June Lockhart - Career

Career

Born in New York City, Lockhart is the daughter of Canadian-born actor Gene Lockhart, who came to prominence on Broadway in 1933 in Ah, Wilderness!, and English-born actress Kathleen Arthur Lockhart. She made her acting debut opposite her parents in a film version of A Christmas Carol, in 1938. She also played supporting parts in films including Meet Me in St. Louis, Sergeant York, All This, and Heaven Too and The Yearling. Lockhart played the title role in She-Wolf of London (1946).

In 1948, Lockhart won a Tony Award for Outstanding Performance by a Newcomer (a category that no longer exists) for her role on Broadway in For Love or Money. And in 1951, she starred in Lawrence Riley's biographical play Kin Hubbard opposite Tom Ewell. In 1955, she appeared in an episode of CBS's Appointment with Adventure. About this time, she also made several appearances on NBC's legal drama Justice, based on case files of the Legal Aid Society of New York. In the late 1950s, Lockhart guest starred in several popular television Westerns including: Wagon Train and Cimarron City (in the episode "Medicine Man" with Gary Merrill) on NBC and Gunsmoke, Have Gun – Will Travel, and Rawhide on CBS.

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.

Lockhart is best known for her roles as TV mothers, first as Ruth Martin, the wife of Paul Martin (portrayed by Hugh Reilly), and the mother of Timmy Martin (played by Jon Provost) in the 1954 CBS series, Lassie (a role that she played from 1959–64). She replaced actress Cloris Leachman. Lockhart then became Dr. Maureen Robinson, the wife of Professor John Robinson (portrayed by Zorro actor Guy Williams) in the Lost in Space (1965–68) series. The science fiction program on CBS was popular, remembered for the design of the sleek silver spacesuits, which Lockhart wore in many publicity photos. Lockhart appeared as Timmy's mom with other notable "TV Moms" in the 1995 "Roseanne" episode "The Clip Show: All about Rosey, part 2".

Lockhart appeared as Dr. Janet Craig on the final two seasons of the CBS sitcom Petticoat Junction (1968-70), her character brought in to fill the void created after Bea Benaderet died during the run of the show; she was a regular in the ABC soap opera General Hospital during the 1980s and 1990s. She provided the voice of Martha Day, the lead character in the Hanna-Barbara animated series These Are the Days. Lockhart was the only actor or actress to have starred in three hit series during the 1960s. Lockhart guest starred in Quincy M.E. numerous times.

In 1986, she appeared in the fantasy film, Troll. The younger version of her character in that film was played by her daughter, Anne Lockhart. They had previously played the same woman at two different ages in an episode of the television series Magnum, P.I. (1981). In 1991, Lockhart appeared as Miss Wiltrout, Michelle Tanner's kindergarten teacher on the TV sitcom Full House. She also had a cameo in the 1998 film Lost in Space, based on the television series she had starred in thirty years earlier. In 2002, she appeared in two episodes of The Drew Carey Show as Lewis's mother, Misty Kiniski, alongside fellow TV mom Marion Ross, who played Drew's mother.

In 2004, she voiced the role of Grandma Emma Fowler in Focus on the Family's The Last Chance Detectives audio cases. Lockhart starred as James Caan's mother in an episode of Las Vegas in 2004. Lockhart has since guest starred on episodes of Cold Case and Grey's Anatomy, in the 2007 ABC Family television film Holiday in Handcuffs, and in the 2007 feature film Wesley.