michael landon a&e biography

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Michael Landon, the Father I Knew

Michael Landon Jr. directs this biographical story of his television star father, 'Michael Landon' (John Schneider). The film deals with the scarring that Michael Jr. felt after his parents ... Read all Michael Landon Jr. directs this biographical story of his television star father, 'Michael Landon' (John Schneider). The film deals with the scarring that Michael Jr. felt after his parents divorce when he was 15 and looks at his father's philandering ways. Michael Jr. is the son... Read all Michael Landon Jr. directs this biographical story of his television star father, 'Michael Landon' (John Schneider). The film deals with the scarring that Michael Jr. felt after his parents divorce when he was 15 and looks at his father's philandering ways. Michael Jr. is the son of Landon's second wife 'Lynn Noe'), who was deserted when Landon took up with a make-up ... Read all

• Michael Landon Jr.
• Linda Bergman
• John Schneider
• Cheryl Ladd
• 29 User reviews
• 1 Critic review
• 1 nomination

Top cast 39

• Michael Landon

• Lynn Noe Landon

• Leslie Landon

• Andy Glennon

• Cindy Landon

• Michael Landon Jr. - Age 15

• Michael Landon Jr. - Age 10
• Leslie Landon - Age 12

• Shawna Landon - Age 8
• Christopher Landon - Age 5
• Brittany Landon
• Christopher Landon - Age 10

• Josh Landon

• Hippie Driver

• Dodie Landon
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Did you know

• Trivia Michael Landon had died 8 years prior to the release of this movie.

User reviews 29

• Aug 22, 1999
• May 23, 1999 (United States)
• United States
• Michael Landon: El padre que conocí
• San Diego, California, USA
• Green/Epstein Productions
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 29 minutes

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The Untold Truth Of Highway To Heaven

In 1984, almost immediately after he wrapped up a decade as a writer, director, producer, and star of the 19th century-set family drama "Little House on the Prairie," Michael Landon started another long-running, squeaky-clean, heart-tugging series for NBC: "Highway to Heaven." Landon created the show and starred as a deceased man sent up to Heaven and then back down to Earth on assignment as a tentative angel, tasked with helping people turn their lives around and show that somebody cares. Each week, the angel known by the purposely vague name of Jonathan Smith, along with Mark Gordon (Victor French), an almost-broken former police officer, helps somebody new and then moves along on America's highways, each time getting a little bit closer to getting his wings.

Was "Highway to Heaven" treacly, melodramatic, and broad? Absolutely. But was it also the most inspirational and comforting show on network television from 1984 to 1989? Yes it was. Here's a look at the creation and impact of one of the most unique TV shows of the otherwise glitzy and superficial 1980s, "Highway to Heaven."

Jimmy Stewart, among other things, inspired Highway to Heaven

Two disparate sources lead to "Highway to Heaven": a Christmas movie and traffic. In his memoir " The Last Great Ride ," NBC's president of entertainment Brandon Tartikoff recalled discussing favorite movies with Michael Landon in the early 1980s, and Landon mentioned the 1946 classic " It's a Wonderful Life ," about an angel-in-training named Clarence (Henry Travers) who helps depressed George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart) find meaning in life again. Tartikoff said he liked the movie, too. "I'm glad," Landon reportedly replied, "because I'd like to do something with the same spirit, the same human values." Landon laid out his premise: He'd play an angel working on behalf of the Christian perception of God "who comes down each week and changes somebody's life, just like Clarence did for Jimmy Stewart."

In 1988, Landon told the Los Angeles Times that the spark for "Highway to Heaven" came when he was sitting in his car. "I was driving through Beverly Hills to pick up my kids on a Friday night, and people were honking at each other," he said. "There is no worse place for that than Beverly Hills; I think when people have a little bit more money, they really believe that the Red Sea will part and their car will go forward." That got Landon thinking about the mass frustration before his eyes. "If they would just spend that time being nice," he added, "the flow of traffic is going to go much better."

NBC brass didn't think a show about an angel would fly

Brandon Tartikoff, as he wrote in " The Last Great Ride ," didn't think the show that would become "Highway to Heaven" would work in the TV landscape of the 1980s, or that multi-hyphenate Michael Landon was picking the right project to follow a decade of " Little House on the Prairie ." 

"You're going to write, produce, direct, and star in a series where you essentially play God," he told Landon. "No pun intended, but you're going to get crucified by the TV critics." Landon said that he no longer really cared what critics thought because his years of television experience indicated that viewers knew what they'd get out of him, and they enjoyed it. "I know how to make people cry," he said. "And I believe that there's an audience for that. If you can move people in an hour of television, they'll be back next week for more." 

Trusting Landon, who, with "Little House on the Prairie" and "Bonanza" before that, had consistently delivered millions of viewers to NBC, Tartikoff ordered a pilot script.

How an NBC executive gave Highway to Heaven its name

After NBC president of entertainment Brandon Tartikoff signed off on Michael Landon's pitch for a show about a provisional angel, the actor-writer turned in a double-length pilot script to the network in just one week's time, according to Tartikoff's memoir " The Last Great Ride ." The teleplay would account for two hours of TV time, but it was also a first draft with some elements still rough and needing to be worked out, particularly the title — Landon initially wanted to give the series the generic title of "Jonathan Smith," after the assumed name of the angel he wanted to portray. Tartikoff, however, jokingly called the script from the laid-back Southern California denizen and Hollywood insider "Jesus of Malibu." When Landon heard that, he objected. "Landon reminded me that he was Jewish," Tartikoff wrote, resulting in a new nickname-meets-working title of "Moses of Malibu," after the Old Testament figure.

The show that eventually came to be known as "Highway to Heaven" got its actual and final title from a defunct project, a renamed remake of the 1960s road drama " Route 66 ," with which Landon's show shared a format. Tartikoff suggested it, and after thinking about it "for a couple of seconds," Landon accepted.

NBC hated Highway to Heaven

In his book " The Last Great Ride ," NBC entertainment executive Brandon Tartikoff called "Highway to Heaven" an "idea that I personally thought was preposterous but had no intention of derailing, at least not immediately." That's all because he couldn't really say no to the project or the man who wanted to make it. NBC was contractually obligated to at least launch, in good faith, the successor to Landon's "Little House on the Prairie," a hit for the network since the mid-1970s.

Nevertheless, when he got a load of Landon's pilot script for his new show, Tartikoff and other NBC executives found it "a trifle old-fashioned." After NBC spent $3 million producing a pilot episode from the script, executives got a viewing, and some were not impressed. "This show is so dated they should have shot it in black-and-white," said bigwig Jeff Sagansky, according to Tartikoff. "It's an embarrassment." Of the 40 network managers who filled a screening room to watch, 25 walked out. 

NBC considered writing off the $3 million as a loss and not airing "Highway to Heaven," but the network was obligated to put show on the air ... where it was a massive ratings success, beating ABC's top 10 hit "The Fall Guy." "Highway to Heaven" thus got a full season order, and in 1984-85, NBC was the most-watched network for the first time in 30 years, a success Tartikoff credits in part to the success of Landon's series.

Michael Landon had to insist on casting Victor French

Earthbound angel Jonathan Smith on "Highway to Heaven" needed a human partner to help him get to the people who needed his help (and perhaps needed some assistance himself). That character manifested as Mark Gordon, a former Oakland, California, police officer (that's why he always wears an A's cap) and brother of a retirement home manager whom Jonathan meets when he works his heavenly magic on the elderly residents. Before long, Mark has figured out that Jonathan is an angel, and together, they're moving from city to city on assignments from "The Boss" upstairs.

Victor French played the bearded and increasingly less bitter Mark Gordon on "Highway to Heaven," which marked the third long-running TV show on which he'd co-starred with Michael Landon. On "Little House on the Prairie," he played alcoholic mountain man and brawler Mr. Edwards, and on "Bonanza," French played four different characters in five episodes. Landon and French had grown close over the years, and the former moved to cast his friend as Mark Gordon. According to the Los Angeles Times , NBC wanted to put a young, classically attractive, rising star in the role, not a 50-year-old character actor. Landon stood his ground and got his way, allowing French to get the job he likened to "working with the man I love."

Working on Highway to Heaven was a cushy job

Producing a TV show, especially an hour-long drama for a broadcast network that requires around 20 episodes a season, is famously time- and labor-intensive, and that can be very stressful and lead to a poor work-life balance for cast and crew. "Highway to Heaven" was reportedly the exception to the rule. As the creator, developer, executive producer, star, and director of more than 80% of the episodes, Michael Landon was unquestionably the boss on the set of "Highway to Heaven," and the show's staunch support of the importance of family and togetherness above all other things played out in how it was made. Landon told the Los Angeles Times in 1988 that creating a family-like atmosphere on set relaxed employees to the point where the show came in under budget and on time. "Even the guy who brings our coffee reads every script," co-star Victor French added.

In the 1980s, a 16-hour day was the standard in network television. "Highway to Heaven" crew members would be home by dinnertime. Everyone on staff got a three-week break for the winter holidays and another three-week production shutdown in the middle of the season, and any extra money in the budget at the end of the year was split up into crew bonuses.

Was there a Highway to Heaven curse?

For a show as sweet and positive as "Highway to Heaven," the specter of death haunted the series. The main character was technically a dead man named Arthur Thompson, now working as an angel with the pseudonym Jonathan Smith. Moreover, the show's main cast all died tragically, alarmingly, and in similar circumstances. In the Season 1 episode " One Winged Angels ," Jonathan gets God to make it rain inside a car when Mark lights up a cigarette, suggesting that the deity is "not so anxious" for the man to die and wind up in Heaven. French was a smoker off-screen, and in 1989, just months after production on "Highway to Heaven" wrapped, he died of lung cancer at age 54, according to the Associated Press. Two years later, Landon, 54, died of pancreatic cancer, according to People . 

Apart from Landon and French, James Troesh appeared in more episodes than any other actor, playing the lawyer Scotty Wilson eight times in the series. According to Variety , Troesh died in 2011 at, like Landon and French, age 54.

The not so heavenly cancellation of Highway to Heaven

In May 1988, NBC announced its lineup for the upcoming fall TV season, and "Highway to Heaven" wasn't on it, instead shifted to midseason replacement status. An aging show, its ratings had slipped , falling out of the top 30 . As such, the show's fifth season consisted of just 13 episodes , which aired very sporadically and out of order — a couple in December 1988, one in March 1989, and the rest dumped into the little-watched summer months. The show didn't get a proper finale — the last episode, a Christmas special, aired in August 1989. Michael Landon confirmed in an interview on " The Tonight Show " in May 1989 that the series had ended production.

Landon, the creator and star of "Highway to Heaven," broke free of his 30-year connection to NBC, which stretched back through "Little House on the Prairie" and "Bonanza," and jumped to CBS for his next series, " Us ." The show would have been about a wrongfully convicted man freed from prison who becomes a traveling newspaper columnist looking for inspirational stories, but only the pilot was ever produced and aired, owing to Landon's death in 1991.

Mark Wahlberg tried to revive Highway to Heaven

The hottest new thing in television in the 2010s wasn't new at all — reboots and remakes of old shows were in demand at the big networks, as it's easier to promote and market a familiar brand or franchise and play off of the goodwill and nostalgia of viewers than it is to get people on board with something totally new. Alongside reboots of shows like "Full House," "The X-Files," "Roseanne," and "24" came a proposed new version of "Highway to Heaven." 

According to The Hollywood Reporter , the cable channel A&E started to develop a present-day-set version of the 1980s show about a helpful angel. The twist was that it would have carried a harder edge and been a bit more gritty than its inspiration, especially under the eye of executive producer Mark Wahlberg and with a pilot script written by John Wirth, who'd worked as the showrunner of the harrowing and violent "Hell on Wheels." The new "Highway to Heaven" would have starred new actors, as original cast members Michael Landon and Victor French had died decades earlier. A&E ultimately passed on the series.

Highway to Heaven is coming back to television

Less than a decade after A&E attempted to bring back "Highway to Heaven" with a dark, 21st-century spin, another basic cable network decided to give the idea a go, changing a few elements but adhering close to the spirit of the original show about intervening angels. In June 2021, Deadline reported that Lifetime had ordered a brand-new "Highway to Heaven." Unlike the original, this won't be a weekly series at all but rather a series of occasional made-for-TV "event movies." 

"Highway to Heaven" 2.0 will center on new characters, too. Jill Scott, primarily known as a singer, will portray a newly anointed angel named Angela, who descends to Earth to help people in desperate need. Every "Highway to Heaven" angel needs a sidekick, and instead of a grizzled ex-police officer named Mark Gordon, Angela's partner will be a junior high principal named Bruce, who finds out that Angela is an angel when she goes undercover as a counselor at his school. Barry Watson, who played the oldest son on the religious-themed '90s family drama "7th Heaven," has signed on to play Bruce. Scott will also help produce the movies, which are being made with the approval and assistance of Michael Landon's estate and surviving relatives.

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The Best Episodes of Biography

There are so many interesting episodes of Biography, that keep you glued to your TV set, but which ones really stand out? Do you like "The Von Trapp Family: Harmony and Discord" the best, or is "Amelia Earhart: Queen of the Air" your favorite episode of Biography ? To determine once and for all what the best episodes of Biography are, let's rank these Biography episode from best to worst.

Biography is a documentary series that profiles famous people. It often features archival footage and interviews with the friends and family of celebrities. Biography premiered in syndication in 1962. The series later ran on A&E before expanding into its own media franchise.

Vote up your favorite episodes of Biography , and vote down any bad episodes that you really didn't enjoy, despite how much you love the series as a whole. It can be hard to put one Biography episode over the other when there are so many good ones, which is why you can vote on however many episodes you like.

FDR: The War Years

A look at the early life of Franklin D. Roosevelt and how those years shaped his times as President of the United States.

• Season : Biography - Season 1994
• Episode Number : 6
• Series : Biography

Mary of Nazareth: A Mother's Life

• Season : Biography - Season 1996
• Episode Number : 15

Lady Diana Spencer

Princess Diana wielded her position to be a force of good in the world, but unrelenting media attention contributed to her early death.

• Season : Biography - Season 25
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Amelia Earhart: Queen of the Air

Jesus: His Life

A look at the life and legacy of Jesus Christ.

• Season : Biography - Season 1995
• Episode Number : 22

Mary Tyler Moore: All American-Girl

TV viewers loved Mary Tyler Moore's portray of Laura Petrie on The Dick Van Dyke Show, but she achieved even greater popularity and acclaim when she starred in her own series, The Mary Tyler Moore show.

• Episode Number : 10

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious:

The Making of 'Mary Poppins

The Biopic Story

The Reel History of Film

Michael Landon, the Father I Knew (1999)

After an inauspicious start in the movies, including the lead role in I Was a Teenage Werewolf , Michael Landon found fame on the smaller screen where he starred in some of television’s best loved shows. Yet the family values espoused on 'Bonanza' and 'Little House on the Prairie' conflicted with the personal life of the thrice married Landon, a situation his namesake from the second marriage found difficult to reconcile. Though this film ends with Michael Landon Jr coming to terms with the failings of his father the mere existence of this bitter biopic, which he wrote and directed, would indicate there is still some healing to go.

Strutting about with all the subtlety of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, John Schneider’s early scenes as Landon gel with the wholesome father figure beamed into living rooms the world over. Yet before long, the elder Landon is fat-shaming his daughter and abandoning his son to pursue an extra-marital affair. While Leslie becomes bulimic, Michael Jr turns to drink and smashes his car in a crash that's as unconvincing as Schneider's array of wigs. Cheryl Ladd, as wife Lynn, tries to put on a brave face, but only succeeds in ensuring it doesn’t age. This despite the fact that three different actors are employed to portray her children’s progression over the years.

This was Michael Landon Jr’s first film as writer/director and it would appear he picked up a few bad habits during his apprenticeship on his father’s 'Highway to Heaven'. Ex-television stars in lead roles are supported by an amateurish cast who flounder in a script that is cloying in its piousness. Nevertheless, Landon Jr has gone on to produce, write and/or direct several successful adaptations of the faith-based work of author Janette Oke.

Michael Landon (senior) himself wrote, directed and appeared in two semi-autobiographical films about his own childhood. In both The Loneliest Runner and Sam’s Son , Landon’s father was depicted in a sympathetic light. As for his mother, let’s just say there was still some healing to go.

as Michael Landon

as Michael Landon Jr

Cheryl Landon, Lynn’s eldest daughter and Michael’s step-daughter, does not appear as a character in this biopic. Her autobiography, 'I Promised My Dad', gives her account of some of the events depicted here.

Some generic behind the scenes action from Bonanza, Little House on the Prairie and Highway to Heaven , but no scene recreations from Landon’s limited film career.

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‘Biography’ Rocks Takes a Trip Down Metal Legends Memory Lane

The long-running docuseries Biography takes to the stage Sundays in June (premiering June 16 on A&E) and focuses the spotlight on five hard-rock idols. Here’s a list of who is being covered and when you can catch it!

Biography: Bret Michaels

Sunday, june 16 at 9pm est.

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

The special monthlong celebration of rock legends kicks off with an episode illuminating the personal history of Poison frontman Bret Michaels , and how he went from a boy in small-town Pennsylvania to one of the most recognizable faces in America, all the while keeping his band together and surviving several near-death experiences (and winning a season of Celebrity Apprentice ).

Biography: Dee Snider & Biography: Alice Cooper

Sunday, june 23 beginning at 9pm est.

Two back-to-back episodes beginning with Dee Snider , the face of Twisted Sister’s anthem “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” followed by the “Godfather of Shock Rock,” Alice Cooper , who faced many personal challenges throughout his career, including a long battle with addiction.

Biography: Sammy Hagar & Biography: Sebastian Bach

Sunday, june 30 beginning at 9pm est.

The final night of the series puts the spotlight on Sammy Hagar ’s difficult path to fame from a poverty-stricken childhood with an alcoholic boxer for a father to replacing David Lee Roth as the lead vocalist of Van Halen in 1985 and eventually being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Finally, you can experience the highs and lows of Canadian bad boy rocker and Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach , who continued to stay in the spotlight into the new century by playing a recurring character on the beloved comedy series Gilmore Girls .

Each documentary will feature exclusive interviews with the artists and those closest to them, as well as archival footage, and is a must-watch for music fans.

Sammy Hagar is leading the tour.

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Under the award-winning “Biography” banner, each episode tells the intimate, personal stories behind the success of some of WWE’s most memorable Legends and events. Through rare archival footage and in-depth interviews, each episode explores a different Legend and their immense impact in the WWE universe and on pop culture. Legends featured this season include Randy Orton, Sgt. Slaughter, Scott Hall aka Razor Ramon, Diamond Dallas Page, British Bulldog, and the longest-reigning WWE Universal Champion, Roman Reigns.

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Melissa Sue Anderson

Who Is Melissa Sue Anderson?

Born in 1962, Melissa Sue Anderson had done commercials and TV guest spots before being hired to play Mary Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie . She appeared in the role from 1974 until 1981. After Little House , Anderson continued to act, but didn't replicate her earlier success. She relocated to Canada with her family in 2002. In 2010, Anderson released a memoir entitled The Way I See It.

Anderson was born in Berkeley, California, on September 26, 1962. She was the younger of two daughters (older sister Maureen was 12 years her senior). When Anderson was 7, the family relocated to Southern California.

Due to her asthma, Anderson was encouraged to get involved in activities such as dance class; it was one of her dance teachers who encouraged her to take acting lessons. After her family was put in touch with an agent, Anderson started to pursue work as a child actor.

With her golden hair and blue eyes, Anderson was a hit with casting directors. She landed commercials, then showed up as a love interest for Bobby Brady on The Brady Bunch in 1973 (a kiss with Anderson's character made Bobby see fireworks, but also made him worry about potential exposure to the mumps). That same year she also appeared on television in Shaft , the series based on the hit film of the same name.

Little House on the Prairie

In 1974, at the age of 11, Anderson was cast on Little House on the Prairie, a TV series adapted from the popular books by Laura Ingalls Wilder . She embraced the chance to portray Mary Ingalls, the well-behaved eldest Ingalls daughter, and to work with Michael Landon . However, the reserved Anderson, whose parents divorced when she was 13, didn't get close to any of her fellow child actors.

At the end of the show's fourth season, Anderson's character went blind; after this storyline aired she received an Emmy nomination for lead actress in a drama series in 1978. It was the first and only Emmy nod for any Little House actor.

Anderson received kudos for her accurate portrayal of a blind person. However, as the show continued, Mary's story lines ended up involving a slew of calamities, including the death of her baby in a fire and her own catatonia. As a result, Anderson opted to leave the series in 1981; her last appearance was in the episode "A Christmas They Never Forgot."

Life Outside Little House

Anderson had pursued other opportunities while on Little House . She acted in TV movies, guest-starred on The Love Boat and won an Emmy for her work in the ABC Afterschool Special Which Mother Is Mine? (1979).

Anderson was offered the Brooke Shields role in The Blue Lagoon (1980), but decided she didn't want to do the nudity the part called for. She instead made her feature film debut in the horror flick Happy Birthday to Me (1981).

After ending her run on Little House , Anderson continued to act in movies, both on TV and in theaters. She also guest-starred on shows like Murder She Wrote and The Equalizer . Anderson received additional attention for dating Frank Sinatra Jr. and Lorenzo Lamas.

Family Life and Continuing Career

In 1990, Anderson married Michael Sloan, a writer, producer and director. The couple had two children: daughter Piper, born in 1991, and son Griffin, born in 1996. Anderson soon decided to focus on motherhood instead of acting. Her family relocated to Canada in 2002; she and her husband became Canadian citizens in 2007.

As her children grew older, Anderson began to step back into the public eye. In 2006, she appeared in the NBC miniseries 10.5: Apocalypse . She also penned an autobiography, The Way I See It: A Look Back at My Life on Little House (2010), and participated in a Little House cast reunion on the Today show in 2014.

QUICK FACTS

• Name: Melissa Sue Anderson
• Birth Year: 1962
• Birth date: September 26, 1962
• Birth State: California
• Birth City: Berkeley
• Birth Country: United States
• Gender: Female
• Best Known For: From 1974 to 1981, Melissa Sue Anderson appeared as Mary Ingalls, a well-behaved girl who tragically lost her sight, on 'Little House on the Prairie.'
• Astrological Sign: Libra
• Nacionalities

We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us !

CITATION INFORMATION

• Article Title: Melissa Sue Anderson Biography
• Author: Biography.com Editors
• Website Name: The Biography.com website
• Url: https://www.biography.com/actor/melissa-sue-anderson
• Access Date:
• Publisher: A&E Television Networks
• Last Updated: September 30, 2020
• Original Published Date: April 28, 2015

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