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June Lockhart, who died at the age of 100, began her professional journey in movies, but achieved recognition after transitioning almost exclusively to TV. Having been offered few chances to shine in films from her first appearance as a child in 1938 until 1947, she excelled on television in numerous popular series, most notably in Lassie.

Her Memorable Role in Lassie

Stepping in from a previous star in 1958, Lockhart remained in the show until 1964. She played Ruth Martin, married to farmer Paul Martin and the foster mother of seven-year-old Timmy Martin, whose collie was the titular hero of the series.

Even with playing a housewife, Lockhart adeptly avoided being overshadowed by the brilliant dog. She described the program as “a fantasy about families on a farm in which the dog resolves all the issues in 22 minutes, in time for the last advertisement”. After she left the show, Lockhart remarked: “In six sexless years of playing a country spouse and mother, I was hardly ever permitted to kiss my co-star on the cheek.”

Featuring in Lost in Space

Lockhart went directly into a second hit, Lost in Space (1965-68), a semi-spoof science fiction series targeted mostly at young audiences and based by The Swiss Family Robinson. Lockhart and another actor played Maureen and John Robinson, two scientists investigating alien planets. Lockhart had to spend the majority of her time deftly trying to survive visual effects. As the series continued, the narrative became less and less about this space clan and increasingly about the young son and his bond with a mechanical being, and the timid villain Dr Zachary Smith.

Start in Entertainment

Lockhart’s feature film debut, at the age of 13, had come as Belinda Cratchit in A Christmas Carol (1938). In the roles of her mother and father, Bob and Mrs Cratchit, were her real-life parents, Gene and Kathleen Lockhart. As UK-native Kathleen and Canadian-born Gene were both actors in many of movies, as well as on theater, it was almost certain that June, who was born in New York, would join the entertainment industry.

Her first theatrical performance, at the age of six, came in a non-singing role in an opera at the Metropolitan Opera in New York (1931).

Cinema Work

When her parent was given a deal by a film studio, after his success on Broadway, she moved with her parents to Hollywood, where Gene made approximately 300 films. After attending school in Beverly Hills, June started her career in films, mainly in minor roles in acclaimed pictures such as Sergeant York (1941), The White Cliffs of Dover (1942) and Meet Me in St Louis (1944). In the latter, she is delightful as a New Yorker at a household party, whose schedule is arranged maliciously to prevent Lockhart dancing with her brother.

More importantly, although she did not know it at the time, was Son of Lassie (1945). It was one of several follow-ups to the extremely successful Lassie Come Home (1943), in which a young star had played the girl who helps the dog to return to the family. In the subsequent film, Lockhart played the now adult version.

The loving way in which she handled both Lassie and her son, Laddie, hero of a World War II story in enemy-held Norway, was in the minds of the creators when it came to selecting the Lassie TV series 13 years later.

TV and Stage Work

Although she was given major roles in two suspense films, She-Wolf of London (1946) and Bury Me Dead (1947), Lockhart decided her movie career was getting her nowhere and that television would be the answer. Before going in a new direction, she won praise on Broadway in For Love or Money (1947), a humorous play for which she won a Tony award as best newcomer.

A further substantial run came with Petticoat Junction (1968-70), set in a country hotel, where Lockhart is a physician and maternal character. She also featured regularly in TV westerns in the 50s, such as Have Gun Will Travel, Wagon Train, Gunsmoke, and Rawhide. Her busy schedule persisted for the next five decades, with a regular role in General Hospital between 1984 and 1998. Among her many one-off appearances were as the actress in a 1988 episode of a comedy series, where the presenter finds a stray collie, and in another sitcom in 1995 as the mother of a dining manager.

Later Roles and Achievements

Her last TV appearance came in 2021 as the voice of Alpha Control in an episode of a digital platform’s new version of Lost in Space. In the big screen version featuring well-known actors (1998), she had a holographic cameo as a school principal. She took pleasure in learning how much of an influence the original series had been to future astronauts, and often attended the organization’s launches and other events. In 2013 her work as a volunteer spokesperson brought her its Exceptional Public Achievement Medal.

Among her limited subsequent feature films was the fantasy, Troll (1986) in which she portrayed a witch, with her own daughter, Anne Lockhart, playing her earlier self.

Private Details

In 1951 she wed John Maloney, a doctor and former Navy doctor. In addition to Anne, they had another daughter, June. That marriage ended in separation, as did her subsequent marriage, to John Lindsay, an designer.

She is remembered by her daughters and four grandkids.

June Lockhart, actor, born 25 June 1925; died 23 October 2025