Michael Landon's Daughter Jennifer Landon Once Recalled Wonderful Childhood Feeling — Meet Her

Jul 13, 2021 by apost team

Actor Michael Landon is a Hollywood hero who's probably best remembered by fans for his roles on the TV series "Bonanza" and later, "Little House on the Prairie." Michael first shot to fame in the late '50s on "Bonanza" and he appeared on all 14 seasons of the show, which ran from 1959 to 1973. By this point, Michael was a household name and he had spent the majority of his 20s and half of his 30s working on the show. 

But rather than taking some time off when it ended in 1973, Michael got straight back to work — and landed himself a major role in another iconic series, "Little House on the Prairie." He was incredibly well-loved by audiences, which helped to establish his beloved legacy. However, sadly, he passed away in 1991 at the age of 54 due to pancreatic cancer. 

Although Michael was taken too soon and is no longer with us, his memory lives on through his nine children. A number of his kids even followed their father in his line of work and have made names for themselves in Hollywood. One of those children is his daughter Jennifer Landon, 37, who works as an actress. After starring on "As the World Turns" — a role that earned her three consecutive Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series, Jennifer has recently appeared on the show "Yellowstone."

In a 2019 interview with Closer Weekly, Jennifer opened up about her father and revealed some incredibly sweet family memories from when she was young. She spoke very highly of her dad as she recalled some of the gestures he did to ensure that she and her siblings had the best time growing up. 

Michael Landon (circa 1990), (Kypros/Getty Images)

Beyond his acting legacy, Michael Landon would leave behind a large family — fathering nine children to three different women to be exact. Among his many other kids, it was during Michael's third marriage to Cindy Clerico, who was a makeup artist on "Little House on the Prairie," that he had Jennifer Rachel Landon and Sean Matthew Landon

Jennifer was born on August 29, 1983, and it wasn't long before she got her first acting role, appearing in her dad's show "Highway to Heaven" at the tender age of 5. Before her father passed away, Jennifer was lucky enough to work with him one more time, when she was cast in the pilot episode of "Us," a show that would have been Michael's next major series, had he not died.

But outside of acting with Michael, Jennifer enjoyed many wonderful memories of him simply as her dad. She recalled in the 2019 interview with Closer Weekly:

"He was always so present as a father...He’d watch me jump around the pool for an hour straight. I think he genuinely enjoyed it. I felt admired by him — which is an amazing feeling to have as a child.”

However, that doesn't mean Michael didn't enact a bit of discipline too. Jennifer continued:

"He was just the best! That doesn’t mean we had free rein. There was a tremendous amount of respect and discipline that was implemented in our house — but my dad always made things so fun, too."

It sounds like Michael parented with the best of both worlds — stability and structure but also a knack for childish enthusiasm and fun.  

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Sean Landon, Michael Landon, Jennifer Landon (1989), (Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)

Jennifer also appears to have taken on more than just her father's love of acting. A keen outdoorswoman, Jennifer often posts gorgeous landscapes to her Instagram feed. In one photo that sees her walking out in nature with a smile on her face, she called herself "The Woodland Rascal," before elaborating:

"I don’t know if any picture has captured my puckish feral essence quite like this one."

If it wasn't clear from the shows that Michael shot to fame on, he also had a love of nature and adventure. Clerico, Jennifer's mother and Michael's widow, stated in the same Closer Weekly interview that he had "wished he'd spent more time traveling with the family," but that he did get to visit Africa, which was "one of his dream places." Perhaps that explains Jennifer's love of the great outdoors. 

Not only that, but Jennifer's kind nature and desire to make an impact in the world are also something she picked up from her dad. Frequently posting about social issues on her Instagram — everything from denouncing racism to raising awareness of Indigenous issues — Jennifer has shown that she cares about others, just like her father did. Despite not having a stable upbringing himself, Michael was adamant that his children have one. Jennifer told Closer Weekly:

“My dad didn’t believe in allowing past hardships to affect your present circumstances in a detrimental way. None of the things he experienced was ever apparent in the way he parented. He was all about turning things around, that’s why he liked underdogs and identified with them.”

It seems that the apple certainly doesn't fall far from the tree, and with a dad like Michael, we can understand why Jennifer is so inspired by him and continues to carry forth his incredible legacy.  

Did you know about Michael Landon's actress daughter Jennifer Landon? Do you think there is a family resemblance? If you found this article interesting, be sure to pass it on to any Michael Landon fans you know!

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