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‘Yellowstone’ TV: How Jen Landon Feels Her ‘Bonanza’ Star Father Played Part in Her Joining the Series

Yellowstone‘s own Teeter, Jen Landon, says her father, Michael Landon’s own prolific history with the Western genre helped define her career.

From Little Joe Cartwright in Bonanza (1959–1973), to patriarch Charles Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie (1974–1982), Michael Landon would become synonymous with syndicated Westerns. While he would not live long enough to see his daughter Jennifer begin landing similar roles – we have no doubt he would be beyond proud of her.

It took a while for Jen Landon to get into the same boots as her father, but get there she did. On Yellowstone, fans know and love her as the bombastic ranch hand with a killer Texas draw, Teeter. Before that, however, she was primarily known for her Emmy-award-winning work in the world of daytime soap operas.

In this featured interview, Texas’ Pepper Stewart would find out at the Careity Foundation Celebrity Cutting in late 2020 that Jen’s legendary father would inspire much of her transition into the genre that made him a household name.

Jennifer Landon at the Careity Foundation Celebrity Cutting 2020. Not only is she a 3 time Daytime Emmy Award winner, she can ride too! Jennifer Landon plays Teeter on hit tv show Yellowstone!

Pepper Stewart TV

“The fact that I get to ride horses for work and learn about this is… Amazing,” Landon begins within. “It’s really interesting, because Bonanza proceeded my experience of him,” she says of her father. “I watched Little House on the Prairie and Highway to Heaven [Michael Landon’s last TV show].”

Surprisingly, Jen says she “didn’t watch Bonanza!” as a child because such a young Michael Landon “didn’t look like my dad” to her.

‘Yellowstone’ Led to Jen Watching Father Michael Landon in ‘Bonanza’ for the First Time

When Jen Landon was cast as Teeter on Yellowstone, however, she says “that’s when I started finding out that my dad could actually ride horses!” she smiles fondly. “That’s when I started going back and watching Bonanza.”

“There’s a tremendous synchronicity about the whole thing,” Landon adds from beneath her black wide brim. “It’s been a very emotional experience at times.”

As for Yellowstone “taking the world by storm,” as Pepper Stewart aptly puts it, Jen Landon says the experience has been nothing short of “incredible” – but not without people completely mistaking her for a “first-time actor.”

“People are often like – ‘Hey! So this is your first acting job!’,” she grins of the completely untrue statement. “And I’m like… ‘No, I’ve been working for sixteen years’… But nobody knows!” she says with a big laugh and wave.

“What’s amazing about it is… Often as an actor, you don’t feel – there is a feeling sometimes where you think you’re not reaching anyone,” Landon admits. “But the fans on [Yellowstone] are so giving, and so engaging! So to really feel like you’re in a relationship with the audience almost feels like a theatre experience.”

Currently, Jen Landon can also be seen putting her horse-riding skills to work in FBI: Most Wanted. Here’s to hoping much more Teeter is on the way for Yellowstone Season 4, too.