Jason Bateman on How Michael Landon’s ‘Little House on the Prairie’ Leadership Shaped His Career
The actor made his series debut on the show at just 11 years old
He made us laugh as Michael Bluth in Arrested Development for five seasons, brought the drama as Marty Byrde in Netflix’s Ozark, lent his voice to a favorite family flick as Nick Wilde in Disney’s Zootopia and most recently, brought on the suspense in 2024’s Carry-On—but did you realize Jason Bateman got his start as a child actor on none other than Little House on the Prairie back in 1981? The 56-year-old actor originated the role of James Cooper Ingalls, a young boy who, after losing his parents in an accident, was adopted by Ma and Pa Ingalls. Though only 11 years old when he made his Little House debut, it’s an experience that shaped him—and during a recent appearance on Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, Bateman shared that one co-star in particular left a significant impact on him.
“Michael Landon was the director, executive producer, star, writer. Everybody loved him,” Bateman said of the actor, who passed away in 1991 after battling pancreatic cancer. Comparing Landon to the likes of George Clooney, he went on to express the admiration that people from all walks of life had for him. “His ease with people, with the process, with the business, with just Joe on the street. Women are crazy about him. Guys wanna be his buddy.”
“Watching him juggle all those balls and be this leader and presence on a set and be kind with people, but also be kind of a stern boss if he needs to, that was pretty inspirational,” Bateman continued, further noting that it was Landon who served as one of his early inspirations to pursue directing in addition to acting. Since those early days on Little House on the Prairie, Bateman has gone on to direct countless episodes of his hit series Ozark, The Outsider, and films like Bad Words (2013) and The Family Fang (2015).
Even though this was his earliest role, Bateman has been sure not to forget where he came from and all that he learned in this series as James. “The way in which everybody functioned was very familial,” he told Variety of his early work on Little House on the Prairie. “It was a warm place, and I remember in the few years that followed, when I would end up on sets that were less functional. Michael Landon was somebody who had a huge influence on me in the way he led that set as a director, as an exec producer, as a writer and actor and as somewhat of a father figure for me.” And Bateman certainly isn’t the first to say they looked at Landon in a paternal way.
Melissa Gilbert, who portrayed Laura Ingalls, had a very close relationship with Landon as well. Having lost her own father at just 11 years old, the actress recalled to PEOPLE during the Little House on the Prairie 50th Anniversary Cast Reunion and Festival that Landon stepped up to the plate and filled the void of a paternal figure when she lost her own two years into working alongside the actor. “He really sort of stepped in and kind of watched over me in a much more paternal way,” she shared.
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