Michael Landon

Michael Landon
Publicity still of Landon, c. 1960s
Born	Eugene Maurice Orowitz (1936-10-31)October 31, 1936 Queens, New York, U.S.
Died	July 1, 1991(1991-07-01) (aged 54) Malibu, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Pancreatic cancer
Resting place	Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery
Alma mater	University of Southern California
Occupation	Actor, director, producer, writer
Years active	1956–1991
Height	5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Spouse(s)	Dodie Levy-Fraser (m. 1956–62) Marjorie Lynn Noe (m. 1963–82) Cindy (Clerico) Landon (m. 1983; his death 1991)
Children	9, including Mark, Leslie, Michael Jr., Christopher, and Jennifer

Michael Landon (born Eugene Maurice Orowitz; October 31, 1936 – July 1, 1991) was an American actor, writer, director, and producer. He is known for his roles as Little Joe Cartwright in Bonanza (1959–73), Charles Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie (1974–83), and Jonathan Smith in Highway to Heaven (1984–89). Landon appeared on the cover of TV Guide 22 times, second only to Lucille Ball.

Landon was born Eugene Maurice Orowitz on October 31, 1936, in Forest Hills, a neighborhood of Queens, New York. His parents were Peggy (née O'Neill; a dancer and comedian) and Eli Maurice Orowitz. Eugene was the Orowitz family's second child; their daughter, Evelyn, was born three years earlier. In 1941, when Landon was four years old, he and his family moved to the Philadelphia suburb of Collingswood, New Jersey. He attended and celebrated his Bar Mitzvah at Temple Beth Sholom. His family recalls that Landon "went through a lot of hassle studying for the big event, which included bicycling to a nearby town every day to learn how to read Hebrew and do the chanting." He attended Collingswood High School.

During his childhood, Landon was constantly worrying about his mother attempting suicide. Once, the family vacationed at a beach. His mother tried to drown herself, but Michael rescued her. Shortly after the attempt, his mother acted as if nothing had happened. A few minutes later, Michael vomited. He said that it was the worst experience of his life.