Melissa Gilbert Called Out Michael Landon For His Infidelity Which Further Complicated Their On-Set Feud

Jun 07, 2022

Actress Melissa Gilbert was only ten when audiences first met her as Laura Wilder in the beloved television series, "Little House on the Prarie." Given Gilbert was so young when the show started, she admitted she had "never really studied" the craft before plunging into the incidentally decades-long career. Her previous experience was limited to minor appearances and commercials when she was a child. After being cast in "Little House on the Prarie" in 1973, Gilbert found herself cutting her teeth as a performer by working alongside seasoned actors, like Michael Landon.

These stars shaped the young actress, their influences converging to mold Gilbert into the artist she became. “There is a little something of everybody who has passed on a lesson,” Gilbert recalled. “These are the people who raised the professional me. I hope to carry all their teachings forward in my work.” Landon, who played her on-screen father, acted not only as a guide to the young actress but also doubled as her father figure off-camera. 

Under the watchful eye of older actors, the Prarie became a playground of sorts for Gilbert, allowing her to still be a carefree all those years. "It was a great place to grow up if you are a child performer, and was fun and amazing," she said. However idyllic her childhood was on set, Gilbert still didn't quite fall in love with acting. She had eighteen and applying to colleges when she realized acting was a viable path. "My mom sat me down and said...'the movies you’re making and the series you’re on, is actually a job.'" 

After this conversation with her mother, Gilbert realized acting might be her future. "I sort of stopped and thought, oh, maybe I should stick with this since I already have 17 years under my belt." Gilbert had gleaned more than a taste for acting from "Little House on the Parie;" the series also instilled in her a sense of the power of storytelling. Due in part to the direction of Michael Landon, the show often tackled topics some might consider too difficult for TV audiences. 

In one episode, Gilbert recalled, a child of former slaves came to the Ingalls' farm in Plum Creek and asked Michael Landon's character, Charles Ingalls, "Would you rather be a Black man and live to be 100, or White and live to be 50?" The interaction characterized the show's willingness to tackle difficult topics and Landon's ability to handle them. He also acted as a role model for Gilbert, who remembered once forgetting her lines in front of Landon. 

"Just burst into tears, 'cause I was busted. And he said, 'Just calm down. We're gonna do this. You're gonna learn your lines.'...And I said, 'Thank you so much.' And I gave him a hug. And he said, 'You're so welcome.' And then he got down right in front of me and he said, 'And that is never happening again, is it?... And it never did." Despite these positive experiences with Landon, Gilbert also recalled a rift that formed when Landon began an affair with their onset makeup artist Cindy Clerico.

Landon was married to Lynn Noe, his second wife, at the time. Gilbert recalled the impression she had of the two, saying, "I thought Mike and Lynn were the most glamorous, loving couple,” In "Prairie Tale," Gilbert wrote, “Mike had become very friendly with a new stand-in on the show, a pretty young blond named Cindy Clerico...I first noticed her during production of 'The Miracle Worker' when Mike visited the set one day and said hello to her before he did to me.”

While she didn't quite understand what was happening between them, Gilbert did pick up on the fact "that it might be wrong." After all, this was the man from which "Little House on the Prarie" drew its heart. "The show's values...were absolutely a reflection of the values of our leader, of Michael Landon," Gilbert recalled. How then was this great man having an affair with someone twenty years his junior? 

Landon's actions caused a degree of discomfort on set. However, while the couple may have started as a secret, they eventually married in 1983. The inner conflict Gilbert felt toward the couple faded, although any remaining ill-will she may have had would be shortly eclipsed by Landon's cancer diagnosis in 1991. He died shortly thereafter. 

However complicated their dynamic became, Gilbert kept her faith in Landon's abilities as a leader. On his influence, Gilbert said, "It's unfortunate, for so many reasons, that he passed away when he did, because I think his voice would've been an incredibly important voice to have today."

What was your favorite Michael Landon moment in the series? Let us know — and be sure to pass this article on to friends, family, and fellow "Little House on the Parie" fans!