Gilbert Honors Michael Landon on 90th Birthday

Melissa Gilbert honored her Little House on the Prairie co-star Michael Landon on what would have been his 90th birthday, sharing childhood photos and recalling the lasting bond they formed while he played her on-screen father, Charles “Pa” Ingalls. Gilbert said Landon taught her to be brave, trust herself, find humor in difficult moments and lead with her heart. After Gilbert’s father died when she was 11, Landon became a more paternal presence in her life, and she later described him as someone who helped raise her. Now a wife, mother and grandmother, she reflected on how the young girl he knew remains part of her and said she wishes they could talk again. Landon died of pancreatic cancer in 1991 at age 54.