Michael Landon: Life, Career, Un-timely Death
Landon's Early Life Michael Landon was born on October 31, 1936 in Forest Hills, New York. Landon's given name was Eugene Maurice Orowitz. He changed his name because he thought it would help his acting career. His father was Eli Maurice Orowitz, a Jewish American actor and manager of a movie theater. His mother was Peggy O'Neill who was an Irish American Catholic. She was a dancer and comedienne. Eugene (Michael) had an older sister, by three years, Evelyn. At four years old (1941), Michael and his family moved to Collingswood, New Jersey. As a teenager, he attended Collingswood High School. A deeply disturbing time in Michael's life was during his childhood when he always had to worry about when his mother was going to attempt suicide. One particularly gut-wrenching incident was when the family went on vacation to the beach. While there, his mother tried to drown herself by jumping off a cliff into the water. However, the attempt was unsuccessful because of the quick action of a nearby lifeguard. What was literally sickening to Michael was the fact that after the suicide attempt and rescue, his mother acted as though nothing had happened. This terrible experience caused Michael to throw up soon after. Another issue of Michael's childhood was his problem with bed-wetting. It was documented in his biography Michael Landon: His Triumph and Tragedy. In high school, Michael earned an athletic scholarship to the University of Southern California as a javelin thrower setting a national record in 1954 with a distance of 193' 4". But, because of torn shoulder ligaments, his javelin throwing career ended and so did his time competing on the USC track team. Michael Landon's Career, 1956-1991
In 1976, Michael Landon wrote and directed The Loneliest Runner, an auto-biographical movie. He was nominated for two Emmy awards, but he was never given the honor in his career. Although, in 1981, he was given the Spur Award from the Western Writers of America. At least they recognized his screenwriting talent. :) Michael starred in The TV show Telephone Time in the episode The Mystery of Casper Hauser. He also acted in I Was A Teenage Werewolf, High School Confidential, and God's Little Acre. He had many roles on television such as Crossroads, Sheriff of Cochise (in episode Human Bomb), Crusader, The Rifleman, Fight For The Title, The Adventures of Jim Bowie, Johnny Staccato, Wire Service, General Electric Theater, The Court of Last Resort, State Trooper (two episodes), Tales of Wells Fargo, Tombstone Territory (in the episode Rose of the Rio Bravo), among many others. Landon often performed his own stunts and received more fan mail that any other cast member on Bonanza. He persuaded those "above" him to let him write and direct some episodes. That was the start over 20 years of successful television talent. Michael Landon appeared in all 14 seasons of Bonanza and stayed very close to many of his associates from the western, who continued to work with him throughout his other successful television series such as Little House on the Prairie and Highway to Heaven. Did you know Michael could sing? He released a single called Gimme A Little Kiss/Be Patient With Me on Columbia Records and Linda Is Lonesome/Without You on RCA Victor Records. 
The year after the cancellation of Bonanza, Michael starred as Charles Ingalls in the pilot movie for the following television series Little House on the Prairie, which became a bigger success than most could have imagined at the time. The show was based on the books written by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Michael excelled as executive producer, writer, star, and director of Little House. He formed close bonds with the cast, especially with Melissa Gilbert (role of Laura Ingalls Wilder), on and off the set, which carried on throughout the rest of his life. In 1983, Landon co-produced an NBC "true story" television movie Love Is Forever. Beyond Highway to Heaven, Landon wrote and directed the teleplay Where Pigeons Go to Die - based on a novel. This film had two Emmy Award nominations. In 1991, starred in a two hour pilot called Us. Michael had transitioned from NBC to CBS This was going to be yet another series for Landon, but on April 5, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Micheal Landon's Un-timely Death On May 9, 1991, he appeared with Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show to discuss his cancer. In June 1991, Landon made the cover of Life Magazine. In May, he had given the magazine a private and rare interview. He discussed his life, family, and his struggle to live. Within two short months, on July 1, 1991, Michael Landon died in Malibu at the age of 54. Michael's Spouses and Children
Little House On The Prairie Laura Ingalls Wilder Love Comes Softly (Movie Series) Old TV Series Return to Old Fashioned Living from Michael Landon
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Michael Landon's career included acting, writing directing, and producing. He starred in three very popular NBC TV series:
