Michael Landon's Son Chris Came Out as Gay in 1999 – His Father Never Knew

Michael Landon was one of the most sought-after actors on television when he worked on series such as "Bonanza" and "Little House on the Prairie." He has nine children, one of whom is his gay son Christopher who is currently battling cancer.

Michael Landon was married three times and had nine children, including actress Jennifer Landon. He first married Dodie Levy-Fraser in 1956, who had an 8-year-old son named Mark from a previous marriage.

Landon went on to adopt Mark and take him in as his own. He became an actor, starring in "Us" and "Goodbye America" before passing away in 2009.

HIS TWO MARRIAGES

During his marriage to Levy-Fraser, they also adopted a son named Josh. While not much is known about him, Landon once noted how he hated when people called his sons "adopted," noting that they are simply his sons.

The actor's second marriage was to Marjorie Lynn Noe. She had a 9-year-old daughter from a previous marriage named Cheryl, and Landon raised her as his own. She later took on Landon's last name and published a book about their relationship.

MICHAEL LANDON'S CHILDREN

Landon and Noe are also parents to Leslie, who was on her father's show "Little House on the Prairie" before leaving showbusiness. She currently works as a clinical psychologist.

Their third child is Michael Jr., who acted on "Little House on the Prairie." He became a writer, producer, and director, creating the Hallmark film-turned-series "When Calls the Heart."

HIS SON CHRISTOPHER

Meanwhile, their fourth child Shawna is a real estate agent in Los Angeles. Their fifth and final child is Christopher Landon, a film writer known for the "Paranormal Activity" movies.

As an openly gay man, he lives his life next to husband Cody Morris and their sons, Beau Landon Morris and August Kelly Landon Morris. Since Christopher and Cody chose to keep their last names, they decided that their sons should have both.

ABOUT CHRISTOPHER LANDON

Born on February 27, 1975, in Los Angeles, California, Christopher went on to be a writer and producer. As a filmmaker, Christopher has been very successful in the entertainment industry, just as his late father.

He made his directorial debut with "Burning Palms," a satirical thriller that premiered in 2010. He is also known for his work on "Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones," "Happy Death Day 2U," and "Freaky."

HIS MOST RECENT WORKS

Recently, Christopher admitted to making the "goriest Disney movie possible." He has a knack for making horror movies, co-writing the 2007 Shia LaBeouf movie "Disturbia," before "Happy Death Day," "Happy Death Day2U," and "Freaky."

"Freaky," just like "Freaky Friday," revolves around a body-swap plot between the characters of Vince Vaughn and Kathryn Newton. The idea was pitched to him by Michael Kennedy, and after falling in love with the idea, he decided to co-write it with him.

HIS HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

At the beginning of his career, Christopher wrote scripts for other people, and others would direct. During those times, the final product often differs due to the principal photography and post-production.

In the end, his screenwriting experiences influenced his decision to become a director. He was once terrified of being the face and voice of a movie. However, he later overcame the fear by stepping out of his comfort zone.

THE LEAP TO DIRECTING

Speaking about his decision to take a leap of faith into directing, he shares it was because he was often disappointed with how things were done or he felt sidelined. Opening up about it, he said:

"I think the hardest part about it is that even when you’re writing popcorn movies, they’re still personal. You put a lot of yourself in these things, and so it is really difficult to hand them over to other people sometimes.

HIS EARLY LIFE

Before becoming a director, Christopher first studied at Beverly Hills High and Loyola Marymount University. He knew early on that he was not interested in acting, as he spent much of his life in front of people without a choice.

Growing up in a family of superstars, he claims that while celebrities choose attention, their families don't. He once admitted that it was uncomfortable for him.

ON HIS SEXUALITY

Although his father, Michael Landon, was a well-known actor, his proud son once shared that his public image was different from him as a father and as a person. About what his father would have thought about his coming out, he shared:

"He was extremely liberal in his beliefs to pretty much everything. He was not closed-minded to anything. I don't think that it would have mattered to him at all."

A PERSONAL BATTLE

Despite being quite busy on the entertainment industry front, Christopher has actually been battling something extremely personal to him and his family. In June, Christopher opened up about recovering from surgery to treat kidney cancer.

While he wanted to keep the ordeal private and felt he needed to let it out because he got lucky. The director is no stranger to the illness, as when he was 16, his father died of pancreatic cancer.

He encouraged his followers to watch their bodies as cancers could be silent killers. Christopher then assured everyone that he would get through the illness and asked others to be vigilant.