June Lockhart (1925 - 2025)

Categories:Notable Stage Actors Categories:Notable Television Actors

Biography

June Lockhart was an American actress who is known primarily for her mother roles on television on the family television series Lassie and Lost in Space. She was a two-time Emmy Award nominee and a Tony Award winner.

June Lockhart was a centenarian, living to age 100.

June Kathleen Lockhart was born June 25, 1925, in Manhattan, New York City, New York..^{[1] [2]} She was the daughter of Canadian-born actor Gene Lockhart and English-born actress Kathleen Arthur.

Lockhart attended the Westlake School for Girls in Beverly Hills, California.[4]

In 1930, four-year-old June was residing at 12 8th Avenue in Queens, New York.^[3]

• In the 1940 census, at age 14, June residing with her parents in Los Angeles, California.^[4]

Stage Work

Lockhart debuted on stage at the age of 8, playing the role of Mimsey in Peter Ibbetson, presented by the Metropolitan Opera in 1934. In 1947, she gained notice fore her performance in For Love or Money for which she earned a Tony Award for Outstanding Performance by a Newcomer. This was her first truly independent success outside of her parents' shadows.

Early Film Career

June made her film debut as an actress at the age of 13, when she played the role of Belinda Cratchit, alongside her parents in the 1938 film version of Charles Dickens' “A Christmas Carol”. ^[5] She played supporting parts in All This and Heaven Too (1940), Sergeant York (1941), Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), and The Yearling (1946). In 1946, she received top-billing on the film She-Wolf of London.

Television Career

In 1955, Lockhart appeared in an episode of CBS's Appointment with Adventure. This was followed by appearances on such shows as Justice, Wagon Train, Cimarron City, Gunsmoke, Have Gun – Will Travel, and Rawhide. In 1958, she was the narrator for Playhouse 90's telecast of the George Balanchine version of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker, featuring Balanchine himself as Drosselmeyer, along with the New York City Ballet.

In 1958, having played a key role in the film, Son of Lassie (1945), Lockhart was cast in the television series Lassie. For five years, she payed the part of Ruth Martin, wife of Paul Martin (portrayed by Hugh Reilly) and mother of Timmy Martin (played by Jon Provost). She replaced actress Cloris Leachman, who in turn had replaced Jan Clayton.

In 1965, Martin was cast as Dr. Maureen Robinson in the television Sci-Fi series, Lost in Space, opposite veteran actors Guy Williams and Jonathan Harris. That role lasted until 1968.

In 1970, Lockhart appeared as Dr. Janet Craig on the final two seasons of the CBS sitcom Petticoat Junctiojavascript:void(0);n having been brought in to fill the void created by the death of actress Bea Benadert. She would later have a cameo in the 1998 film Lost in Space, based on the television series in which she had starred 30 years earlier.

During the 1980s and 1990s, Lockhart was a regular in the ABC soap opera General Hospital and also worked as a voice actress. She appeared as a hostess for CBS broadcasts of the Miss USA Pageant for six years, the Miss Universe Pageant for six years, the Tournament of Roses Parade for eight years, and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade for five years.

In later years, Lockhart guest stared on such television shows as Cold Case and Grey's Anatomy. In 1986, In 1985, the younger version of Lockhart's character in the film Troll, was played by her daughter, Anne Lockhart. The duo had previously played the same woman at two different ages in an episode of the television series Magnum, P.I.

Death

Lockhart died 23 October 2025 in Santa Monica, California, at the age of 100.^[6][7]

Lockhart received two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame - one for motion pictures and one for television. ^[8] The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) awarded her the Exceptional Public Achievement Medal for inspiring the public about space exploration in 2013.

Sources

1. ↑ Birth: "New York, New York, U.S., Birth Index, 1910-1965"
   Original data: New York City Department of Health, courtesy of www.vitalsearch-worldwide.com. Digital Images; Certificate Number: 24168
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 61457 #2390638 (accessed 10 October 2023)
   Lockhart born in 1925 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.
2. ↑ Who put the 'June' in June Lockhart? New York Times (Accessed February 23, 2023)
3. ↑ 1930 Census: "1930 United States Federal Census"
   Year: 1930; Census Place: Queens, Queens, New York; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 0869; FHL microfilm: 2341328
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 6224 #45550690 (accessed 25 November 2022)
   June Lockhart (4), single daughter, in the household of Eugene Lockhart (38) at 12 8th Ave, Queens, Queens, New York, USA. Born in New York.
4. ↑ 1940 Census: "1940 United States Federal Census"
   Year: 1940; Census Place: Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; Roll: m-t0627-00393; Page: 7B; Enumeration District: 60-81
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 2442 #72060408 (accessed 10 October 2023)
   June Lockhart (14), single daughter, in the household of Eugene Lockhart (48) in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California. Born in New York.
5. ↑ June Lockhart remembers "A Christmas Carol', Fayette Tribune
6. ↑ Obituary: New York Times.
7. ↑ June Lockhart, Beloved Television Mother, Dies at 100. New York Times Obituary. By Anita Gates, Oct. 25, 2025. New York Times
8. ↑ Walk of Fame

• U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-current Ancestry.com Publication: Ancestry.com Operations Inc 2020 Lehi, UT, USA Record Collection 62116 Note: See newspaper information provided with each entry.

See Also:

• Wikipedia: June Lockhart
• Wikidata: Item Q259536, en:Wikipedia