The Iconic “Bonanza”: What Happened To The Cast After Decades
Are you familiar with television Westerns? If so, you may know about the iconic film called “Bonanza” that defined an entire era. It aired on NBC from 1959 to 1973, making it the second longest-running Western series on American network television.
The show portrayed the weekly adventures of the Cartwright family, led by their father Ben Cartwright, who had been widowed three times. Ben had three sons, each born to a different wife. After being widowed for a third time, Cartwright heads west to start a new life.
After Bonanza ended, many of the cast members passed away. Here’s a glimpse of what they did after the show and where the cast of “Bonanza” is now.
1. Lorne Greene (Ben Cartwright)
Lorne Greene played the role of Ben Cartwright, a former sailor who ventured out west on his own. In a 1967 interview with reporter Bobbie Wygant, Greene revealed that he was ready for the show to come to an end. When asked if he wanted the show to continue for another eight years, Greene responded, “No, I don’t.”
“I must be very frank. I think that when you have a long run (on television) on any kind of show, you get to the point where there are other things that you feel that you must do before it’s too late to do any of the things that you have in mind,” he added.
After Bonanza’s 14 seasons came to an end, Greene released a few country albums and then joined Ben Murphy in a crime drama called Griff on ABC. The series focused on a police officer named Wade “Griff” Griffin who retires and becomes a private detective in Los Angeles, California. In 1978, Greene switched TV genres and joined the cast of the original Battlestar Galactica as Commander Adama.
Sadly, Lorne Greene passed away on September 11, 1987, at the age of 72 due to complications from pneumonia.
2. Pernell Roberts (Adam Cartwright)
Pernell Roberts portrayed Adam, the oldest Cartwright son, on Bonanza from 1959 to 1965. However, he decided to leave the show due to disagreements over creative matters.
Roberts told the Washington Post, “I was in the series for six years. I fought with the powers about the scripts, character development, and other things. It got so I was upset the minute I arrived for work. That’s no way to live. I don’t have the psychological stamina to last under artistic compromises over a prolonged period of time. I get hostile and vindictive. It wears me down.”
After leaving Bonanza, Roberts pursued various acting opportunities. He performed in summer stock theater, regional theaters, and appeared in episodic TV shows, which allowed him to take on a wide range of roles. He also went on tour with musicals like The King and I, Kiss Me Kate, Camelot, and The Music Man, as well as dramas like Tiny Alice.
Sadly, Pernell Roberts passed away in 2010 at the age of 81.
3. Dan Blocker (Eric “Hoss” Cartwright)
When it comes to Bonanza, people often divide into two periods: Before Dan Blocker and after. Dan Blocker played the character Eric, also known as Hoss, who was one of Cartwright’s sons. His presence on the show was significant, and when he was absent for one season, it was deeply felt by both the characters and the audience.
Unfortunately, Blocker passed away suddenly from a pulmonary embolism in 1972 at the age of 43. His character was written off the show, and his death had a major impact on the series. Despite his absence, the show continued for one more season before eventually coming to an end.
4. Michael Landon (Little Joe Cartwright)
Landon played the character of Little Joe, the youngest Cartwright son, on Bonanza. It was a significant role for the actor, who was in his early twenties when he got the part.
After Bonanza ended, Michael didn’t have to wait long before he found another successful role that many TV viewers in the 1970s loved. He starred in his second TV Western, Little House on the Prairie (1974), which aired on NBC. In 1991, at the age of 54, he died of pancreatic cancer.
5. Ray Teal (Sheriff Roy Coffee)
Ray Teal is best known for his role as Sheriff Roy Coffee in the TV series Bonanza (1959–1972). Throughout his extensive career from 1937 to 1970, he portrayed many sheriffs in both television and movies.
After Bonanza ended in 1972, he played Judge Homer Bayne in the TV movie The Hanged Man. He also appeared in over 300 other movies and TV shows, including notable ones like Inherit the Wind, The Best Years of Our Lives, Judgment at Nuremberg, and The Bandit of Sherwood Forest.
In April 1976, Ray Teal died at the age of 74. The exact cause of his death has not been disclosed.
6. Guy Williams (Will Cartwright)
After Pernell Roberts left the show, Williams joined Bonanza as Ben’s nephew, Will. However, his time on the series was short-lived. Rumors circulated that one reason for his brief tenure was Michael Landon feeling threatened by Williams’ popularity.
Nevertheless, leaving the show didn’t slow down the actor. In 1965, he took on the role of Professor John Robinson, the head of the Jupiter 2 spaceship, in Lost in Space. The character was an astrophysicist and geologist leading a mission to colonize the Alpha Centauri star system. Williams retired to Argentina in 1979 and passed away ten years later from a brain aneurysm.
7. Victor Sen Yung (Hop Sing)
Victor Sen Yung portrayed the character of Hop Sing in 107 episodes of “Bonanza” from the beginning of the series, including the pilot episode “A Rose for Lotta”. As Hop Sing, Yung played one-half of one of the first interracial relationships depicted on American TV.
After Bonanza, Yung starred as Uncle Charlie in Bachelor Father. He also worked as a chef, and even produced his own cookbook, The Great Wok Cookbook.
Yung took on the role of Uncle Charlie in Bachelor Father. He also pursued his passion for cooking and worked as a chef. In fact, he even authored his own cookbook called The Great Wok Cookbook.
In 1972, Yung survived a plane hijacking incident during which he was shot in the back. However, in 1980, he tragically died due to natural gas poisoning.
8. David Canary (Candy Canaday)
You might know David Canary as Candy, the spirited foreman of Ponderosa. In an interview with the Associated Press, Canary revealed, “Candy originally was a violent character.” However, due to the growing push against violence, the concept for the role changed.
Canary expressed his happiness about being part of the Bonanza family. He commented, “My desire is to stay with Bonanza as long as possible, then split.”
After the show, Canary appeared in over 1,200 episodes of All My Children, a popular soap opera. He remained with the show until two years before his passing in 2015.
9. Mitch Vogel (Jamie Hunter-Cartwright)
Vogel made a brief appearance on an episode of Bonanza broadcast on October 6, 1968, entitled “The Real People of Muddy Creek” when he was just 12 years old. Two years later, he joined the Bonanza cast as Jamie Hunter, an orphan who was taken in and eventually adopted by the Cartwrights. He stayed with the show for the last three seasons.
After Bonanza, Vogel joined Michael Landon on Little House on the Prairie. From 1974 to 1975, he played the character Johnny Johnson. In 1978, Vogel decided to leave acting and pursue a career in music. He is married and has two children.
These days, he still lives in the Southern California area with his family. He continues to pursue his interests by directing and participating in church plays, as well as singing in a rock band.