Michael Landon Jr. (born Michael Graham Landon on June 20, 1964) is an American actor, director, writer, and producer.

Life

Landon Jr. is the son of actor

Michael Landon Michael Landon (born Eugene Maurice Orowitz; October 31, 1936 – July 1, 1991) was an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his roles as Little Joe Cartwright in ''Bonanza'' (1959–1973), Charles Ingalls in ''Little House on the P ...

and his second wife, Marjorie Lynn Noe. He is the brother of Christopher B. Landon, Leslie Landon, Shawna Landon, and the half-brother of Cheryl Lynn Landon (from his mother's first marriage) and Jennifer Landon (from his father's third marriage) and Sean Landon (from his father's third marriage). His paternal grandfather was

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

, whereas his paternal grandmother was

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, although his father was raised

. He married actress Sharee Gregory in December 1987. They have three children: daughters Ashley and Brittany and son Austin. Sharee Gregory is the older sister of former child actress

Natalie Gregory Natalie Lynn Gregory is an American former child actress. Career She starred as Alice in the 1985 television film ''Alice in Wonderland''. Gregory is the youngest actress (age 9 years when she filmed the miniseries) to have played the role in ...

. Landon

converted to Christianity Conversion to Christianity is the religious conversion of a previously non-Christian person to Christianity. Different Christian denominations may perform various different kinds of rituals or ceremonies initiation into their community of believe ...

at the age of 18.Interview – 'He Was My Everything'
Mark Moring, Christianity Today, February 22, 2005

Filmography

Acting

*1977: ''

Little House on the Prairie The ''Little House on the Prairie'' books is a series of American children's novels written by Laura Ingalls Wilder (b. Laura Elizabeth Ingalls). The stories are based on her childhood and adolescence in the American Midwest (Wisconsin, Kansas, ...

'' as Jim (episode: "The Election") *1988: '' Bonanza: The Next Generation'' (TV) as Benjamin 'Benj' Cartwright *1988: ''Superboy'' as Stretch (episode: "The Fixer") *1993: ''Back to Bonanza'' (TV) as Host *1993: '' Bonanza: The Return'' (TV) as Benjamin 'Benj' Cartwright *1995: '' Bonanza: Under Attack'' (TV) as Benjamin 'Benj' Cartwright

Directing

*1991: ''Michael Landon: Memories with Laughter and Love'' (TV) *1999: ''

Michael Landon, the Father I Knew ''Michael Landon, the Father I Knew'' is a 1999 American made-for-television biographical drama film directed by Michael Landon Jr. documenting his privileged, but often troubled, childhood as the son of beloved television actor, writer and direc ...

'' (TV) *2003: ''

Love Comes Softly ''Love Comes Softly'' is a 2003 made-for-television Christian drama film set in the 19th century, based on a series of books by Janette Oke. It originally aired on Hallmark Channel on April 13, 2003. It was directed by Michael Landon Jr., and sta ...

'' (TV) *2004: '' Love's Enduring Promise'' (TV) *2005: ''

Love's Long Journey ''Love's Long Journey'' is a 2005 made-for-television Christian drama film based very loosely on a series of books by Janette Oke. It was directed by Michael Landon Jr. and was originally aired on Hallmark Channel on December 3, 2005. It is the ...

'' (TV) *2006: ''

Love's Abiding Joy ''Love's Abiding Joy'' is a 2006 made-for-television Christian drama film based on a series of books by Janette Oke. It was directed by Michael Landon Jr. and stars Erin Cottrell and Logan Bartholomew. It is the fourth movie in the Love Saga, w ...

'' (TV) *2007: '' Saving Sarah Cain'' (TV) *2007: '' The Last Sin Eater'' *2007: ''The Velveteen Rabbit'' *2008: ''Deep in the Heart'' *2011: ''The Shunning'' (TV) *2013: '' The Ultimate Life'' *2013: ''

When Calls the Heart ''When Calls the Heart'' is an American television drama series, inspired by Janette Oke's book of the same name from her ''Canadian West series'', and developed by Michael Landon Jr. The series began airing on the Hallmark Channel in the Unit ...

'' (TV)

Writing

*1993: '' Bonanza: The Return'' (TV) (story) *1999: ''

'' (TV) (story) *2003: ''

'' (TV) (teleplay) *2004: '' Love's Enduring Promise'' (TV) (teleplay) *2005: ''

'' (TV) (teleplay) *2006: ''

'' (teleplay) (television story) *2007: '' Love's Unfolding Dream'' (Teleplay) *2007: '' The Last Sin Eater'' (screenplay) *2013: ''

Producing

*2003: ''

'' (TV) (co-executive producer) *2004: '' Love's Enduring Promise'' (TV) (co-executive producer) *2007: ''Saving Sarah Cain'' (film) (producer) *2007: '' The Last Sin Eater'' (producer) *2008: ''Deep in the Heart'' *2013–present: ''

'' (executive producer) *2019–present: ''

When Hope Calls ''When Hope Calls'' is an American drama television series. The series is a spin-off of Hallmark Channel's ''When Calls the Heart'', which is based on the ''Canadian West'' book series by Janette Oke. It premiered on August 30, 2019 as the inau ...

'' (executive producer)

References

External links

*
Personal interview with Michael Landon Jr.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Landon, Michael Jr. 1964 births Living people American male television actors American male screenwriters American people of Jewish descent American television directors Television producers from California American male child actors People from Encino, Los Angeles Screenwriters from California Michael Landon family Converts to Christianity from Judaism