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Michael Landon's Little House on the Prairie costars remember his sense of humor
Alison Arngrim, who played Nellie Oleson on the show, described Landon as "one of the funniest people I ever met"
Still, she acknowledged that he had an unhappy home life in childhood, which informed his work on the show
Alison Arngrimis opening up aboutMichael Landon's humor — and his traumatic childhood.
Speaking toWoman's World, Arngrim (who played Nellie Oleson on the show) opened up about her time onLittle House of the Prairieand what it was like working with Landon.
The actor starred on the series as Charles "Pa" Ingalls, the father of Melissa Gilbert'sLaura Ingalls. He was also the show's producer and directed many episodes.Landon died in 1991at the age of 54 after he was diagnosed withpancreatic cancer.
"One of the funniest people I ever met," Arngrim, 63, said of Landon. "I mean, it's one of the best ways to describe him. Remember, he's writing the show, he's producing the show and he's directing the show and he's this ball of energy and just a workaholic cuckoo, butsofunny. Michael was a creative tornado. It was absolutely amazing to watch him work and then he was an absolute laugh riot and couldn't resist a practical joke."
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But the actress added that Landon's own personal life was mired in unhappiness — and the desire for more helped inform his work onLittle House.
"Michael Landon himself, his home life was not happy," Arngrim said. "He had a miserable childhood, and he talked openly about how difficult his parents were. He was looking for the kind of real family and real love and connection that the show exemplified."
Dean Butler, 69, also spoke to the outlet, saying Landon was "not a perfect human being by any stretch."
"He was a very full, richly diverse human being, but he understood what his job was and that was to create something that multiple generations of people could experience together," Butler — who played Laura's eventual husbandAlmanzo Wilderon the show — said. "Something that would be foundational in terms of its goodness with people, values and morals—that would be crystal clear. There was very little nuance and ambiguity in what he was doing."
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During a 2024 interview to commemorateLittle House on the Prairie's50thanniversary, Gilbert, 61, spoke with PEOPLE about her experiences working on the beloved show with Landon, who she said lead the cast and crew.
"Michael was the quarterback, right? So he set the tone of what we were doing," Gilbert. "Mine was unique in that I was the only cast member who regularly socialized with him and his family."
Gilbert added that she often vacationed with Michael and his family, and that he was known to gift the cast members incredible presents.
"Every year for NBC, he would announce the Rose Parade and instead of taking a payment for that, he would use that money to buy the cast and crew Christmas presents every year," said Gilbert, adding, "So he sacrificed his New Year's Eves, basically, to be at the Rose Parade at 3 a.m. so that he could give us all really amazing Christmas presents."
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