June Lockhart, the actress celebrated by generations of fans for her roles in Lassie, Lost in Space, and the cult horror classic She-Wolf of London, has passed away.
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According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lockhart died of natural causes at her Santa Monica, California home, surrounded by her daughter, June Elizabeth, and granddaughter, Christianna. She was 100.
Born in New York City on June 25, 1925, Lockhart made her stage debut at age 8 in the 1933 Metropolitan Opera production of Peter Ibbetson. By 13, she had joined her parents, Gene and Kathleen Lockhart, on screen in MGM’s 1938 adaptation of A Christmas Carol.
Per her IMDb, she soon began sharing scenes with Hollywood legends, appearing in All This and Heaven Too alongside Bette Davis and Charles Boyer. In 1941, she played Rosie, the sister of Gary Cooper’s character, in the Howard Hawks-directed film Sergeant York.
Lockhart Lands Her First Lead Role and Later Becomes Beloved as a TV Mother
At 19, Lockhart signed a contract with MGM. She quickly gained recognition for her role as Lucille Ballard in Vincente Minnelli’s Meet Me in St. Louis.
Meanwhile, one of her first lead roles was as a woman convinced she was a monster in the 1946 Universal horror film She-Wolf of London. The film frequently plays on MeTV’s Svengoolie, earning Lockhart a new generation of fans.
In 1947, Lockhart debuted on Broadway in For Love or Money, winning a Tony Award (then called the Antoinette Perry Award) for “best newcomer.” She was the first recipient of this award.
At the time, men received lighters, and women were given small gold medallions. Lockhart’s medallion, the first Tony Award ever given, was donated to the Smithsonian Institution in 2008. It’s now part of the museum’s permanent entertainment archives.
However, playing mothers on television became her signature role. She captivated 1950s audiences as the gentle mom in Lassie and later as Maureen Robinson, the steadfast “space mom,” in Lost in Space during the 1960s.
That said, she was never typecast as the doting mother. She later played Dr. Janet Craig in Petticoat Junction. She also voiced roles in Nickelodeon’s cult favorite Ren & Stimpy, showcasing her enduring range and humor.
June Lockhart Becomes a Space Exploration Advocate
While Lockhart excelled in Hollywood, her influence extended far beyond the screen. With two Hollywood Walk of Fame stars (five total for the Lockhart family), she was also admired in the space community. She was a NASA spokesperson and science enthusiast, attending launches and landings with astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.
In 2013, NASA awarded Lockhart the Exceptional Public Achievement Medal for her decades-long advocacy for space exploration. Astronauts even took her father’s 1921 composition, “The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise,” aboard the International Space Station.
“Mommy always considered acting as her craft, her vocation, but her true passions were journalism, politics, science, and NASA,” Lockhart’s daughter, June, said in a statement via THR. “She cherished playing her role in Lost in Space. She was delighted to know that she inspired many future astronauts, as they would remind her on visits to NASA. That meant even more to her than the hundreds of television and movie roles she played.”
Lockhart married John F. Maloney in 1951, and they had two daughters, Anne and June Elizabeth. The couple divorced in 1959.