LOS ANGELES (AP) — June Lockhartwho became the mother of a whole generation of television viewers, whether at home in “Lassie” or in the stratosphere in “Lost in Space” died. She was 100.
Lockhart died Thursday of natural causes at her home in Santa Monica, family spokesman Lyle Gregory, her 40-year-old friend, said Saturday.
“She was very happy until the very end,” he said.
The daughter of prolific character actor Gene Lockhart, Lockhart often played inventor roles as a young film actor. Television made her a star.
From 1958 to 1964, she portrayed Ruth Martin, who raised orphaned Timmy (John Provost), on the hit CBS series Lassie. From 1965 to 1968, she traveled aboard the space shuttle Jupiter II as the mother of the Robinson family in the campy CBS adventure film Lost in Space.
Her portrayals of warm, compassionate mothers endeared her to young viewers. decades later baby boomers going to nostalgia conventions to meet Lockhart and buy autographed photographs of her.
Behind the scenes, Lockhart insisted, she looked nothing like the women she portrayed.
“I have to quote Dan Rather,” she said in a 1994 interview. “I can control my reputation, but not my image, because my image is how you see me.”
“I love rock and roll and going to concerts,” she said. “I've driven army tanks and flown hot air balloons. And I glide in airplanes – airplanes without engines. I do a lot of things that don't fit my image.”
Early in her career, Lockhart appeared in many films. Among them: “All This and Heaven Too”, “Adam Had Four Sons”, “Sergeant York”, “Miss Annie Rooney”, “Forever and a Day” and “Meet me in St. Louis.”
She also starred in Son of Lassie, the sequel to 1945's Lassie Come Home, playing the adult version of the role created by Elizabeth Taylor.
As her adult film career waned, Lockhart switched to television, appearing in live-action New York City dramas as well as game and talk shows. She was the third actor to play the female lead in Lassie, following Ian Clayton and Cloris Leachman.
Lockhart spoke candidly about her canine co-star: “I worked with four Lassies. There was only one main Lassie at a time. Then there was a dog that ran, a dog that fought, and a dog that was a backup, because only humans can work 14 hours a day without needing sleep.”
“Lassie wasn't particularly friendly to anyone,” she added. “Lassie was completely focused on the sneakers.”
After six years in rural Lassie, Lockhart ventured into outer space, taking on the role of Maureen Robinson, the wise and hopeful mother of a family who embarks on a five-year mission to a distant planet.
After their mission is sabotaged by a hitchhiker, the group hops from planet to planet, encountering strange creatures and near-disasters that required viewers to tune in next week to find out about the escape. For three years, Mrs. Robinson consoled her and offered her a piece of her “space pie.”
As with Lassie, Lockhart enjoyed working on Lost in Space, saying it was “like going to work at Disneyland every day.”
“So smart, fast and funny – she filled her 100 years with curiosity, laughter and rock 'n' roll.” Angela Cartwright, who played her daughter in Lost in Space, posted a message on Facebook.. “I can only imagine she feels right at home leaving this planet and heading to the stars.”
Bill Mumy, who played her son, wrote on social media: “One of a kind, talented, caring, adventurous and uncompromising lady. She did everything her way. June will always be one of my favorite moms.”
Lockhart remained active long after Lost in Space, appearing frequently in episodes of television, as well as recurring roles on the daytime soap opera General Hospital and the evening series Knots Landing and Colby.
Her film credits include Remake and the animated film Bonji Bear and the Kingdom of Rhythm, in which she voiced Mindy the Owl.
She also used her media pass to attend presidential press conferences, provided voiceovers for beauty pageants and holiday parades, and toured in the plays “Steel Magnolias,” “Bedroom Farce” and “Once More with Feeling.”
“Her real passion was journalism,” Gregory said. “She loved going to White House briefings.”
Lockhart liked to tell the story of how her parents met, saying they were hired separately for a touring play sponsored by inventor Thomas A. Edison and decided to get married during a stop in Lake Louise, Alberta.
Their daughter was born on June 25, 1925 in New York. The family moved to Hollywood 10 years later, and Gene Lockhart worked steadily as a character actor, usually in good-natured roles, sometimes as a villain. His wife Kathleen often appeared with him.
Young June made her stage debut at the age of 8, dancing in the Metropolitan Opera Children's Ballet. Her first film appearance was a small role in 1938 “A Christmas Carol”. playing Bob Cratchit's daughter and his wife, played by her parents.
She was married and divorced twice: to John Maloney, a physician, father of her daughters Ann Kathleen and June Elizabeth; and architect John C. Lindsey.
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