successful films released by American International Pictures. What is the movie?

3. In 1959, at age 22, Landon had his first starring TV role as Little Joe Cartwright on one of the first TV series to be broadcast in color. What is the series?

4. Landon went on to star in the pilot of what would become another successful television series, again for NBC. What was the TV series?

5. After producing both the Father Murphy TV series and a movie, Sam's Son, Landon went on to star in another successful television series. What was the TV series?

6. What does Dodie Levy-Fraser, Marjorie Lynn Noe, and Cindy Clerico have in common?

7. What was his cause of death?

8. Where is Michael Landon buried?

Answers

• 1. University of Southern California
• 2. I Was a Teenage Werewolf
• 3. Bonanza
• 4. Little House on the Prairie
• 5. Highway to Heaven
• 6. They were his wives.
• 7. On April 5, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Landon's heavy cigarette smoking—four packs a day—contributed to this cancer. On April 8, 1991, he appeared at a press conference to speak of his illness, promising to do the best that he could to fight the cancer.
• 8. Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery, Culver City, California
  Plot: Mausoleum, outside/rear, private room
  

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