These experiences were incorporated into his semi-autobiographical television movie, The Loneliest Runner, which he wrote, produced and directed. He ran home every day and tried to remove them before his classmates could see. His mother put his wet sheets on display outside his window for all to see. Stress overload from the suicide attempts of his mother caused Landon to battle the childhood problem of bedwetting, which was documented in the unauthorized biography Michael Landon: His Triumph and Tragedy. He said that it was the worst experience of his life. Shortly after the attempt, his mother acted as if nothing happened, and a few minutes later, he vomited. On a family beach vacation, his mother tried to drown herself, but Landon rescued her. 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 in order to learn how to read Hebrew and recite prayers.' ĭuring his childhood, Landon was constantly worrying about his mother attempting suicide. He attended, and celebrated his bar mitzvah at Temple Beth Sholom.

In 1941, when Landon was 4, he and his family moved to the borough of Collingswood, New Jersey. Eugene was the Orowitz family's second child their daughter, Evelyn, was born three years earlier, in 1933. His father was Jewish, and his mother was Roman Catholic. His parents were Peggy (née O'Neill a dancer and comedian) and Eli Maurice Orowitz. Landon was born Eugene Maurice Orowitz on October 31, 1936, in Forest Hills, a neighborhood of Queens, New York.

Landon appeared on the cover of TV Guide 22 times, second only to Lucille Ball. He is 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). Michael Landon (born Eugene Maurice Orowitz Octo– July 1, 1991) was an American actor and filmmaker. 9, including Mark, Leslie, Michael Jr., Christopher and Jennifer Landon

Michael Landon by David R. Greenland