Whatever Happened to Michael Landon’s Nine Children?
Michael Landon, best known for playing Charles Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie, wasn’t just a TV dad. In real life, he had a big family of his own, raising nine children through three marriages. Fans who grew up watching him often wonder: whatever happened to Michael Landon’s children? Many of them followed in his footsteps to form a career in TV.
Landon first married Dodie Levy-Fraser, and during their marriage, he adopted her son Mark Fraser Landon. The couple later adopted another boy named Josh. After their divorce, Landon married actress Marjorie Lynn Noe. He adopted her daughter Cheryl, and together they had four more children: Leslie Ann, Michael Jr., Shawna Leigh, and Christopher Beau. In his third marriage to Cindy Clerico, the couple welcomed two children, Jennifer Rachel and Sean Matthew.
Today, Landon’s children are all grown up and have taken their own paths in life. Some, like Michael Landon Jr. and Jennifer Landon, followed in their father’s footsteps and built careers in Hollywood. Others chose quieter, more private lives outside of the spotlight. Despite their different journeys, Landon’s nine children continue to carry on his legacy, each in their own way. Let’s learn more about them.
Cheryl Lynn Landon (72)
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Real-life events from Cheryl’s life inspired Landon to create the show Highway to Heaven. She was in a horrible car accident in 1973 and everyone else in the car except Cheryl was killed. She eventually recovered and Landon began thinking about her and the accident while stuck in traffic many years later, and dreamed up the idea for the show. After he died, Cheryl wrote books about what it was like growing up with a famous father called I Promised My Dad: An Intimate Portrait of Michael Landon by His Eldest Daughter and Michael Landon’s Legacy: 7 Keys to Supercharging Your Life. She has also worked as a motivational speaker, touring the country and sharing what Landon taught her.
Josh Fraser Landon (65)
Unfortunately, there is nothing really known about Josh’s whereabouts.
Mark Fraser Landon (Died at 63)
Mark dabbled in acting and appeared in a TV movie called Us in 1991, which was one of the last projects written and directed by Michael Landon before he died. He also appeared in the film Goodbye America. Sadly, he died in 2009 at the age of 63 and is laid to rest next to his father.
Leslie Ann Landon (62)
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Leslie was one of Landon’s children to make an appearance on Little House on the Prairie, along with Shawna and Michael Jr. She received a BA in psychology, an MA in clinical psychology from Pepperdine University, and a Ph.D. in marriage and family therapy from the California Graduate Institute. She has four children with her husband Brian Matthews. Her daughter Rachel Matthews is an actress and made her film debut in Happy Death Day, directed by Leslie’s brother Christopher.
Michael Landon Jr. (61)
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Michael Jr. not only shares the same name as his father but also the same career. He went into acting but now mainly focuses on being a director and producer.
>> Who is Michael Landon Jr.? The ‘Little House on the Prairie’ Star’s Son Turns 60
Shawna Leigh Landon (53)
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Shawna and her brother Sean both went into real estate and sell luxury homes in Los Angeles. She often shares her life of being a Realtor and a mom on social media.
Christopher Beau Landon (50)
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Christopher also followed in his father’s footsteps as a director, producer and writer, but instead of family-friendly content, he loves to work in horror movies. He’s been involved in movies Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones, Disturbia, Happy Death Day, Freaky and more. He came out as gay in 1999.
Jennifer Rachel Landon (41)
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Jennifer made her mark in the soaps world on As the World Turns, The Young and the Restless and Days of Our Lives. She received three Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series for her role on As the World Turns. Jennifer may be the most famous Landon sibling these days thanks to her part as the spunky cowgirl Teeter on Yellowstone. (Season 5B is set to premiere Nov. 10 and promises to bring some tears.)
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Jennifer, who often goes by Jen, said to Fox News about auditioning for Yellowstone, “It’s the first scene Teeter does in the show, and there was a character description along with it. I can’t remember it exactly, but even separate from that, all of Teeter’s dialogue is written phonetically. My prep is always a little different for everything, but for that audition, I looked at a lot of photos of female cowgirls and female ranchers for two hours until I just sort of felt something in my body.” Next up she is set to appear in a film called Brothers.
>> Before Michael Landon’s Daughter Jennifer Landon Was Teeter on ‘Yellowstone,’ She Was a Soap Star
Sean Matthew Landon (39)
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Sean works as a Realtor in Los Angeles with Douglas Elliman Real Estate.
Finally, many of the children work together with charities and fundraisers for pancreatic cancer in honor of their late father.
