He had three sons, each by a different wife: the eldest was the urbane architect 'Adam Cartwright' (Pernell Roberts) who built the ranch house the second was the warm and lovable giant Eric 'Hoss' Cartwright (Dan Blocker) and the youngest was the hotheaded and impetuous Joseph or 'Little Joe' (Michael Landon). The show chronicles the weekly adventures of the Cartwright family, headed by the thrice-widowed patriarch 'Ben Cartwright' (Lorne Greene).
