Michael Landon and Dan Blocker were two of the main characters in the Western series, “Bonanza.”
It was on from 1959 to 1973 and is NBC’s longest-running Western series. It is the second-longest Western in general behind “Gunsmoke.”
Over the course of 14 seasons, the show’s creators had gone through a number of different storylines and featured different guest stars. However, when it came time for the reboot, two entirely different actors appeared as the stars.
Landon and Blocker’s Sons on ‘Bonanza’
According to IMDb, the TV movie is called “Bonanza: The Return” and was released in 1993.
The premise of the movie is a man with a longstanding grudge with the late Little Joe is now seeking revenge on the Cartwrights. In the process, they are also trying to take control of the Ponderosa. The land baron, Augustus Brandenburg (played by Dean Stockwell) tries both legal and illegal methods to take the land. The movie does give interesting flashbacks to the original series throughout.
Michael Landon Jr. plays Benjamin Cartwright. Dirk Blocker plays Walter Fenster. No one from the original series appears in the movie. At the time, the only ones still alive were Pernell Roberts and David Canary. By including Michael Landon Jr. and Dirk Blocker, the movie has a special connection to the original cast and series.
Blocker plays a rather small role. However, his face and voice, eerily similar to his father, were used in a lot of advertising prior to the release of the movie. They also both appeared in the 1995 film as well called “Bonanza: Under Attack.”
Michael Landon Jr. and Dirk Blocker Today
Michael Landon Jr. appeared in several other movies and TV shows as well. He was in an episode of “Little House on the Prairie.” He was also in “Bonanza: The Next Generation” and “Bonanza: Under Attack.”
His last acting appearance was in the latter role. He has since been focusing on directing, writing, and producing. He is directing, writing, and producing the Canadian-American series, “When Calls the Heart.”
Michael Landon Jr. has also worked on movies like “The Last Sin Eater,” “The Velveteen Rabbit,” “Deep in the Heart,” and “The Ultimate Life.” He is married to Sharee Gregory and has three kids.
Dirk Blocker is most known now for his role as Detective Michael Hitchcock in “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.” The show has won several awards since its time on television so far, including a Golden Globe. Before this role, Blocker was in a number of other TV shows.
He’s played smaller roles in a number of shows like “90210,” “ER,” “The X-Files,” “Murder She Wrote,” and “Walker, Texas Ranger.” He was also in films like “Poltergeist” and “Prince of Darkness.”
