Michael Landon was something of a sex symbol at the height of his career. His time on Bonanza introduced him as a good-looking young man with a hefty amount of boyish charm. Later, when he starred in Little House on the Prairie, he was a mature man with an athlete’s physique. He worked hard to stay in shape. So, he took every chance he could to shed his shirt in the later role. No matter what era of his career you look at, Landon was easy on the eyes.
In his private life, Michael Landon didn’t have any problems bringing in the ladies. In fact, he was married three times. Landon also fathered six children. However, many would be surprised to learn that Landon was a late bloomer when it came to physical relationships. It took him an extraordinarily long time to enter into a physical relationship by today’s standards.
Michael Landon sat down with Barbara Walters to talk about his life and career in a 1978 interview. During that interview, he revealed that he was a late bloomer and jokingly explained why.
Why Michael Landon Put off Physical Relationships
Michael Landon and Barbara Walters talked about a wide range of topics during the interview. In fact, it almost seemed as if Walters was lobbing questions in Landon’s direction at random. The discussion went from the blindness arc on Little House on the Prairie directly into a brief talk about his parenting style. Then, she started asking about his childhood which led to his brief stint at USC on a javelin throwing scholarship. After talking about his short college career, Walters tossed Landon a curveball.
“How did you learn about sex?” Walters wanted to know.
Most people would have been taken aback by the sudden switch to such a personal and intimate topic. However, Michael Landon didn’t bat an eye. He replied, “Oh, I learned about all the things that the boys talk to each other about.” Then, Landon added, “I had never had any sex [sic] relations with anyone. I didn’t until after I had left college. After I quit school.”
At this point, it was Walters’ turn to be caught off guard. She replied, “That’s late. Usually. Considered.”
Michal Landon laughingly replied, “I didn’t know there was a race on.” Then, being a little more serious, he said, “It may be late now. I don’t think it was late then. I think most of the guys were lying to me at that time.”
