Leslie landon
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Michael Landon was born Eugene Maurice Orowitz, on Saturday, October 31st, 1936, in Forest Hills, Queens, New York. In 1941, he and his family moved to Collingswood, New Jersey.
When Eugene was in high school, he participated -- and did very well -- in track and field, especially javelin throwing, and his athletic skills earned him a scholarship to USC. However, an accident injured his arm, ending his athletic career -- and his term at USC -- and he worked a number of odd jobs and small roles to make ends meet and decided that acting was for him. However, he thought that his real name was not a suitable one for an aspiring actor, and so "Michael Landon" was born.
Two of his first big roles were as Tony Rivers in I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957) and as Tom Dooley in the western The Legend of Tom Dooley (1959). That same year he was approached by producer David Dortort to star in a pilot called The Restless Gun (1957), which was renamed when the series was picked up to Bonanza (1959). Landon played Little Joe Cartwright, the youngest of the three Cartwright brothers, a
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Michael Landon Jr.
American actor and director
Michael Landon Jr. (born Michael Graham Landon on June 20, 1964) is an American actor, director, writer, and producer.
Life
Landon Jr. is the son of actor Michael Landon and his second wife, Marjorie Lynn Noe. He is the brother of Christopher B. Landon, Leslie Landon, Shawna Landon, and the half-brother of Cheryl Lynn Landon (from his mother's first marriage) and Jennifer Landon and Sean Landon (from his father's third marriage). His paternal grandfather was Jewish,[1] whereas his paternal grandmother was Catholic, although his father was raised Jewish.[2]
He married actress Sharee Gregory in December 1987. They have three children: daughters Ashley and Brittany and son Austin. Sharee Gregory is the older sister of former child actress Natalie Gregory.
Landon converted to Christianity at the age of 18.[3]
Filmography
Acting
Directing
Writing
Producing
References
- ^"His Early Days Were Fun". Philadelphia Daily News. July 2,
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Michael Landon
(1936-1991)
Synopsis
Michael Landon was an American actor, writer, director and producer born on October 31, 1936, in Queens, New York. Born Eugene Maurice Orowitz, he changed his name to Michael Landon after entering acting school. Landon appeared in several notable roles, starring in the film I Was a Teenage Werewolf and the TV series Bonanza and Little House on the Prairie. Landon died of cancer on July 1, 1991.
Profile
Television actor. Born Eugene Maurice Orowitz on October 31, 1936, in Queens, New York. His father, Eli Maurice Orowitz, was an actor and movie theater manager. Mother Peggy O'Neill was an actress. The family moved to the suburb of Collingswood, New Jersey, where the young Eugene grew up.
Orowitz spent most of his childhood keeping to himself, reading comic books and taking long walks alone. The actor later told Redbook magazine in 1987 that he wasn't popular in elementary school because he was a conscientious, straight-A student. He tried to change that in high school by focusing on sports rather than academics, and he became a
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