Michael Landon (October 31, 1936 - July 1, 1991), was an American actor, producer and director who starred in three popular NBC TV series that spanned three decades such as, "Little Joe" Cartwright in Bonanza (1959-1973), as Charles Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie (1974-1982), and as Jonathan Smith in Highway to Heaven (1984-1989). He even hosted the annual long-running coverage of the "Tournament of Roses Parade" with Kelly Lange, also on NBC. Landon's father, Eli Maurice Orowitz, was a Jewish American and his mother, Peggy O’Neill, was an Irish American Catholic.

Early life

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Landon was born Eugene Maurice Orowitz in the Queens New York. His father was Eli Orowitz, and his mother was Peggy O'Neill. It is interesting to note that his father was an actor, and his mother was a popular comedienne during the 1940's. Michael had an older sister by the name of Eveyln. Michael changed his name from Eugene Orowitz to Michael Landon after he decided to launch his acting career, as he did not feel that his given name was appropriate for an actor. It is believed that he chose the stage name by picking it out of a Los Angeles phone book.

In high school, Orowitz excelled at track]. He had a special talent for javelin. He held the national record for the longest throw by any high school athlete at the time. This earned him an athletic to [[University of Southern California|USC. Unfortunately, he later tore a ligament in his arm, which made it difficult if not impossible for him to participate in further javelin throwing competitions.

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