Lost in Space is some of my earliest tv memories and I attribute it to my life long interest in Sci-Fi movies.
100 is a full life.
Thank you Ma’am for your wholesome contributions to a time when tv was actually a family affair.
RIP 🙏
Mine too. I remember watching it and I was very young, maybe 5 years old, but I remember it. :)
I first remember her as the 4th mom, Timmy’s mother, on Lassie. That was the 1st series with Tommy Rettig, Jan Clayton, & George Cleveland. June Lockhart was in the 3rd series/family with Cloris Leachman... While June Lockhart was in the 4th series with Jon Provost
Well stated! She always struck me as a wholesome family woman because of Lassie and Lost in Space. I asked Grok about that. Interesting woman. Too bad her two marriages ended in divorce.
June Lockhart's Personal Life: A Blend of Wholesome Grace and Unexpected Adventure
June Lockhart, the iconic actress who embodied maternal warmth in TV classics like Lassie (1958–1964) and Lost in Space (1965–1968), passed away on October 23, 2025, at her home in Santa Monica, California, at the age of 100. She died of natural causes, surrounded by her daughter June Elizabeth and granddaughter Christianna. Known for her soft-spoken, earnest portrayals of Ruth Martin on Lassie and Dr. Maureen Robinson on Lost in Space, Lockhart's on-screen image was the epitome of 1950s–1960s wholesomeness: a devoted mother dispensing life lessons, often with a collie or a robot in tow. But her real life? It was richer, more liberated, and far less buttoned-up than her TV roles suggested—marked by bold choices, personal heartaches, and a rebellious streak that endeared her to co-stars and fans alike.
Early Life and Family Roots
Born June Kathleen Lockhart on June 25, 1925, in New York City, she was the only child of actors Gene Lockhart (an Oscar-nominated character actor in films like Miracle on 34th Street) and Kathleen Lockhart (seen in Lady in the Lake). Her parents met while promoting Thomas Edison's phonograph and later played the Cratchit family in MGM's 1938 A Christmas Carol, with young June debuting uncredited as their on-screen daughter Belinda. This family immersion in show business shaped her early career: She made her professional stage debut at age 8 in a Metropolitan Opera production of Peter Ibbetson and appeared in films like Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) alongside Judy Garland.
Lockhart's upbringing was steeped in the performing arts, but she also developed a lifelong passion for journalism and politics. As a child, she started a neighborhood newspaper, and later, she traveled with presidential campaigns, earning a lifetime press pass from Dwight D. Eisenhower's team. She met Harry Truman in 1948 and attended White House briefings, once quipping about Truman's Oval Office remark: "It's just like being in jail." Her Roman Catholic faith was a quiet constant; in 1985, she and her daughter Anne met Pope John Paul II.
Marriages, Motherhood, and Heartbreak
Lockhart's romantic life was more turbulent than her serene TV matriarchs implied. In 1951, at age 26, she married Dr. John F. Maloney, a Navy physician and psychiatrist, with whom she had two daughters: Anne Kathleen (born 1953, an actress who appeared in Battlestar Galactica) and June Elizabeth (born 1955). Their marriage ended in divorce in 1959 after eight years, reportedly due to Maloney's infidelity—he had fathered a child with another woman. This betrayal was a "painful chapter," as Lockhart later reflected in interviews, contrasting sharply with her public image of marital bliss on Lassie.
That same year, she married architect John C. Lindsay, but it lasted only until 1970. She never remarried, choosing instead a fiercely independent path. Despite the divorces, Lockhart remained devoted to her daughters, who described her as a nurturing yet adventurous mother. Anne recalled Lockhart taking the family on spontaneous escapades, like riding elephants or flying in a blimp—experiences that echoed her own zest for life but clashed with the era's expectations for a "TV mom."
A "Rock 'n' Roller at Heart": The Rebellious Side
If Lockhart's screen roles painted her as apron-clad perfection, her off-screen self was a "bawdy, fun-loving, rock 'n' roll fan" who defied typecasting. Co-star Bill Mumy (Will Robinson on Lost in Space) affectionately called her a "real rock and roller at heart," sharing stories of her sneaking him and Angela Cartwright (Penny Robinson) to the Whisky a Go Go nightclub to hang out with the Allman Brothers Band during filming breaks. She also took the teens to see Simon & Garfunkel concerts, blending maternal guidance with youthful rebellion.
In the 1970s, Lockhart's personal life made headlines for its boldness. She entered a long-term relationship with a much younger actor, living with him openly at a time when such arrangements could scandalize. This "cougar" chapter, as modern outlets have dubbed it post-2025, led to her firing as co-host of the Miss USA pageant in the 1980s after the news broke—proving her wholesome facade didn't always shield her from conservative backlash. Yet, she owned it unapologetically, later joking in interviews about breaking free from her "goody-goody" image.
Lockhart was also an early LGBTQ+ ally. On The Virginia Graham Show in 1970, amid a discussion on homosexuality, she confronted host Virginia Graham's moralizing tone toward gay cleric Troy Perry, declaring: "No one has the right to moralize about another person's life or identity, especially an experience they themselves have never lived." In an era of widespread stigma, this was a radical stand from "America's Mom."
Her hobbies reflected this vibrant spirit: She was an avid gardener with a lush home plot, an animal rights advocate (supporting groups like International Hearing Dog, Inc.), and a voracious reader with a diverse library. Politically curious, she followed elections obsessively and donated to causes like The Actors Fund and ProPublica. Even in her 90s, she voiced roles in the 2021 Lost in Space Netflix reboot and the 2019 animated Bongee Bear and the Kingdom of Rhythm, staying "busy out there living it," as she put it.
Was She as Wholesome as Her TV Shows?
In many ways, yes—Lockhart's core was genuinely kind, empathetic, and family-oriented, traits echoed by co-stars like Mumy ("nurturing, adventurous, and noncompromising") and Jon Provost (Timmy on Lassie), who called her "upbeat and bubbly." Fans at nostalgia conventions adored her warmth, and her 2013 NASA Exceptional Public Achievement Medal honored her for inspiring generations of astronauts through Lost in Space. She lived to 100, reading the New York Times and LA Times daily until the end, content and engaged.
But she was more than wholesome: more daring, more resilient, more fun. The divorces and infidelity scarred her, yet she emerged liberated, embracing rock music, younger lovers, and social advocacy without apology. As Mumy noted, she "did it her way"—a far cry from the scripted perfection of her roles. Lockhart's life proves that true wholesomeness isn't about flawlessness; it's about authenticity, even when it ruffles feathers. Her legacy? A reminder that the best moms—on TV or off—have stories worth celebrating in full color.