Michael Landon

Michael Landon was an American actor, producer and director 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 , Charles Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie , and Jonathan Smith in Highway to Heaven. He also hosted the annual long-running coverage of the "Tournament of Roses Parade" with Kelly Lange, also on NBC. At age 22, Landon had his first starring TV role as Little Joe Cartwright on Bonanza, one the first TV series to be in color. The show topped the Nielsen Ratings, and remainined number one for three years. The year after Bonanza was cancelled, Landon went on to star in the pilot of yet another successful western television series called Little House on the Prairie The show, a success in its first season, emphasized family values and relationships. Little House became Landon's second longest running series. Fatherhood on screen and off led him to team up with Oscar-winner Paul Newman, and First Lady Nancy Reagan, for a drug abuse foundation called, Just Say No. Tremendously popular with viewers, the show was nominated for several Emmys and Golden Globes. After eight seasons, Little House was retooled by NBC in 1982. Landon's shows were all on NBC, but after ending Highway, he moved to CBS and in 1991 starred in a two hour pilot called Us. This was meant to be another series for Landon, but on April 5, he was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma, an inoperable pancreatic cancer that had spread to his liver and lymph nodes. Doctors believe Landon's heavy cigarette smoking - four packs a day - contributed to this cancer. On May 9, 1991, he appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson to speak of his illness, promising to fight the cancer and asking fans to pray for him. However, almost 2 months later, on July 1, 1991, Landon died in Malibu, California, aged 54. He was burried in the Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California. Cindy and Michael's family were joined by 500 other mourners including former President Ronald Reagan, with whom Michael had once chopped wood, and his wife Nancy. Merlin Olsen, Ernest Borgnine, Brian Keith and many of Michael's costars, such as Melissa Gilbert and Melissa Sue Anderson, were present.