What We Know About Michael Landon's Kids

Michael Landon played a father in "Little House on the Prairie." On screen, he was Charles Ingalls, the father of Laura Ingalls Wilder, who grew up to write the children's book series, "Little House," which was based on her childhood and family life in the mid-1800s. In addition to Laura, Charles had seven other children. In real life, Landon, who was friends with co-star Victor French both on and off screen, was also a father with a lot of kids. Throughout three marriages, Landon became a father to nine children. Three of them were adopted, but he raised them equally as his own. When he died from cancer in 1991, his youngest child was still a toddler. 

Leslie Landon, one of his daughters, told Fox News that she believed her father neglected his own health trying to take care of all of them. "I think if my dad was alive today, he would say, 'Boy, I blew it,'" she said, and in retrospect, she understood. "If you're a caretaker, you're taking care of your kids and your household, you [do] get busy and distracted. ...So it's very easy to put your health on the back burner." His death touched his children in different ways, and so has his legacy. His children continued to carry on his mission and keep his memory alive in their own ways. Many of Michael Landon's children grew up to follow in his footsteps working in the entertainment industry. Some also endured tragedies in life, and some devoted their time to helping others.

Michael Landon had a very big family. After marrying his first wife, Dodie Levy-Fraser in 1956, he adopted her son, Mark, and later adopted another son, Josh, with Dodie. After their divorce in 1962, Michael wed Marjorie Lynn Noe a year later and adopted her daughter, Cheryl. The couple had four biological children during the two decades they were together: Leslie, Michael Jr., Shawna, and Christopher. Following their 1982 divorce, Landon began a relationship with a makeup artist named Cindy, who he married in 1983. The pair had a daughter, Jennifer, and a son, Sean. They were still married when Michael Landon died in 1991 due to pancreatic cancer. At the time, his youngest son, Sean, was only 4, and Jennifer was 7.His eldest son, Mark, was in his 40s, while Christopher was 15. Due to them being at different ages and stages in life, grief hit them differently. 

Mark told People his father's death taught him an important lesson, "I'd want to go with dignity like he did." Christopher was devastated about his father's sudden departure. "You could say a thousand goodbyes, and it would never be enough." Sean was too young to comprehend death. Jennifer, who was three years older than Sean could tell whether her father was having a bad day, and his death had a fundamental impact on her life. "When he passed away, I suddenly saw things differently and questioned everything," she told PanCAN.

Michael Landon's kids were no strangers to "Little House on the Prairie." "When we had school breaks and they were filming, my sister and I would always go to the set and we were very close with Melissa Gilbert and Melissa Sue Anderson and all the kids," Michael Landon Jr. told The Globe and Mail. Though he and Shawna Landon both only appeared in one episode, their sister, Leslie Landon Matthews, appeared in 20 episodes and played several roles. On the 50th anniversary of the beloved TV series, she spoke with Cozi TV about her experience. 

Similar to Melissa Gilbert, who starred in the show from a young age, Landon Matthews joined the cast of "Little House on the Prairie" in Season 1 episode 18, "The Plague." "I think I was 12 years old at the time," Landon Matthews said. "My scene was with my dad." She made another appearance as Kate in Season 3, episode 20, "The Election," before playing Marge in season 6. In retrospect, Marge was a big challenge. "I had to really feel that the baby that I was carrying was possibly gonna die, so when it came time to audition for the school teacher Etta Plum for 'Little House,' I had already kind of had my feet wet." She also revealed that despite her father playing the lead, she did have to audition to score her roles. 

While Michael Landon is most known for his acting roles, he also produced and created the TV series, "Highway to Heaven," in which he played the lead role, Jonathan, an angel who teamed up with an ex-cop to help people in need. The show has a reputation for tackling emotionally charged topics and asking difficult questions, tracing back to a promise Landon made to his daughter, Cheryl Landon, when she was in a coma after a terrible car accident in 1973 that killed everyone but her. Michael tried to bargain with a higher force for her life. "[I] would do my best to make a product to help people," he told People in 1985. 

Since making that promise, Michael incorporated a spiritual message into his productions, and in 1984, "Highway to Heaven." From the start, the show faced push back, but Michael kept it on the air for 5 years. In 1988, on the verge of the show being canceled, he reflected on his effort. "I've had the opportunity to hit some issues, some of which may be offensive to people, but people should think about," he told Entertainment This Week. After his death, Cheryl described her reaction to learning about her father's promise to the Coronado News: "I looked at him and said, 'You made this promise over my life?' And he squeezed my hand; he said, 'We don't know how to love each other; we've forgotten.'"

Michael Landon Jr. became a writer, director, and producer. He started as a film loader and camera assistant and went to the American Film Institute for directing. After making a 1991 documentary about his father, in which he interviewed many of Michael Landon's collaborators from various projects, Landon Jr. starred in "Bonanza: The Return" in 1993 as his father's character Little Joe's son, Benjamin "Benj" Cartwright. "I really had to become my own person," Landon Jr. told The Oklahoman. While he wanted to channel his father through the role, in real life, he was struggling to find his own path. "I might just be an ordinary guy who's going to live an ordinary life." He seemed to have made a switch to focus on producing, writing, and directing since then. 

In 1999, Landon Jr. created a made-for-television movie about his father: "Michael Landon: The Father I Knew" based on their troubled relationship. The film took a deep look into Michael Landon's divorce from his second wife, Marjorie, and how it affected his relationship with his son. This time, Landon Jr. made the decision not to star in his movie. Instead, he cast Joel Berti as himself and John Schneider as his famous father. "I was lost big time," Landon Jr. told Fox News in 2014. He recalled turning to substance and alcohol use after his parents' divorce. "My world came crashing down." But he eventually patched things up with his father.

Christopher Landon has made a name for himself as a director, writer, and producer in the horror genre. He is responsible for several cult classic movies including "Happy Death Day," "Happy Death Day 2U," and "Paranormal Activity: The Marked One." He also wrote several other "Paranormal Activity" sequels and was briefly attached to "Scream 7" before announcing his exit from the franchise. Furthermore, the prolific director co-wrote the 2025 slasher film, "Heart Eyes," which follows a masked killer who targets couples on Valentine's Day. His mystery thriller, "Drop," which was slotted to hit theaters in 2025, is about a deadly mind game between a widowed mother and a mysterious hooded figure who wants her to kill her date. 

Christopher's passion for horror started at a young age. He recalled his father screening the horror movies before letting him watch them on the This Is Horror podcast. "I was always drawn to the genre at an early age." To him, horror was a safe place to explore feelings. However, among all his projects, one helped him explore his relationship with his dad. In a 2023 interview with Variety, Landon revealed that "We Have a Ghost" was inspired by his relationship with his father. "And I lost my dad when I was 16, so I didn't get to have any of those man-to-man conversations with him," he said. The film offered him an opportunity to process his unresolved feelings.

Jennifer Landon's acting credits go back to "Highway to Heaven," in which she appeared in Season 5, episode 13, "Merry Christmas from Grandpa." Like her brother, Mark Landon, she also had a part in Michael Landon's last project, "Us." From there, Jennifer's acting career flourished. She can be seen on hit television shows, including "FBI: Most Wanted," "Animal Kingdom," "The Young and the Restless," and "Yellowstone," and movies, such as, "Within These Walls" and "Brothers." Among all her roles, Jennifer Landon is most known for playing ranch hand Teeter in "Yellowstone." "I'm a lunchbox actor," Jennifer told Decider. "Each job is a job fought for and a job got." Though she had fallen in love with the character, she didn't think she was going to get the role. "I haven't been on a horse since I was 7 years old," she told CBS Sunday Morning. Jennifer grew up around horses but developed a serious fear after her mother was almost killed in a horse-related accident. 

Jennifer in real life is nothing like Teeter, and she may have lied a little about her experience with horses, but she made up with intense training. "I've gotten to a place where I can rope a cow at a dead standstill," the actor said. For Teeter's accent, she turned to her great-grandmother on her mother's side for inspiration. "She had the thickest accent I have ever heard, and I figured that's just the way her daddy and mama spoke," Jennifer shared with Cowgirl Magazine. 

Instead of acting, Sean Matthew Landon and Shawna Landon both went into real estate. While Sean's Instagram mostly consists of nature and luxurious beach houses, he could be seen hanging out with Jennifer, in 2024.  In another Instagram post, he shows off a trip he and his mother took to Montana in 2023. Unlike Sean, who has focused on selling beach houses, Shawna has shared that she considers the selling and buying of a house both a financial and emotional endeavor. "We connect and associate ourselves with that place we call home," she said in an interview with ShoutOut LA. "I still to this day go and visit the home I grew up in because it brings back nostalgic experiences and memories that will always be there." 

Shawna is a mother and has done volunteer work regularly, but she didn't have an easy life. In 2022, she lost her 24-year-old son, Dylan, in a bus accident. She shared in an interview with Page Six that Dylan lost his father when he was 6 years old, and in 2015, he lost his grandmother and her mother. "My mom lived near there," she said. "She passed in 2015, and they were extremely close, so I think he was up there probably to go and just reminisce." Though no stranger to grief, she carries those she has lost in her thoughts and frequently shares photos and writings on her Instagram.

Cheryl Landon's life was forever changed by her 1973 car accident. From chronic pain and the numerous surgeries that she had to get through to the possibility of living in a wheelchair and infertility, she faced a lot of challenges. "It broke everything in her — all her ribs, her neck, you name it," Michael Landon told People in 1985. Even though the odds were against her, Cheryl didn't end up in a wheelchair. She gave birth to Michael Landon's first grandchild, James Michael, who she called a miracle baby, and after Michael's death, and made it her life mission to continue her father's work. "Dad loved me through every difficult phase and celebrated the marvelous times, unconditionally," she shared in her article, "Part 2: I Promised to God." 

She also revealed that Michael's main concern while facing his mortality was that his work wasn't done. At the time, Michael was working on his fourth series, "Us," about relationships and love. On his deathbed, Cheryl made a promise to honor and protect his name. "He squeezed my hand confirming the promise, as if believing I could do it." Since then, Cheryl has written two books about his father, "I Promised My Dad" and "Michael Landon's Legacy: 7 Ways to Supercharging Your Life." She became a motivational speaker and established the Above and Beyond Foundation and Highway to Inner Wisdom programs and became a regular contributor at the Women's Federation for World Peace International.

Mark Landon was the "Little House on the Prairie" actor's eldest son. He appeared in his father's last project, "Us,"a CBS television movie written, directed, and produced by Michael Landon, which acted as a pilot for an intended TV series of the same name. Cheryl Landon wrote in her article, "Part 2: I Promised to God" that her father referred to his last project as his best work to date. In addition to "Us," Mark also appeared in "Bonanza" and "Highway to Heaven." He was also in two other movies: "Goodbye America" and "Double Edge." 

In Michael Landon Jr.'s 1991 documentary, "Michael Landon: Memories With Love & Laughter," Mark was seen at the table with the rest of the siblings, sharing memories about their father. He recalled his father sneaking up on him while he was stuck on a math problem. "I couldn't get it, so I started praying...and at some point, I heard his voice, 'I'll give you the answer — if you finish your lamb chops next time mom makes them for you,'" Mark said. "It was a weird feeling because he changed his voice, and it didn't sound like him." In 2009, Mark, 60, was found dead at his home in West Hollywood. Though the police determined that there was no foul play involved in his death, the cause was not made public.

Despite starring in "Little House on the Prairie" since she was a child, Leslie Landon Matthews didn't follow her father's footsteps into Hollywood. She earned both her BA and MA from Pepperdine University in Malibu and has a PhD in marriage and family therapy from the California Graduate Institute. She then went to work in private practice as a clinical psychologist and certified grief counselor, spending time volunteering at the Grief Recovery Institute in Los Angeles. She also co-authored the book, "When Children Grieve: For Adults to Help Children Deal with Death, Divorce, Pet Loss, Moving, and Other Losses." While talking to Westlake Malibu Lifestyle, she shared that she went to study grief in children after her father's death. "Michael and I were in our 20s but our younger siblings were so young," she recalled. She went to the Grief Recovery Institute, which then led to writing her book.

In her practice, Leslie has specialized in divorce and eating disorders and it had everything to do with her own experience. "Children caught in a divorce are experiencing multiple losses; one of the most painful is the loss of the expectation that the family would be together." She revealed to have developed an eating disorder after her father's divorce from her mother, Marjorie Lynn Noe. "My brother Mike gave me the courage to come forward and admit that I had a problem." In her personal life, Leslie is a mother of four and has been married to her husband Brian for more than 30 years.

Many of Michael Landon's kids have worked with charities. Sean and Jennifer Landon have been active advocates for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network throughout the years. In 2021, Jennifer even led PanCAN's annual awareness campaign. During her speech, the "Yellowstone" Teeter actor revealed that though Michael Landon passed away only three months after his diagnosis, it was already two times longer than the doctors' projection. Due to a lack of symptoms during the early stages and having similar signs to other illnesses, the disease is difficult to diagnose early. By the time Michael Landon found out he had cancer, it had already spread to his liver, and he spent the last three months of his life undergoing experimental procedures. 

On the 50th anniversary of "Little House on the Prairie," Michael Landon Jr. and Leslie Landon Matthews joined hands to launch a fundraiser, "Team Little House," along with their castmate Dean Butler. "My father is always in my daily thoughts," said Leslie in the press release. "Celebrating the series' 50th anniversary warms my heart and takes me back to those glorious years we spent so much time together both on and off screen." Back in 1991 when research on Pancreatic cancer was limited, Michael Landon faced a less than 4% survival rate and little to no resources. Since his death, research has brought progress in the treatment of the disease. At the time of writing, the five-year survival rate has since risen to 12%.