All About Jennifer Landon's Parents, Cindy Landon and the Late Actor Michael Landon

Mar. 15, 2025

Jennifer Landon in 2022; Michael and Cindy Landon in 1982.Photo:Richard Rodriguez/Getty ; Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection/Getty

Richard Rodriguez/Getty ; Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection/Getty

Jennifer Landonfollowed her father’s footsteps into Hollywood.

Before she was the star ofYellowstone, she was acting at a young age alongside her father, Michael, on the set of his showHighway to Heaven. She appeared in the fifth season’s 13th episode titled “Merry Christmas from Grandpa.”

Jennifer has often shared heartfelt memories with her father, telling thePancreatic Cancer Action Network, “His mission was to genuinely — and on a spiritual level — connect with people. When I watch his shows, I can see that even though he’s acting, he is always tethered to the audience."

“Even today I can feel the connection he and I had. Although I was a kid, he talked to me like an adult and treated me like one,” she continued.

Although Jennifer was only a child whenMichael passed away from cancer, she has often shared her memories of growing up with him and her mother, Cindy.

Here is everything to know about Jennifer Landon’s parents, Cindy and Michael Landon.

Michael Landon was a beloved actor

Michael Landon on the set of ‘Little House on the Prairie’, circa 1974.Silver Screen Collection/Getty

Silver Screen Collection/Getty

Michael was known for his professional performances on set. Cindy, his widow, toldFox News, “If you watchLittle House, truly it was like watching Michael. The love that he had for his family, the type of person he was — it was all apparent."

Cindy is a makeup artist and actress

Cindy Landon in 2017.Amy Graves/WireImage

Amy Graves/WireImage

Jennifer’s mother, Cindy, has worked in the entertainment industry for decades. Known best for her work as a producer on documentary films likeSanctuaryandWhaledreamers,she has also worked behind the scenes as a makeup artist and stand-in actress. It was when she was a stand-in on set that she met Michael.

Although Michael was married to his second wife, Marjorie Lynn Noe, at the time, sparks flew between Cindy and Michael. Actress Karen Grassle, who played opposite Michael as Carolina “Ma” Ingalls, recalled in her bookBright Lights, Prairie Dust: Reflections on Life, Loss, and Love from Little House’s Ma,that Michael spoke with Cindy “longer than he talked to anyone else.”

Michael and Cindy tied the knot in 1983

Michael and Cindy Landon on their wedding day in 1983.Bettmann

Bettmann

Things got serious between Cindy and Michael after their meeting on set.

Michael divorced his second wife, Lynn Noe, and married Cindy in a quiet ceremony with only 30 guests. The California backyard beach wedding set in Malibu happened on Valentine’s Day 1983. Cindy was pregnant with Jennifer at the time.

Michael and Cindy stayed together until 1991, whenMichael diedat 54 years old from pancreatic cancer.

They welcomed two children

Michael and Cindy Landon with their kids, Jennifer and Sean, in 1988.Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection/Getty

Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection/Getty

Before Michael met Cindy, he was married twice. In both relationships, he hadchildren. In his first marriage to Dodie Levy-Fraser, he adopted her son, and the couple adopted another son together. He fathered five children with his second wife, Lynn.

Early in his relationship with Cindy, he became a father for the eighth time, to daughter Jennifer, who was born the same year they married. They welcomed a son, Sean, in 1986. Michael died when Jennifer and Sean were young.

“It is devastating beyond comprehension to lose a parent, especially at an early age,” she told the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. “When dad was fighting the disease, Sean was too young to understand. I understood more; I knew if he was doing well or not well on any given day.”

She added, “When he passed away, I suddenly saw things differently and questioned everything. Even today I question rules and structure. I can’t say how much his death has affected me, but I know it’s a significant part of the fabric of who I am.”

Jennifer has special memories of her late father

Cindy and Michael Landon with their kids, Sean and Jennifer, in 1989.Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection/Getty

Growing up, Jennifer was obsessed with strawberry milk, and one winter in Colorado, Michael made a special surprise for her: strawberry milk snow.

After fresh snow had fallen, Michael had a trick up his sleeve.

“We were really not allowed to drink it [strawberry milk] at home,” she told the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. “To my delight, my dad had covered the entire backyard in (Nestlé) strawberry Quik. He brought out spoons and let me run around eating as much strawberry snow as I could.”

“That’s only one of the many, many awesome memories I have of him," she added. “He loved to create adventure for us kids.”

source: people.com