Jennifer Landon
ON SOAP OPERA DIGEST AND WEEKLY ONLINE
SOAP STAR STATS
Jennifer Landon (ex-Gwen, ATWT)
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Vital Statistics
- Birthdate:
- August 29
- Star Sign:
- Virgo
- Years on Show:
- 2005-2008
- Marital Status:
- Single
- Children:
- None
THE 411
Born and raised in Malibu, CA, with mom Cindy and younger brother Sean, Jennifer Landon is the youngest daughter of Michael Landon. This quirky, engaging actress knew she wanted to follow in his footsteps at age 6, when her "performance" as Ursula the sea witch from The Little Mermaid went over well at a birthday party. Though her father died when she was 7, Landon has fond memories of her dad, who she calls "one of the funniest people I've ever met in my life." As a teen, she took part in a summer theater program at New York University, and returned there to attend college after high school. She had been studying at NYU for two years when she got her first indie — and a one-day gig as spunky Gwen on AS THE WORLD TURNS. The self-deprecating actress with the goofy, irreverent sense of humor thought she'd irritated everyone on set; actually, she had impressed the show enough to turn her bit part into a contract job with a central role in their umbrella storyline. Landon lives in New York City.
ET CETERA
Seven Random Facts
—Won a Daytime Emmy (an award her father never took home) for Outstanding Younger Lead Actress in 2006 for her first year on the show. She won again for the same category in 2007.
—Her favorite Michael Landon show? HIGHWAY TO HEAVEN.
—Rick Springfield (Noah, GENERAL HOSPITAL) is a longtime family friend.
—Dolly Parton is her favorite singer.
—A self-described "jock" who played soccer, basketball and volleyball, she even tossed the javelin while living in France for a year with her family.
—Constantly writes in journals, which she occasionally leaves around the ATWT set.
—Has a running gag with Mark Collier (Mike) in which they send each other camera phone pictures of themselves giving "the finger" in various locales.
OTHER ROLES
Guest-Starring TV Roles
US (Jennifer, 1991)
HIGHWAY TO HEAVEN (Little Girl in White House, 1989)
Film Roles
L.A. D.J. (Jessica, 2004)
FATHER'S DAY
"Sometimes, if I'm feeling sad, I'll be like, 'I need a dose of Dad.' Or if I'm feeling like a real a--hole, I can't watch the show at all. I'm like, 'Dad can't see me like this!' As if he can see me through the TV." — on watching her father's shows in reruns, Soap Opera Digest, 8/9/05
"At the time, I only knew that my situation was easier than other people's. I didn't have to tell anyone that my dad passed away. There were a ton of letters. You're young and you feel like the world's holding you. I remember when he was sick, people put purple ribbons everywhere. Years later we were driving up the canyon and there was one left. It was really weird." — on dealing with her father's death in the public eye, Soap Opera Weekly, 8/2/05
ROMANCE REPORT
"I'm shocked that anybody buys anything that includes me in a romantic sense. Maybe it's like how Woody Allen works in a romantic sense." — Digest, 3/28/06
"I'm emotionally stunted, so I don't have to do anything to put myself at a 17-year-old level [laughs]. I actually can remember in the spring of my 17th year, I checked out and have yet to return. I have to push maturity." — Digest, 1/24/06
JESSE'S GIRL
"It's one of the most honest relationships in my life." — on working with Jesse Soffer (Will), Digest, 8/23/05
Digest: I'm still wondering what you have in common.
Soffer: In a similar way, we have screwed-up personalities.
Landon: We see things the same way.
Soffer: We see life the same way.
Landon: We deal with what we say differently, but we can read each other's minds in a way that causes problems.
Soffer: Like we have kind of an intimate connection because of how our lives have been growing up. In a weird way, we see similar humor, similar tragedy. We have the same sensitivities.
Landon: Yeah. I can just look at him and I either know what he's thinking or know what he's thinking I'm thinking.
— from "Close Enough," Digest, 3/28/06
YOU SHOULD HEAR WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT YOU!
From her first days on the show, Landon has earned many fans among the ATWT cast, from Trent Dawson (Henry) to Colleen Zenk Pinter (Barbara). Here are what some other co-stars have to say about her.
"I love working with Jen Landon [Gwen]. She brings out a really sensitive side in me. I get lost in her eyes," says Zach Roerig (Casey).
"I really like working with the kids, because it's a nice crop of young people, especially Jennifer Landon. I think she's just a hoot. I really like her," praises Don Hastings (Bob).
Elizabeth Hubbard (Lucinda) notes, "Jennifer Landon, she's wonderful. She's another example of what I happen to believe: She's young, right? She's good, I'm interested in her, I care about her. It's the same thing if you're old — they'll be interested if you're good."
"Every time I work with her, she forces you to do your best work because she is so on and so instinctual for a young woman. I have a very maternal thing for her. I just love her. I have a 19-year-old in real life, so she's around that age. I'm gonna miss her!" said her former on-screen mom, Terri Garber (ex-Iris).
And even Brian Gaskill (ex-BJ), who never worked with Landon, had this to say in a Roundup in our 12/13/05 issue: "[Landon] is probably my favorite actor on the show. I saw [her first] day when I was watching the show and was blown away by her then. She's so upset as a character and she's so lively and fun as a person — getting to know her outside of the show, it's been really interesting to see her in a totally different light. I can't wait to see that fun actually get to come to life in the character."
