Before ‘90210,’ Shannen Doherty Was on ‘Little House on the Prairie’: See the Sweet Words the Late Star Shared About Michael Landon
Doherty, who would've celebrated her 55th birthday on April 12, looked back on Landon fondly, saying, 'I adored him. He was a mentor'
Key Takeaways
- Shannen Doherty got her start on the final season of 'Little House' when she was just 11.
- Doherty said that Michael Landon was a mentor and spoke highly of him throughout her life.
- The late actress called being on 'Little House' 'the best experience of my entire career.'
On the surface, the pastoral nostalgia of Little House on the Prairie and the soapy teen drama of Beverly Hills, 90210 couldn’t be more different, but the two beloved series were united by Shannen Doherty. The actress was cast as Jenny Wilder, the niece of Almanzo Wilder and Laura Ingalls Wilder, in 1982, when she was just 11, and went on to become a ’90s teen icon as the headstrong Brenda Walsh—but while she was known as one of TV’s reigning bad girls, she always credited the wholesome world of Little House as being particularly formative.
When Doherty lost her battle with cancer in 2024 at just 53, fans around the world mourned the loss of an actress they grew up with. The often misunderstood star would’ve celebrated her 55th birthday this month, so we’re taking a look back at her time as Jenny Wilder and what she said about her early days on the prairie.
How ‘Little House on the Prairie’ jumpstarted a young Shannen Doherty’s career
Shannen Doherty’s first-ever acting credit came in 1981, when she appeared in two episodes of Father Murphy—a Western series created by Little House on the Prairie star Michael Landon. Landon was so impressed by young Doherty’s performance that he cast her in the ninth and final season of Little House, which he also executive produced and often directed.
Little House on the Prairie debuted in 1974 and became a classic of the era, and by 1982, the show was at a crossroads, as Landon had just stepped back from the cast, making just a few guest appearances in season 9, and the title of the show was changed to Little House: A New Beginning. By this point in the series, Laura Ingalls Wilder (played by Melissa Gilbert, who was 10 when the show debuted), was a wife and mother, and Doherty’s character, Jenny Wilder, brought back the wholesome girlhood that Laura originally embodied.
Playing Jenny was a dream come true for Doherty. In a sweet 1994 Tonight Show interview, she revealed that she was already a devoted fan of the show when she was cast—and confessed to having a childhood crush on Landon, just like countless other girls of her generation.
Shannen Doherty’s memories of Michael Landon: ‘He taught me so much’
Though Doherty was only in one season of Little House on the Prairie, as the show was canceled in 1983, she went on to reprise her role in the TV movies Little House: Look Back to Yesterday (1983), Little House: The Last Farewell (1984) and Little House: Bless All the Dear Children (1984), and she frequently talked about the show in the decades that followed.
During her Beverly Hills, 90210 days, Doherty faced intense media scrutiny and tabloid coverage that painted her as difficult and unprofessional. The actress was frequently misunderstood, and those perceptions followed her throughout her career—but through it all, she never wavered in her gratitude for her early days on Little House.
In 2024—over 40 years after Little House on the Prairie ended and just months before her death—Doherty opened up about the show’s profound impact during an episode of her podcast, Let’s Be Clear With Shannen Doherty. She said, “That show, Little House, shaped me in so many ways and it still is the best experience of my entire career,” and spoke tenderly about her bond with Landon, who died at 54 in 1991, saying, “I adored him. He was a mentor. He taught me so much . . . [He was] so, so, so talented, so kind, so considerate, and it really helped shape me. And he was incredibly caring for my entire family.”
Doherty also reflected on how the warm, down-to-earth atmosphere of Little House on the Prairie stood in stark contrast to some of the more challenging sets she encountered later in her career. She recalled, “It’s kind of amazing because, when I think about the long span of my career, but also how rough some jobs were—and unenjoyable to be a part of, a little bit toxic—it was really the experience on Little House that spurred that passion on for being an actor. And it was having a mentor like Michael Landon—and I don’t care what anybody else’s experience was like, I know the truth about that man, and he was just unbelievable.”
Michael Landon’s advice to Shannen Doherty: ‘Stand up for yourself’
Shannen Doherty praised Michael Landon for his protective nature, and in another episode of her podcast, she reflected on some of the personal and professional guidance he gave her. “[He] gave an example to me of being so concise and so thorough and so prepared, and really confident in his choices as a director,” she said. “I admired that, and I took it with me.” She also said that he “taught me to be true to myself,” adding, “He taught me to embrace my voice, to stand up for myself.”
Doherty shared some life-changing words of advice from Landon. She said, “Michael Landon was one of the first people who looked at me and said, ‘Listen, they’ll walk all over you in this business being a woman, and don’t let them. Stand up for yourself.’” The actress clearly took his words of wisdom to heart, and while her life would become tumultuous, she never forgot Little House on the Prairie and the deeply meaningful lessons she learned from the show’s star.
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