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Launching her career in films, June Lockhart, who died aged 100, achieved her greatest success after shifting predominantly to television. Having been given limited opportunities to shine in films from her first appearance as a child in 1938 until 1947, she thrived on television in numerous beloved series, especially in Lassie.

Her Memorable Role in Lassie

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

In her role as a homemaker, Lockhart somehow succeeded to avoid being totally overshadowed by the clever dog. She characterized the program as “a fairy tale about families on a farm in which the canine resolves all the issues in 22 minutes, in time for the last commercial”. After she departed the series, Lockhart commented: “In six sexless years of playing a country spouse and parent, I was hardly ever permitted to peck my co-star on the face.”

Adventure into Lost in Space

Lockhart went straight into another hit, Lost in Space (1965-68), a semi-spoof sci-fi series targeted primarily at young audiences and based by The Swiss Family Robinson. Lockhart and another actor played Maureen and John Robinson, two scientists investigating distant planets. Lockhart had to spend most of her time skillfully trying to survive visual effects. As the series continued, the storyline became increasingly less about this space clan and more about the boy and his friendship with a robot, and the cowardly antagonist Dr Zachary Smith.

Early Career and Family Influence

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

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

Transition to Hollywood and Movie Roles

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

More importantly, although she did not realize it at the time, was Son of Lassie (1945). It was one of multiple sequels to the extremely successful Lassie Come Home (1943), in which a young star had played the female character who helps the canine to return to the owners. In the subsequent film, Lockhart played the now adult character.

The affectionate way in which she handled both Lassie and her son, Laddie, hero of a World War II story in Nazi-occupied Norway, was in the minds of the producers when it came to casting the Lassie TV series 13 years later.

Transition to Television and Stage Success

Although she was given major roles in two suspense films, She-Wolf of London (1946) and Bury Me Dead (1947), Lockhart concluded her movie career was stagnating and that television would be the solution. Before embarking in a new direction, she won acclaim on Broadway in For Love or Money (1947), a humorous play for which she won a Tony award as most promising newcomer.

A additional substantial run came with Petticoat Junction (1968-70), set in a country hotel, where Lockhart is a physician and mother figure. She also featured frequently in TV westerns in the 50s, such as Have Gun Will Travel, Wagon Train, Gunsmoke, and Rawhide. Her hectic schedule persisted for the following five decades, with a recurring role in General Hospital between 1984 and 1998. Among her many one-off appearances were as herself in a 1988 episode of a talkshow, where the presenter finds a lost collie, and in another sitcom in 1995 as the parent of a restaurant manager.

Later Roles and Achievements

Her final TV appearance came in 2021 as the voice of Alpha Control in an episode of a digital platform’s remake of Lost in Space. In the movie version starring famous actors (1998), she had a holographic cameo as a school principal. She took joy in learning how much of an inspiration the original series had been to later astronauts, and often participated in the organization’s launches and other events. In 2013 her work as a unpaid spokesperson brought her its Exceptional Public Achievement Medal.

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

Personal Details

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

She is survived by her daughters and four grandkids.

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