Jason Bateman may have a complicated relationship with his own dad, but there is one TV father he has only ever spoken highly of — Michael Landon, who played patriarch Charles Ingalls on "Little House on the Prairie." The series was Bateman's first big gig after his commercial work, and he appeared in 21 episodes across Seasons 7 and 8 of the original show (in 1981 and 1982). Bateman played James Cooper Ingalls, one of the adopted children of Charles and his wife Caroline (Karen Grassle). The entire experience had an impact on Bateman, who has recalled its positivity. "The way in which everybody functioned was very familial. 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," he said in a 2017 Variety interview.
In particular, Bateman has praised Michael Landon's approach to work, which he once told The Guardian included no yelling whatsoever. He seems to have incorporated this experience into his own approach when he leads. "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," he told Variety. Calling Landon the "George Clooney of that time," Bateman added, "The crew loved him, the industry loved him, guys wanted to be him and women wanted to be with him."
