June Lockhart dies; TV's favorite mom on 'Lassie' and 'Lost in Space'

June Lockhart, the perennial TV ma who consoled her lad Timmy and his faithful favored collie successful “Lassie” and explained the unfolding postulation to her children successful the kitschy prime-time sci-fi amusement “Lost successful Space,” has died.

Active successful Hollywood good into her 90s, Lockhart died Thursday successful Santa Monica of earthy causes, with girl June Elizabeth Lockhart-Triolo and granddaughter Christianna Triolo by her side, said her publicist, B. Harlan Boll.

She was 100.

Upbeat and bubbly, Lockhart happily accepted playing second-fiddle to children, animals and adjacent a robot. In “Lassie,” she was astir often seen teaching her lad tiny beingness lessons extracted from his misadventures, often saved from peril by his faithful dog. In “Lost successful Space,” she was a biochemist who seemed to walk astir of her clip prepping meals successful the galley oregon tending to the children arsenic the “Swiss Family Robinson”-like clan drifted randomly successful space.

“Motherhood has been a beauteous bully dodge for me,” Lockhart told The Times, years aft the shows went disconnected the air. “I look to person outlasted astir of my colleagues due to the fact that of it.”

Cast members of the TV amusement “Lost successful Space” successful costume successful 1965. Seated is Marta Kristen; standing, from left, is Mark Goddard, June Lockhart and Guy Williams.

(AP / CBS)

June Kathleen Lockhart was calved connected June 25, 1925, successful New York City and grew up successful a household steeped successful the arts. Her begetter was a Broadway histrion and her parent a singer. For years the household staged a seasonal accumulation of “A Christmas Carol” successful their home, inviting neighbors, friends and relatives to attend.

In 1938, the household went a measurement further and took their by present well-polished mentation of the Charles Dickens classical to movie with a young Lockhart formed arsenic Belinda Cratchit. The movie was each of 1 hr and 9 minutes long.

Lockhart attended the Westlake School for Girls aft the household moved to Los Angeles, wherever her begetter hoped to find a vocation arsenic a movie actor. But it was Lockhart who cracked Hollywood by landing humble but predominant roles connected fashionable tv shows specified arsenic “Wagon Train,” “Gunsmoke” and “Rawhide.”

In 1958, she was formed arsenic Ruth Martin, the diligent and good-natured parent connected “Lassie,” a relation that earned her an Emmy nomination. The amusement ran for 17 seasons, making it 1 of the longest-running prime-time shows connected television. Lockhart near the bid successful 1964 to prosecute different opportunities.

Lockhart realized the amusement had its limitations. “It was a fairy communicative astir radical connected a workplace successful which the canine solves each the problems successful 22 minutes, conscionable successful clip for the past commercial,” she told The Times.

The scripts were lone somewhat much challenging successful “Lost successful Space,” which followed the adventures of a household aboard a saucer-shaped spaceship headed to an Earth-like satellite circling a faraway star. She near the amusement aft 3 years and joined the formed of “Petticoat Junction” arsenic a aesculapian doc who sets up signifier successful a worse-for-wear edifice successful the mediate of nowhere.

Quiz amusement contestant to property corps

Earlier successful life, Lockhart had been a regular connected the quality quiz amusement “Who Said That?” successful which contestants were work a punctuation and asked to conjecture who said it. Lockhart had been absorbed by journalism and newsmakers since childhood, erstwhile she started a vicinity newspaper. As an big she subscribed to the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times, speechmaking them from opening to end.

To prep for the show, she began cutting retired quotes from the newspapers and memorizing them. One of the panelists connected the show, a White House newsman for United Press International, was truthful impressed with Lockhart‘s grasp of authorities that helium invited her to a White House briefing.

Lockhart went connected to go an unofficial subordinate of the White House property corps, attending briefings, traveling with the Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy entourages during their statesmanlike showdown and hitting the run way with Ronald Reagan.

Lockhart, pictured successful 1965, besides became an informal White House correspondent.

(CBS via Getty Images)

During her years arsenic an informal White House correspondent, she was called connected lone erstwhile to inquire a question during a statesmanlike briefing, asking President George W. Bush for the sanction of the veterinarian who cared for the archetypal family’s dog, Barney. Bush chuckled and said it was apical secret.

Though she ne'er had different prime-time relation arsenic large arsenic successful “Lassie” oregon “Lost successful Space,” her vocation was remarkably long. She was the kindergarten teacher connected “Full House,” James Caan’s parent connected “Las Vegas,” a parent erstwhile again connected “The Drew Carey Show” and a hospice idiosyncratic connected “Grey’s Anatomy.” For years she hosted sum of the Rose Parade connected CBS.

Her last recognition arrived successful 2018, erstwhile she voiced a vigor communications serviceman successful the “Lost successful Space” reboot connected Netflix. Twice joined and divorced, Lockhart is survived by daughters Lockhart-Triolo and Anne Lockhart, arsenic good arsenic 4 grandchildren, said longtime household person Lyle Gregory.

The work volition beryllium private. In lieu of flowers, the household suggests donations to the Actors Fund, ProPublica and International Hearing Dog Inc.

Times unit writer David Zahniser contributed to this report.