The public may best remember Michael Landon as the wholesome father figure Charles “Pa”
Ingalls from television’s Little House on the Prairie, but the actor’s real-life actions
didn’t always match his innocent demeanor on the screen.
In fact, the actor became embroiled in an affair on the set of the show that hurt his
relationship with some of his fellow cast members and also ended the actor’s second
marriage.
Join Facts Verse as we take a look at the affair that ended Michael Landon’s marriage.
Michael Landon is best remembered as the actor that played the character of Charles “Pa”
Ingalls on the hit television series Little House on the Prairie, which was based upon
the book series of the same name.
Pa was the father figure of the series, and Michael served as a wholesome presence for
both his co-workers and the television audience at home.
That is… until they realized about the affair he was having on set!
At the time that Michael began performing on Little House on the Prairie, he was married
to his second wife and had many children, both from his previous marriage and his current
one.
However, that didn’t stop him from becoming romantically involved with a female actress
who was performing alongside him as a stand-in on the show.
This stand-in's name was Cindy Clerico, and Michael's relationship with her would eventually
destroy his second marriage.
After that time, Cindy would become his third wife, and the two would stay together until
his death.
In addition to destroying his second marriage, Michael’s romance with, and eventual marriage
to, Cindy also hurt his relationship with some of his co-workers.
However, Michael remained adamant that his and Cindy's relationship was for the best
and that his second wife and children were happier than ever before after the divorce.
Still, the affair caused damage to the actor's reputation.
Michael's second wife was a woman by the name of Lynn Noe.
Michael and Noe had four children together over the course of their marriage, in addition
to both of them having children from a previous marriage.
Michael's first wife had been a woman by the name of Dodie Levy-Fraser.
The two got married in 1956 and divorced in 1962.
According to Michael, their marriage had dissolved due simply to the fact that they had both
been too young to make it work.
Apparently, Michael became romantically involved with his second wife Lynn Noe before he and
Dodie were truly divorced.
This situation would go on to be paralleled in the affair that Michael started on the
set of Little House on the Prairie.
Michael had met Lynn Noe while the two were performing together on the show Bonanza, on
which Michael played the character of Little Joe Cartwright.
Around the time that Michael Landon began performing on Little House on the Prairie,
he and Lynn's marriage began to fall apart.
Lynn found herself upset at how much time Michael had to spend at work.
His role on the series was incredibly demanding, given that he played one of the show's primary
characters.
Sadly, the more time he spent on the show, the closer he eventually became to stand-in
Cindy Clerico, and the farther he grew from his second wife.
Eventually, Michael and Lynn found their differences to be irreconcilable, and the two divorced
after being married for 19 years.
Although Lynn finding out about the affair seemed to be a catalyst for the divorce, there
were other reasons for their split as well.
According to Michael, he and Lynn's marriage had already been on the rocks by the time
that he became involved with Cindy.
Apparently, his and his second wife's tumultuous relationship had been causing him to have
a great deal of stress on the set of Little House on the Prairie, and Cindy helped him
overcome this stress.
Additionally, he claims that the increased happiness he felt after divorcing Lynn and
marrying Cindy was greatly beneficial to all parties involved.
Lynn had been miserable in the marriage, as well, and her and Michael’s poor attitude
was hurting the kids.
Although Michael divorcing Lynn and marrying Cindy hurt his reputation amongst both his
co-workers and the television audience, he says that it was the right thing for his family.
After the divorce, both he and Lynn were much happier, and they began an amicable relationship
as co-parents.
Meanwhile, Michael's third marriage to his new wife Cindy proved successful, as the two
remained together until Michael's death in 1991.
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According to Michael Landon, he and his second wife Lynn fought a great deal before their
divorce.
The two were said to have fought about a great many things, including both Lynn’s feeling
of jealousy and the ridiculous amount of hours that Michael was forced to work as a result
of Little House on the Prairie.
Michael shared before his death that his and Lynn’s trouble at home caused him to lash
out on the set of the show.
Still, his co-workers apparently would have preferred Michael stay frustrated instead
of cheating on his wife.
In regards to the damage that his affair with Cindy had on his reputation, Michael liked
to say that nobody was perfect.
The affair between Michael and Cindy had begun in the early 1980s, and Michael divorced Lynn
in 1983.
After becoming married, Michael and Cindy had two children of their own.
Michael and Cindy maintained an incredibly happy marriage until Michael’s 1991 death,
though the two still faced routine criticism for how their relationship had started out.
In comparison to second wife Lynn, Cindy was a good deal younger than Michael.
This is another aspect of the relationship that drew criticism from both Michael’s
peers and the public.
According to Michael, it made him angry when people criticized his and Lynn’s marriage
due to their age difference.
He apparently took exceptional ire when his third marriage was referred to as a midlife
crisis.
Although Cindy was a good deal younger than him, their marriage still ended up being quite
successful!
Michael claimed that he wouldn’t have started the affair with Cindy if his marriage to Lynn
hadn’t been on the rocks.
According to him, he wouldn’t have risked the damage to his reputation unless there
was a significant problem in the relationship.
He claimed that he tried his best to make his second marriage to wife Lynn work but
that neither of them could find it in themselves to continue.
They even tried once more to repair the damage between them after Lynn found out about Cindy,
but the effort proved futile.
As Michael put it, divorcing Lynn was difficult for him to do, but he felt that it was the
right thing.
It was difficult not only because of all that he and Lynn had gone through over their nearly
two decades of marriage but also because of the damage that it was going to do to his
reputation.
While the incident hurt Michael's reputation in the eyes of both his co-workers and the
public, they would eventually come around to see things his way before his 1991 death.
When Michael Landon died in 1991, he was only 54 years old.
The actor had been born to two parents that were in show business.
Both of his parents were performers, with his mother having been famed comedic actress
Peggy O’Neill.
His father was also a movie theater manager and a publicist.
According to Michael, his mother was abusive towards him when he was growing up, and he
was also subjected to bullying from peers after the family moved to Collingswood, New
Jersey, from New York City.
When it came time for college, Michael decided that he wanted to head out to California.
However, while attending, he failed to meet the standards for his scholarships and was
eventually forced to drop out.
After dropping out, he began working at a warehouse while auditioning for acting gigs.
After appearing in a handful of small roles on television, Michael's big break came when
he was cast on I Was a Teenage Werewolf.
At the age of 20, he got married to his first wife.
Dodie was a legal secretary when she married Michael, and she had already been married
once previously at the time.
She had one child from the previous marriage.
In addition to adopting this child, Michael and Dodie also had another son.
Soon after son Josh's birth in 1960, Michael and his first wife Dodie's marriage began
to fall apart.
While he was on the outs with Dodie, he began seeing Lynn Noe.
When Michael and Dodie divorced, Michael and Lynn were married within the month.
Michael and Lynn went on to be married for nearly two decades before divorcing.
In addition to adopting Lynn's child from a previous marriage, Michael and Lynn ended
up having four children after getting married.
Michael ended up repeating the situation that had occurred with his first wife when he cheated
on his second wife with his third.
However, Michael's second affair resulted in more scrutiny due to the actor's increased
public profile.
As well, it hurt the actor's reputation in the eyes of young actress Melissa Gilbert,
who played his on-screen daughter.
Michael had been like a father figure to Melissa after the death of her own father in 1976.
However, she was devastated when learning that Michael had cheated on his second wife.
She broke off contact with her fellow Little House on the Prairie star for some time before
eventually making up with him in 1990, just a year before his death.
Although Michael Landon’s reputation was hurt by the affair that ended his second marriage
and started off his third, the actor claimed that it was the outcome that was best for
all parties involved, including his children.
Now it’s time to hear from you: do you think Michael Landon was wrong for cheating on his
second wife, or do you agree that moving on was likely the best thing for their marriage?
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