Michael Landon’s is a legacy that lives on several decades since his prime and his untimely death at the age of 54 on July 1, 1991.
The actor was renowned for his TV work, especially shows like Bonanza, Highway to Heaven, and of course, Little House on the Prairie, which he also co-directed. Upon his passing, he was survived by his wife Cindy and nine children.
His considerable talents were passed down to his children, several of whom followed their father into show business, but his daughter Jennifer Landon, is perhaps the most famous of the bunch, having started her career at a young age.
She found worldwide recognition starring in Yellowstone as Texas ranch hand Teeter, and is now starring in the longest-running primetime medical drama in TV history, Grey’s Anatomy
© NBCUniversal via Getty ImagesShe still watches Little House on the Prairie
While Jennifer confessed she doesn’t watch TV often, she will make an exception if Little House on the Prairie is on.
“If Little House on the Prairie’s on and I’m somewhere and I catch it, I’ll watch it for a bit. It makes me feel very good,” she told Smashing Interviews in 2017. “If you lose a parent that’s not in the public eye, you don’t really have a lot of material on that parent.
“I guess it depends. You’ve got photos and home movies, maybe, depending on what generation you come from, you know? So you don’t really have all that footage. It’s just something about having a parent in the public eye.
“It’s weird to me that I get to feel close to him the same way that somebody who has never met him would, that’s turning on the TV. That’s how I do it as well. I do it the same way that anybody who really adored him does it.”
© NBCUniversal via Getty ImagesShe’s shared the screen with her dad
Jennifer was five when she joined her dad on an episode of his show Highway to Heaven.
“I have a very good memory. I think that I was very nervous because I’m pretty sure that I had diarrhea and that I was late to set,” she told Smashing Interviews.
“My dad wanted to put his kid in something, and he was allowed to do that. I always say if your dad owns a deli, your first job is probably working at the deli.”
© Getty Images for ParamountShe didn’t realise how famous her dad was
Jennifer admitted that she didn’t realize how famous her dad was when she was a little girl.
“It took me a while to realize he was really famous,” she told the outlet. “I had no idea. In a weird way, there’s something mysterious about the person.
“I know all parents are mysterious to their children, but I feel like people who are in the public eye have this kind of elusive quality.”
© Ron Galella Collection via GettyShe has eight siblings
Jennifer comes from a large family and has eight siblings from her dad’s three marriages.
Michael adopted his sons, Mark and Josh, after he married their mom, and his first wife, Dodie Levy-Fraser, in 1956.
He also adopted his daughter, Cheryl, after marrying her mom, Marjorie Lynn Noe. In 1963, they welcomed daughter Leslie, and two years later, son Michael Jr. In 1971, the couple welcomed daughter, Shawna, and four years later, son Christopher.
Alongside Jennifer, Michael and his third wife, Cindy, had a son named Sean, who was born in 1986.
