Before Filming ‘Little House on the Prairie’ Karen Grassle Had A Crush On Michael Landon

Melissa Sue Anderson played Michael Landon’s daughter Mary Ingalls in the NBC drama series “Little House on the Prairie.” Landon reportedly bragged about his sex life with a teen on the “Little House” set. Their relationship shook Anderson.

Melissa Sue Anderson once spoke out about her relationship with actor Michael Landon following his passing. She was head over heels in love with him and declared it a few times.

Here are the details about Anderson and Landon’s love and relationship, including his full-blown affair with a woman who was years his junior.

ANDERSON’S RELATIONSHIP WITH LANDON BEFORE HIS AFFAIR

Landon played Anderson’s co-star on “Little House,” as Pa Ingalls, and she revealed he helped her the most in her career and that she learned a lot from him:

“I’ve learned everything from him. He is a super person. I have never met anyone like him. He writes and directs and does everything! Someday I’d like to direct TV shows. I’ve learned a lot from just watching him.”

Anderson is a former child star who broke into stardom at nine years old when she landed her most prominent role yet in “Little House” as young Mary.

The 60-year-old revealed that she had never had any acting lessons before and only learned what she could from watching others and from her own experience of playing the part:

“I’ve never had any acting lessons. I’ve learned from watching others and from playing this part.”

In adjusting to her newfound fame, Anderson found it difficult to fit in, and the public often misunderstood her. “People thought I was aloof,” said the Canadian actress, “but I was just shy. I was serious about what I did. I wanted to do a great job.”

One of the people who had doubts about her ability was the late Landon, who had already established himself as an actor and was a big television star when he put the TV series together and played her Pa.

Anderson credits the show’s success to the determination and vision of the producer. She said the series sold as a pilot and went to a series because of Landon.

ANDERSON’S DECLARATIONS OF LOVE & LANDON’S AFFAIR

Anderson has been the filmmaker’s admirer since she was young. The Daily Herald reported in 1974 that she shamelessly declared her love for the then-married co-star and admitted to watching all his old reruns on the defunct “Bonanza” series.

She was 12 years old at the time, and he was 40. The second time she declared her love for him was in her book after Landon’s death.

Anderson had also discovered something about the New York native. She got shaken when news reports revealed that the married man was having an affair.

“He went in and out of favor with me occasionally. When you hold someone in such high esteem, you can’t believe it when they fall. And I don’t think I was the only one,” said Anderson.

“But it taught me a great lesson very early on that I had to work with him every day, no matter what. He was my boss, and I did love him. He was a great guy and a great person in my life, like a big brother to me. So, I had to get over it and move on,” she continued.

According to co-star Karen Grassle who played his TV wife on the show, Landon bragged about his sex life with a teen on the “Little House” set.

He raved about the remarkable effects of natural supplements he had started taking back then to improve his sex life. Grassle revealed:

“Mike began to arrive jubilant at the makeup table, crowing about the benefits of bee pollen for the aging male.”

It was not long after the cast and crew discovered the reason behind his boastfulness. Landon was having an affair with Cindy Clerico, a teenager working as a stand-in for his co-star Melissa Francis (Cassandra Cooper Ingalls). The 18-year-old was more than 20 years his junior.

Soon, newspapers reported that he had moved out of his family home and into Clerico’s seaside apartment. At first, Landon insisted that his infidelity was not a sign of his second marriage ending.

He confirmed that he did move out of his home and that his wife Lynn Noe, whom he wed in 1963, took the kids out on vacation in Spain. They were not talking about divorce at that time.

Noe called that period a trial separation and that it was important for her and Landon to reassess their marriage to see where they went wrong.

The former couple tried to salvage their union and even planned to renew their wedding vows that same year during a ceremony only their children would attend.

However, it never happened, and they decided to file for an amicable divorce. In 1981, a reporter estimated the divorce settlement with Noe, saying it would cost her estranged spouse more than $5 million.

Nevertheless, Landon went ahead with the divorce in 1982 because not only had Clerio caught his eye, she proved to be his soulmate. They eventually wed a year later and remained married until he died.

Landon left his marriage of nineteen years to Noe for then 28-year-old Clerico. He once cleared the assumption that he left his wife mainly because he wanted a younger woman:

“You don’t dissolve a relationship to go to bed with someone 20 years younger. You have to have major differences and a deep-rooted need to stop a relationship after as many years as I was married.”