June Lockhart, best known for her roles in TV shows Lassie and Lost in Space, has died aged 100.
The veteran actress died of natural causes at her home in Santa Monica on Thursday, a family spokesman told US media.
Lockhart first shot to prominence on Broadway in the 1940s, picking up a newcomer Tony Award for her role in For Love or Money, before transitioning into film and TV.
The daughter of famed character actors Kathleen and Gene Lockhart, her standout performance was as mother Ruth Martin in the TV series Lassie, for which she received an Emmy nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a drama series.
Born in New York City on 25 June 1925, Lockhart made her screen debut aged 13 in the 1938 film A Christmas Carol alongside her parents.
She then took up a number of supporting roles through the 1940s, before being the top-billed star of the film She-Wolf of London
On Broadway, her performance in For Love or Money was described by the New York Times at the time as “enchanting”.
Her performance saw her receive a Tony Award, a Donaldson Award, a Theatre World Award and the Associated Press citation for Woman of the Year for Drama.
From the late 1950s into the 1960s, her time was occupied by starring in 200 episodes of Lassie, after which she had guest appearances on The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Alfred Hitchcock Hour and Magnum P.I.
Many remember her for her role in the science-fiction serial Lost in Space, in which she played the warm mother of space explorers from 1965 until 1968.
In 2021, Lockhart made a cameo in a Netflix remake, providing the voice of Alpha Control.
“She was very happy up until the very end, reading the New York Times and LA Times everyday,” spokesman and friend of 40 years Lyle Gregory told US media.
“It was very important to her to stay focused on the news of the day.”
She is survived by her two daughters including Anne Lockhart, who is also an actress.
