Michael Landon’s Daughter Recalls ‘Family-Friendly Sets’ and the Actor’s ‘Brilliant Sense of Humor’

Michael Landon had a way of making even a trip to the grocery store special.

“I remember him putting me on his shoulders as he sang through the aisles,” daughter Shawna Landon exclusively tells Closer. “I was so embarrassed but laughing the whole time. My father could make you laugh no matter what.”

The actor, who became a star on Bonanza and created the beloved television series Little House on the Prairie, would have been 88 this fall. “He is always in my daily thoughts,” another daughter, Leslie Landon Matthews, tells Closer. “He was a very smart, very giving father. And he had such a brilliant sense of humor.”

As a dad, Michael was playful and affectionate but also strict with his nine children. “He would always tell me that as long as I told the truth, no matter what I did, he wouldn’t be angry,” says Shawna. “Disappointed, yes, but he wouldn’t tolerate lying. He felt that integrity was such an important asset to have.”

Big Sky Ranch, where exteriors of Little House’s Walnut Grove were shot, became a playground for the Landon children, who often appeared as extras on the frontier-set series. “It was such a family-friendly set because so many kids were part of the cast,” Michael Jr. explains to Closer. “On lunch breaks, we’d be doing hopscotch or tag or looking for rattlesnakes.”

He also loved shadowing his dad, who produced, wrote and often directed episodes, around the set. “It was a fantastic learning experience,” says Michael Jr., who followed in his father’s footsteps as a director. “We talked about film and current events together. And it was wonderful to see how beloved he was by his cast and crew.”

Off duty, Michael never cared for glitzy parties. On weekends, he liked to play tennis or take the kids on a fishing expedition. “He loved to be out on the water,” says Leslie. Although he was the hub of a big, noisy, blended family, Michael made an effort to spend time alone with all of his children. “I cherished the nights he would make up stories at bedtime,” says Shawna. “He had the most amazing imagination.”

Michael Landon Continues to Pay It Forward

After Michael’s 1991 passing from pancreatic cancer at the age of 54, his family remained involved in the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN), which helps raise awareness about this often fatal disease. “The services they provide, not only for people who are struggling with pancreatic cancer, but also the support that the families get, and the research they provide are absolutely extraordinary,” says Shawna.

Because pancreatic cancer seems to run in families, the Landons have been very proactive about screenings — and they advise that others get screened, too.

“By the time you realize you have pancreatic cancer, it will have metastasized, so early detection is key,” says Michael Jr. “PanCAN recommends anyone with a family history get genetic testing to determine if they have an increased risk.” For the Landon family, spreading the word about early detection and treatment is a way of keeping their father alive. “Even when he got sick from pancreatic cancer,” says Shawna, “he remained so positive about life.”