Susan Katriona MacGregor CBE (born 30 August 1941, Oxford^[1]) is a British writer and broadcaster, perhaps best known as a former presenter of Woman's Hour.

Early life[link]

Her parents were Scottish^[2] and emigrated to South Africa where she was brought up. Her father was a doctor, a neurologist who was in the British 14th Army in Burma in the Royal Army Medical Corps.^[3] She attended the Herschel Girls School, an independent boarding school in Cape Town. She completed her education at the Ecole de Commerce in Geneva and at an English college called the House of Citizenship.^[2]

Career in broadcasting[link]

For a time in London, she worked as a typist at Australia House, then became a temporary junior secretary at the BBC. This entitled her to an induction course, where she was taught the BBC's method of working.^[2]

Returning to South Aftrica she began her broadcasting career there on the SABC's English language radio service. Initially joining the BBC in 1967 as a reporter for The World At One, she went on to host Woman's Hour from 1972 until 1987. In 1984 she became one of the hosts of BBC Radio 4's Today programme, a position she held until 2002.^[4]

That same year she was appointed a CBE for her services to broadcasting.^[5] Sue is a trustee of UNICEF and also of the John Ellerman Foundation. She is also on the Chancellor's Forum for the London Institute and an honorary graduate of several universities, among them Nottingham, Nottingham Trent and Dundee.

She hosts The Reunion on BBC Radio 4.

In late 2010, she recorded her final episode as chair of the popular book programme A Good Read, also on BBC Radio 4.^[6] At seven years and approximately 500 book reviews, she is the show's longest serving presenter.

Personal life[link]

A friend of Helen Suzman, via her niece Janet, MacGregor used her local knowledge in BBC broadcasts over many years about the struggle against South Africa's apartheid system^{[citation needed]}.

Her autobiography, Woman of Today, published in 2002, contained candid revelations and outlined her relationships, including an affair with Leonard Rossiter.^[7]

References[link]

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Joanna MacGregor (born 16 July 1959) is a British classical, jazz and contemporary pianist.

Biography[link]

MacGregor grew up in North London, and was educated at home by her Seventh-day Adventist parents until she attended South Hampstead High School at the age of 11. Her mother is a piano teacher who studied at the Royal Academy of Music. Joanna studied music at New Hall, University of Cambridge (1978–81) and was taught by Hugh Wood. After Cambridge, she did a Masters in performance at the Royal Academy of Music, London, with Christopher Elton. She also studied at the Van Cliburn Piano Institute in Texas which included masterclasses with Jorge Bolet.

In the early years of her career, she made a living from writing music for TV. Her first significant break was being selected as an artist for the Young Concert Artists Trust in 1985. Her next major break was a record deal with Collins Classics, with whom she made fifteen recordings. These recordings tend towards 20th century composers such as Debussy, Ravel, Satie, Bartók, Ives, Messaien, Birtwistle, Britten and Hugh Wood. There are also recordings of Bach and Scarlatti.

She has performed in over sixty countries often appearing as a solo artist with many of the world's leading orchestras. These include the New York Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra and Sydney Symphony, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The conductors with whom she has worked include Pierre Boulez, Sir Simon Rattle, Sir Colin Davis and Michael Tilson Thomas. She has premiered many compositions ranging from Sir Harrison Birtwistle and Django Bates to John Adams and James MacMillan. In 1997 she gave an unusual performance of Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 2 at London's St John's, Smith Square, with a brass band, The Marple Band, as part of the European Brass Band Championships. She has toured South Africa with jazz artist Moses Molelekwa, recorded with pop artist Talvin Singh and toured China (with her own music combining traditional Chinese instruments and electronics) with Jin Xing's Contemporary Dance Theatre of Shanghai.

On 20 May 1990, The BBC broadcast a radio play that she wrote entitled Memoirs of an Amnesiac about the life of Eric Satie. It was nominated for the Prix Italia, a prestigious radio award. In September 1991 her musical adaptation of The Caucasian Chalk Circle was performed at the Unicorn Theatre.

She organised the Platform Festival of New Music from 1991 until 1993. This included an eight-day festival at the Arts Theatre in Great Newport Street in 1991 which featured performers Simon Limbrick and the Norwegian cellist, Oystein Birkeland, and composers ranging from Paul Kellett (The Birth of Liquid Desires 2 `eight minutes of wildness' for 13 cellos) to the George Crumb.

Between 1997 and 2000, she was Professor of Music at Gresham College, London, giving free public lectures. She has received honorary Professorships and Fellowships from the Royal Academy of Music and Trinity College of Music and an Honorary Doctorate from the Open University. MacGregor was appointed as Member of the Arts Council England in 1998 alongside Anish Kapoor, Brian McMaster, and Andrew Motion. She resigned in 2004.

MacGregor was the subject of an edition of The South Bank Show in December 2001.^[1] She also presented her own series entitled Strings, Bows, and Bellows for BBC Television.^[2]

She made her conducting début in 2002 and regularly directs her own orchestral projects. She has had a very close artistic partnership as conductor and performer with the Britten Sinfonia for the past ten years.

In 2005, she was appointed as Artistic Director of the Bath International Music Festival. The climax of the festival was a programme of renaissance and electronic music with herself, Brian Eno and the Bath Camerata in Bath Abbey.^[3]

In 2010 she curated Deloitte Ignite, a three day festival celebrating the opening of the season at London's Royal Opera House. A series of installations and performances with an arboreal theme were available to members of the public for free during the daytimes, with three ticketed evening concerts, including the 'Lying Down Concert' which featured Joanna MacGregor, Kiki Dale and Ilona Jantti.^[4]

She was appointed Head of Keyboard at the Royal Academy of Music in November 2010, taking up the role from September 2011.^[5]

Books[link]

Her series of piano teaching books for children called "Piano World" were published in May 2001 by Faber Music.^[6] They feature storytelling, cartoons, games and include companion CDs with cartoon style narration and musical accompaniments.

Awards[link]

In 2008 she was awarded a Doctor of Music honorary degree by the University of Bath.^[7] She is Professor of Musical Performance at Liverpool Hope University.^[8]

In 2003, she was recognised for her innovation and crossover appeal with a Royal Philharmonic Society award for imaginative programming and tireless work in opening up music to a new audience.^[9] Other awards include European Encouragement Prize for Music 1995, NFMS Sir Charles Grove Award 1998, and South Bank Show Award for Classical Music 2000

Sound Circus record label[link]

In 1998, she launched her own record label SoundCircus in association with Unknown Public. The label combines new recordings with re-releases of the Collins material. MacGregor was able to buy back the rights to these Collins recordings. The most successful release on Soundcircus was "Play", a diverse collection mainly of solo piano pieces. "Play" was nominated for the Mercury Prize 2002. It came within two votes of winning the award. Initially, the label was internet based and mail order only. The label was distributed in the UK by MackTwo until it went out of business. The label is now distributed by New Note.

Discography[link]

Collins Classics

• MacGregor on Broadway. (1991) Collins Classics.
• Hugh Wood: Piano Concerto, Op. 31. (1993) BBC Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Davis. Collins Classics 20072.
• Bartók/Debussy/Ravel - Piano Works. (1994) Collins Classics.
• Krauze/Messiaen - Quartets. (1994) Collins Classics.
• Olivier Messaien - Vingt Regards sur L'Enfant Jesus. Collins Classics.
• Ives: Sonata No.1/Barber: Sonata, Op.26/Excursions, Op.20 . (1993)
• The Music of George Gershwin. (1992) Collins Classics 13622. MacGregor's performances of numerous short pieces by Gershwin alongside the composer's "Piano Concerto in F" and the original jazz band version of "Rhapsody In Blue."Carl Davis and the London Symphony Orchestra provide invaluable instrumental support.
• Britten: "Paul Bunyan", Piano Concerto/Saxton: Music to Celebrate. Collins Classics.
• Birtwistle: Antiphonies for Piano and Orchestra/Nomos/An Imaginary Landscape. Collins Classics.
• Rhapsody in Blue. (1993) Collins Classics.
• Britten - Piano Concerto. English Chamber Orchestra, Stuart Bedford. Collins Classics. Also re-released on Naxos.
• Domenico Scarlatti's keyboard sonatas, Collins Classics.
• Erik Satie's piano music, Collins Classics.
• Counterpoint, contains Bach's Art of Fugue and works by Conlon Nancarrow. Collins Classics.

Sound Circus

• Piano Language. Sound Circus SC001.
• Outside in Pianist. Sound Circus SC002.
• Perilous Night. Sound Circus SC003.
• Harrison's Clocks. Sound Circus SC004.
• Lou Harrison Piano Concerto. Sound Circus SC005.
• Damba Moon, Ensemble Bash. Sound Circus SC006.
• Play. (2001), Sound Circus SC007.
• Neural Circuits, features works by Olivier Messiaen, Alfred Schnittke, Arvo Pärt and Nitin Sawhney alongside music based on traditional Ghanaian melodies. Sound Circus SC008.
• Deep River. (2006) Sound Circus SC009.
• Sidewalk Dances. (2006) Sound Circus SC010.
• Bach's 6 French Suites, Sound Circus SC901.
• Satie: Piano Music. Reissue on Sound Circus SC902.
• Scarlatti: Keyboard Sonatas. Sound Circus SC903.
• Quiet Music. Sound Circus SC904.
• Counterpoint: Bach / Nancarrow. Sound Circus BN2CD.

Concerto repertoire[link]

Piano and Orchestra

• John Adams: Century Rolls
• Bach: Concerto In D Minor Bwv 1052, Concerto In F Minor Bwv 1056
• Bartok: Concerto No.3
• Django Bates: What It's Like To Be Alive (Piano Concerto For Joanna Macgregor)
• Beethoven: Concerto No.4 In G Op.58, Concerto No.5 In E Flat Op.73
• Berg: Chamber Concerto
• Birtwistle: Antiphonies, Slow Frieze
• Britten: Concerto, Young Apollo
• Gershwin: Rhapsody In Blue, Concerto In F Major
• Lou Harrison: Concerto For Piano And Selected Orchestra
• Harvey Bird: Concerto With Pianosong
• James Macmillan: Concerto No 2
• Messiaen: Turangalîla-Symphonie, Oiseaux Exotiques
• Mozart: Concerto In E Flat K 271, Concerto In D Minor K 466, Concerto In C K 467, Concerto In A K 488, Concerto In C Minor K 491
• Prokofiev: Concerto No.2 In G Minor Op.16, Concerto No.3 In C Op.26
• Rachmaninov: Rhapsody On A Theme Of Paganini Op.34
• Ravel: Piano Concerto For The Left Hand, Piano Concerto In G
• Schnittke: Concerto For Piano And Strings
• Shostakovich: Concerto For Piano, Trumpet And Strings In C Minor Op.35, Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No.2 In F, Op.102
• Stravinsky: Concerto For Piano And Wind Instruments
• Hugh Wood: Piano Concerto

Radio performances[link]

Performances on BBC Radio 3:

• "Lunchtime Concert: Joanna MacGregor" Live from London's Wigmore Hall - Villa-Lobos, Gismonti, Moraes and Piazzolla, 18 September 2006 13:00-14:00
• Through the Night: Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus (1756-1791): Marriage of Figaro Overture; "Piano Concerto No 23, K488, in A. Joanna MacGregor (piano)" [Recorded in Stavanger Concert Hall on 8 September 2005, 20 July 2006 25:00-25:30
• "Performance On 3: Bath International Music Festival - Joanna MacGregor, Andy Sheppard and the Britten Sinfonia" 6 June 2006 19.30-21.30
• "Performance on 3: Bath International Music Festival 2006 - Joanna MacGregor, Brian Eno and Bath Camerata", 1 June 2006 19:30-21:00
• "Sunday Gala: Bath International Music Festival - solo recital", Sunday 21 May 2006 14:00-15:30
• "Lunchtime Concert" Second of four concerts by members of Britten Sinfonia. Pieces by Dowland, Gismonti, Yarde, Piazzolla. With Joanna MacGregor (piano), Jason Yarde (saxophone) 5/4/06
• "Big Band Special: Chelsea Festival", featuring the BBC Big Band with pianist Joanna MacGregor. Radio Two 24 October 2005
• "Performance on 3: Ulster Orchestra - Gershwin and the Russian Gold" (Joanna MacGregor soloist on Gershwin: Piano Concerto), 22 September 2005 19:30-21:30
• Hear and Now A recital from this year's "City of London Festival" by pianist Joanna MacGregor, celebrating American music ranging from John Cage to Nina Simone and Thelonious Monk. 13.8.05
• "In Tune: Joanna Macgregor and Andy Sheppard", 15 June 2005 19:00-19:19
• "Hear and Now: City of London Festival - solo recital", 13 August 2005 23:30-1:00
• "Lunchtime Concert: Music by Bach and Shostakovich", 18 January 2005 13:00-14:00
• "Lunchtime Concert" Recital by pianist Joanna MacGregor, Bach: Goldberg Variations 24 May 2004
• "Performance on 3" Pianist Joanna MacGregor directs the Britten Sinfonia, Andy Sheppard (saxophones) and Shri Sriran (tablas). The programme includes works by Louis Hardin and Bach's The Art of Fugue 24 November 2003
• "Lunchtime Concert" Direct from the Wigmore Hall. Joanna MacGregor (piano), Andy Sheppard (saxophone) and Aref Durvesh (tabla) play music by Dowland, Ligeti, Messiaen and Chick Corea (Live) 16.9.02
• "Hear and Now" Cheltenham Festival of Music by soprano Valdine Anderson, pianist Joanna MacGregor and Sinfonia 21 under Martyn Brabbins. Music includes the world premiere of Julian Anderson's `Shir hashrim' and Jonathan Harvey's Bird Concerto with Pianosong. 14 July 2001
• "Lunchtime Concert" Live from London's Wigmore Hall. Joanna MacGregor (piano). Barber: Excursions, Op 20. Crumb: A Little Suite for Christmas, AD1979. Traditional arr MacGregor: Russian Folk Songs. Stravinsky: Three movements from `Petrushka'. 2 April 2001
• "BBC Proms 2000." Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London. Joanna MacGregor (piano), Ensemble Bash, Aref Durvesh (tabla) 18 July 2000
• "Lunchtime Concert" A recital given at St George, Brandon Hill, Bristol by pianist Joanna MacGregor. Byrd: Hugh Aston's Ground. Ades: Traced Overhead. Dowland: Forlorn Hope Fancye. Birtwistle: Harrison's Clocks. Bach: Contrapunctus II (The Art of Fugue). Nancarrow: Three Studies for player piano. Matthew Fairclough: Altered Ends, Revealed Beginnings. Somel Satoh: Incantation II. Cage: Water Music. Joanna MacGregor: Dance It. Jonathan Harvey: Tombeau de Messiaen. Bach: Allemande (Partita in D, BWV828). Alistair Nicholson: 42nd Street. 30 January 2000
• "Lunchtime Concert" from St George's, Brandon Hill, Bristol. Joanna MacGregor (piano). Ives: Bad Resolutions and Good; Three Page Sonata. Cage: Sonatas for prepared piano Nos 14 and 15. Cowell: Aeolian Harp; The Snows of Fujiyama. Cage: Sonatas for prepared piano Nos 2 and 5. Gershwin, arr Finnissy: Nashville Nightingale. Cage: Sonatas for prepared piano Nos 7 and 12. Copland: Variations. (Inventing America) 12 June 1998
• "The Gershwin Songbook" Pianist Joanna MacGregor plays the composer's arrangements of his own songs, including `'S Wonderful', `Oh, Lady Be Good' and `I Got Rhythm'. 2 May 1998
• "BBC Proms 97" Joanna MacGregor (piano), Ensemble Bash. Trad, arr Ensemble Bash: Yaa yaa kole. Steve Reich: Music for Pieces of Wood. Cage: Sonatas 2 and 5 for prepared piano. Orphy Robinson: Suite d'Lorenzo. Cage: Sonatas 14 and 15 for prepared piano. Frederic Rzewski: Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues. Django Bates: The Catering Trade (first London performance). 23 July 1997
• "Joanna MacGregor. Piano recital." Berg: Sonata, Op 1. Schoenberg: Six Little Pieces, Op 19. Four Broadway Arrangements - Harold Arlen, arr Django Bates: It's only a paper moon. Cole Porter, arr Gary Carpenter: Love for sale. Jerome Kern, arr Michael Finnissy: Can't help lovin' dat man. Al Dubin, arr Alasdair Nicholson: 42nd Street. 6 January 1995
• "1994 Bath International Festival" Joanna MacGregor (piano) performs Bach: Pieces from the Anna Magdalena Notebook. John Woolrich: Piano Books 3 and 4 (world premiere). Satie: Gnossiennes Nos 1 and 5; Gymnopedies Nos 1 and 3. Gorecki: Piano Sonata No 1, Op 6. Thelonius Monk: Round Midnight; Monk's Point. Nina Simons: Good Bait. 22 9 June 1994
• "BBC Lunchtime Concert" Live from St John's, Smith Square, London Joanna MacGregor (piano). Bach French Suite No 5 in G (BWV 816). Nancarrow Prelude and Blues. Satie Sports et divertissements. Debussy Six Etudes. 28 February 1994
• "BBC Proms" BBC Symphony Orchestra, conductor Mark Wigglesworth, with Gwyneth Jones (soprano), Joanna MacGregor, (piano), Cynthia Millar (ondes martenot), live from the Royal Albert Hall, London. Wagner: Prelude and Liebestod (Tristan and Isolde) 30 July 1993
• "Jazz at the Bath Festival" Recorded in the Guildhall, it features Human Chain (Django Bates, keyboards and tenor horn; Iain Ballamy, saxophones; Stuart Hall, bass; Martin France, drums) with pianist Joanna MacGregor in specially commissioned music by Django Bates and, in between, MacGregor playing solo in pieces by Nancarrow, Cowell, Ligeti and Rzewski. During the interval, Joanna MacGegor talks about her venture into jazz and improvised music. 10 July 1993
• "Joanna MacGregor". (piano). Bach: French Suite No 5. Hugh Wood: Three Pieces, Op 5. Ravel: Valses nobles et sentimentales. Chopin: Ballade No 4 in F minor, Op 52. December 1992
• "The Proms: Hugh Wood Piano Concerto premiere, Royal Albert Hall", 10 September 1991

Radio interviews[link]

Interviews on BBC Radio 3

• "In Tune": Interview about role and musical choices as the artistic director of this "Bath Festival 2006". 18 May 2006 17:00-19:30
• "Morning Performance". Tommy Pearson talks to pianist Joanna MacGregor and introduces her recordings. Music by Bach, trad African, Fairclough, Satoh, Satie, Monk, Gillespie/Dameron, Andrew Toovey, Cage 11 December 2002
• "The Music Machine". Tommy Pearson talks to pianist Joanna MacGregor about her "life and career." 6 May 1994
• The pianist Joanna MacGregor and composer Hugh Wood talk about Wood's piano concerto whose premiere MacGregor is about to perform at the proms. MacGregor: Piano part of the concerto is absolutely enormous, structurally vast. On hearing rehearsal husband said it was as if Messiaen walked into a jazz bar. Wood: Hadn't collaborated very much with MacGregor. Writing went very smoothly for a slow worker. MacGregor: Made decision early on to play with the music - takes pressure off players and conductors. Have always wanted to work together - go back a long way to when Wood was her tutor at Cambridge and he was berating her over Palestrina and Beethoven. Wood: Dreams often come true, and come true in a very nice way. 10 September 1991
• "The Works: Joanna MacGregor" 19 May 1989

Interviews on BBC Radio 4

• "Great Lives: Joanna MacGregor on Nina Simone" 19 September 2006 16.30-17:00
• Front Row: Bath International Music Festival 2006
• "Front Row: Musicians setting up their own labels" 22 February 2005 19.15 - 19.45
• "Front Row: The Art of Fugue" 17 November 2003 19.15 - 19.45
• "Desert Island Discs: Joanna MacGregor" 1 June 1997

Television[link]

• "Forty Eight Preludes and Fugues" BBC TWO. No. 14 10/10/2000, No. 15 30/8/2000, No. 16 21/8/2000, No. 17 16/8/2000, No. 18 31/8/2000, No. 19 3/10/2000, No. 20 17/8/2000, No. 22 17/8/2000, No. 23 5/8/2000, No. 24 15/8/2000.
• "Last Night of the Proms". Featured soloist.
• "Strings, Bows, and Bellows" BBC TWO. "Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues" by Frederic Rzewski (16/10/1994), "Autumn in Warsaw" by György Ligeti (30/10/1994), "Third Construction" by John Cage (23/10/1994), "Sin Medida" by Julio D'Escrivan (06/11/1994), "Sonata for Piano and Cello" by Alfred Schnittke (20/11/1994), "Falling" (04/12/1994), "De Profundis" with James Crabb (29/04/1995), "Uninterrupted Rests" by Toru Takemitsu (22/04/1995), "Piano Sonata" with James MacMillan (06/05/1995), and "Tentle Moments" with Django Bates (13/05/1995).
• "Soundbites" BBC TWO 14/11/1992 Joanna MacGregor playing Erroll's Blues and Erroll's Bounce by Erroll Garner.
• "Omnibus at the Proms: Pictures at an Exhibition" BBC TV 30/08/1991
• "Making It". Documentary following three talented young instrumentalists, fresh out of London music colleges, as they take first steps towards establishing solo career. Includes Joanna MacGregor touring North Devon village halls. Granada, 16 November 1986 10.30pm.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Joanna MacGregor

• Joanna MacGregor's concert schedule
• Homepage of Joanna MacGregor and the Sound Circus record label
• Biography at Ingpen & Williams
• Biography at Bach-Cantatas.com
• Biography at Musicianguide.com
• PDF of Django Bates' programme notes for Paper Moon

This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia. Specific concerns may be found on the talk page. See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles for suggestions. (May 2011)

Michael Landon
Born	Eugene Maurice Orowitz (1936-10-31)October 31, 1936 Queens, New York, U.S.
Died	July 1, 1991(1991-07-01) (aged 54) Malibu, California
Resting place	Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery
Occupation	Actor, director, producer, writer
Years active	1956–1991
Spouse	Dodie Frasier (1956–62; divorced; 1 step-son, 1 adopted son) Lynn Noe (1963–82; divorced; 1 step-daughter, 4 children) Cindy Landon (1983–91; widowed; 2 children)

Michael Landon (October 31, 1936 – July 1, 1991) was an American actor, writer, director, and producer. He is widely known for his roles as Little Joe Cartwright in Bonanza (1959–1973), Charles Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie (1974–1983), and Jonathan Smith in Highway to Heaven (1984–1989). Landon appeared on the cover of TV Guide 22 times, second only to Lucille Ball (TV Guide, July 6, 1991).

Landon produced, wrote, and directed many of his series' episodes, including his shortest-lived production, Father Murphy, which starred his friend and "Little House" co-star Merlin Olsen. In 1981, Landon won recognition for his screenwriting with a Spur Award from the Western Writers of America. Although his youngest daughter Jennifer Landon and Bonanza co-star David Canary, have both won multiple Emmys, Michael Landon was never given the honor. In 1976, Landon wrote and directed an auto-biographical movie, The Loneliest Runner, which was nominated for two Emmys.

Early life[link]

Michael Landon was born Eugene Maurice Orowitz in Forest Hills, a neighborhood of Queens, New York.^[1][2] Landon's father, Eli Maurice Orowitz, was an actor and movie theater manager, and his mother, Peggy (O'Neill), was a dancer and comedienne. Eugene was the Orowitz' second child; his sister, Evelyn, was born three years earlier. His father was a Jewish American actor and his mother was from an Irish Catholic family. In 1941, when Landon was four years old, he and his family moved to the Philadelphia suburb of Collingswood, New Jersey. He attended and celebrated his Bar Mitzvah at Temple Beth Shalom,^[3][4] a Conservative synagogue, in Haddon Heights, an area that did not allow Jews until after World War II.^[5] His family recalls that Landon "went through a lot of hassle studying for the big event, which included bicycling to a nearby town every day to learn how to read Hebrew and do the chanting."^[6] He later attended Collingswood High School.^[1]

During his childhood, Landon was constantly worried about his mother's suicide attempts. Once the family went on a vacation on a beach, and his mother tried to jump off a cliff and drown herself, but a lifeguard was present and she was rescued. Soon after the attempt his mother acted as if nothing had happened. After a few minutes, Michael threw up. It was the worst experience of his life.^[7]

Landon also battled the childhood problem of bedwetting, an issue that was documented in his biography, Michael Landon: His Triumph and Tragedy. His mother would put his wet sheets on display outside his window for all to see. He would run home every day and try to remove them before his classmates could see.

In high school, Landon was an excellent javelin thrower, his 193’ 4” toss in 1954 being the longest throw by a high schooler in the United States that year.^[8] This earned him an athletic scholarship to the University of Southern California, but he subsequently tore his shoulder ligaments, ending his javelin throwing career and his participation on the USC track team.

Career[link]

Early work[link]

Landon decided on his surname by choosing it from a phone book.^[1] His first starring appearance was on the television series, Telephone Time in the episode, "The Mystery of Casper Hauser" as the title character. Other parts came - movie roles in I Was a Teenage Werewolf, High School Confidential, and the notorious God's Little Acre, as well as many roles on television, such as Crossroads (three episodes), The Restless Gun (pilot episode aired on Schlitz Playhouse of Stars), Sheriff of Cochise (in "Human Bomb"), Crusader, The Rifleman, The Adventures of Jim Bowie, Johnny Staccato, Wire Service, General Electric Theater, The Court of Last Resort, State Trooper (two episodes), Tales of Wells Fargo, Tombstone Territory (in the episode "Rose of the Rio Bravo", with Kathleen Nolan), among many others.

45 rpm record singles[link]

In 1957, Candlelight Records released a Michael Landon single, "Gimme a Little Kiss (Will "Ya" Huh)"/ "Be Patient With Me" during the height of his notoriety for role in the film, I Was a Teenage Werewolf. Some copies show the artist credited as the "Teenage Werewolf" rather than as Michael Landon.^{[citation needed]} In 1962, both the A- and B-side of the record were re-released on the Fono-Graf label that included a picture sleeve of Landon's then-current work on Bonanza as Little Joe Cartwright. In 1964, RCA Victor Records released another Landon single, "Linda Is Lonesome"/"Without You". All of Landon's singles have since been issued on compact disc by Bear Family Records as part of a Bonanza various artists compilation.^[9]

[edit] Bonanza

in Bonanza (1960)

In 1959, at the age of 22, Landon had his first starring TV role as Little Joe Cartwright on Bonanza, one of the first TV series to be broadcast in color. Also starring on the show were Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, and Dan Blocker. Landon's character was the youngest, sometimes quick tempered Cartwright brother. Landon later evolved into a "ladies' man", frequently appearing shirtless on the show. During Bonanza's sixth season (1964–1965), the show topped the Nielsen ratings and remained number one for three years. Landon, a left-hander, often performed his own stunts.

Receiving more fan mail than any other cast member,^[10] the young actor coaxed the powers-that-be^[who?] to allow him to write and direct some episodes. In 1962, he wrote his first script. In 1968, he directed his first episode. In 1993, TV Guide listed Little Joe's September 1972 wedding episode ("Forever"), as one of TV's most memorable specials. Landon's script fondly recalled brother Hoss, who was initially the story's groom, before Dan Blocker's untimely death. During its final season, Bonanza declined in the ratings and NBC cancelled it in November 1972. Its last episode aired on January 16, 1973.

Along with Lorne Greene and Victor Sen Yung, Landon appeared in all 14 seasons of the western. Landon was loyal to many of his Bonanza associates including producer Kent McCray, director William F. Claxton, and composer David Rose, who remained with him throughout Bonanza as well as Little House on the Prairie and Highway to Heaven.

[edit] Little House on the Prairie

as Pa Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie, 1974.

The year after Bonanza was canceled, Landon went on to star as Charles Ingalls in the pilot of what would become another successful television series, Little House on the Prairie, again for NBC. The show was taken from a 1935 book written by Laura Ingalls Wilder, whose character in the show was played by nine-year-old actress Melissa Gilbert. In addition to Gilbert, two other unknown actresses also starred on the show: Melissa Sue Anderson, who appeared as Mary Ingalls, the oldest daughter in the Ingalls family, and Karen Grassle as Charles's wife, Caroline. Landon served as executive producer, writer, and director of Little House. The show, a success in its first season, emphasized family values and relationships. Little House became Landon's second-longest running series.

As Little House on the Prairie executive producer, Landon hired five sets of real-life siblings to appear on the show: Melissa and Jonathan Gilbert (Laura Ingalls and Willie Oleson), Lindsay and Sidney Greenbush (Carrie Ingalls), Matthew and Patrick Labyorteaux (Albert Quinn Ingalls and Andy Garvey), Brenda and Wendi Turnbaugh (Grace Ingalls), and Jennifer and Michele Steffin (Rose Wilder).

Landon's real-life son, Michael, appeared as Jim in the episode "The Election". His real-life daughter Leslie also played in this episode, as well as a plague victim in "The Plague", an episode from the show's premiere season. Leslie would later appear as Marge, a pregnant woman in the fourth episode of the sixth season, "The Third Miracle". She was a dishwasher who befriends Laura in the episode "A Wiser Heart", and was cast as school teacher Etta Plum during the show's final season.

The show was nominated for several Emmy and Golden Globe awards. After eight seasons, Little House was retooled by NBC in 1982 as Little House: A New Beginning, which focused on the Wilder family and the Walnut Grove community. Though Landon remained the show's executive producer, director and writer, A New Beginning did not feature Charles and Caroline Ingalls. A New Beginning was actually the final chapter of Little House, as the series ended in 1983. The following year, three made-for-television movies followed.

Melissa Gilbert said of her on- and off-screen chemistry with Landon, “He was very much like a ‘second father’ to me. My own father passed away when I was 11, so, without really officially announcing it, Michael really stepped in.” Melissa also said about Michael’s smoking ritual, “He would be smoking. It was real cold there and he had these big leather gloves on, and he would put out a cigarette in his glove. And then, just (you know) flick the butt away, and I just thought that I’d never seen anything like it. That was the coolest, he was the toughest.” When not working on the Little House set, Gilbert spent most of the weekends visiting Landon's real-life family in 1976, she once said, “The house was huge. We ran like banshees through that house, and Mike would hide behind doorways and jump out and scare us.” Melissa said about Landon who took the script in a new direction, “He put frogs in his mouth, we had a script supervisor. He had this chair with these pouches on the sides and he would carry from the set to where we were shooting, from spot to spot to spot to wrap around the course of the day. And there was one day where he was sneaking up and putting rocks in his pocket of the pouches, and the chair got heavier, to move the chair over, and completely clueless, but of course, everybody else knew.”

When Gilbert realized that Little House was going to be rerun heavily in syndication and on DVDs for new viewers, she said, “I defy anyone to watch Little House on the Prairie and not end up getting teary-eyed at some point, they were all so moving, and that all came from him. That all came from who he was and what he believed in and how strongly he wanted to live that.” Finally, when asked about the cancellation of the show, “Everybody said goodbye and wandered back up to their trailers, to get changed, and Mike and I were left alone and we’re both weeping, uncontrollably, sitting on a log. And he said to me, ‘You know what, this is just the beginning for you. It’s only the beginning, and it’s going to be O.K.’” said Gilbert.

When Gilbert was 17, she briefly dated Michael Landon Jr., and took him to her prom^{[citation needed]}, but this was weeks after Peggy’s (Michael’s real-life mother) death in 1981, at the time where the relationship drew Landon and Gilbert closer, as she was one of the few people to find out about his mother’s passing, before her relationship with Landon fell apart. After the series ended, Gilbert did not stay connected with Landon until 1990, when she telephoned him and had a reunion together^{[citation needed]}.

Seven years later, on May 9, 1991, when she saw a gaunt-looking Landon on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson discussing his pancreatic cancer, she was compelled to finally telephone him.^{[citation needed]} She visited Landon at his Malibu home where he was, by then, bed-ridden. They spent the afternoon together. It was her opportunity to say goodbye. After Landon's death, she named her own son, Michael Garrett Boxleitner (b. 1995), after him^{[citation needed]}.

[edit] Highway to Heaven

After producing both the Father Murphy TV series, Landon starred in another successful television series. In Highway to Heaven, he played a probationary angel (who named himself Jonathan Smith) whose job was to help people in order to earn his wings. His co-star on the show was Victor French (who had previously co-starred on Landon's Little House on the Prairie) as ex-cop Mark Gordon. On Highway, Landon served as executive producer, writer, and director. Highway to Heaven was the only show throughout his long career in television that he owned outright.

By 1985, prior to hiring his son, Michael Landon, Jr., as a member of his camera crew, he also brought real-life cancer patients and disabled people to the set. His decision to work with disabled people led him to hire a couple of adults with disabilities to write episodes for Highway to Heaven. By season four, Highway took a nose dive in the ratings, and in June 1988, NBC announced that the series would return for an abbreviated fifth season, which would be its last. The final episodes were filmed in the fall of 1988, and aired from May to August 1989. Co-star French would not live to see Highway's series finale make it to air; he died of advanced lung cancer on June 15, 1989, the disease of which was only diagnosed two months before. Landon invited his youngest daughter, Jennifer Landon, to take part in the final episode.

Other projects[link]

Landon at the 42nd Emmy Awards Governor's Ball, September 1990

In 1983, Landon co-produced an NBC "true story" television movie, Love Is Forever,^[11] starring him and Laura Gemser (who was credited as Moira Chen), about Australian photojournalist John Everingham's successful attempt to scuba dive under the Mekong to rescue his lover from communist-ruled Laos in 1977. The real Everingham was cast as an extra in the film.