- Born
- Died
- Birth nameCharles Harvey Goddard
- Height6′ (1.83 m)
- Born Charles Harvey Goddard, Mark Goddard was best known for his role as the feisty, combative Major Don West in the cult TV series Lost in Space (1965). The youngest of five siblings, he was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, but grew up in Scituate, raised as a Catholic. Though excelling in sports, Goddard gave up early ambitions of a professional basketball career. Following advice from the head of the dramatic society of the College of the Holy Cross, he attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Manhattan.
Two years later, he relocated to Los Angeles and, before long, received offers to act in television. His first recurring role on the small screen was as the lead character's deputy in the western series Johnny Ringo (1959). He replaced Lee Farr as one of The Detectives (1959), portraying police officer Chris Ballard in 64 episodes.
Goddard made guest appearances in The Beverly Hillbillies (1962), The Virginian (1962), Gunsmoke (1955) and Perry Mason (1957) and co-starred alongside John McGiver in the short-lived sitcom Many Happy Returns (1964), before signing on as one of the crew in Irwin Allen 's Lost in Space. From season two, his character projected increasing antagonism towards the nefarious Dr. Zachary Smith. After that series had run its course, Goddard remained a frequent guest TV star on popular shows like Mod Squad (1968) and The Streets of San Francisco (1972). He had recurring stints on the soaps One Life to Live (1968) and General Hospital (1963) and made occasional forays into film acting, most notably in the off-beat horror flick Blue Sunshine (1977) (as a drug dealer turned politician).
The following year, he made his sole Broadway appearance in the musical The Act, opposite Liza Minnelli and Barry Nelson. Well-received, it ran for 233 performances between October 1977 and July 1978. Goddard retired from acting in 2015.
In between acting, Goddard often sidelined working with children, including at the Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. Having graduated with a Master's Degree in education from Bridgewater State College in Massachusetts, he eventually pursued a new vocation from 1991 as a special education teacher.
Goddard published his memoirs, "To Space and Back", in 2009. He was married three times. His second wife (divorced) was the actress Susan Anspach. His daughter is the producer Melissa Goddard .
Mark Goddard died of pulmonary fibrosis on October 10, 2023 at the age of 87.- IMDb mini biography by: I.S.Mowis
- SpousesEvelyn Pezzulich(1990 - October 10, 2023) (his death, 1 child)Susan Anspach(June 20, 1970 - October 26, 1978) (divorced, 1 child)Marcia Ellen Rogers(January 15, 1961 - November 1969) (divorced, 2 children)
- ChildrenCatherineJohn GoddardCalebMelissa GoddardMichael Goddard
- ParentsRuth De La Ronde GoddardClarence Goddard
- RelativesJames Delaronde Goddard(Sibling)Verdella Gertrude Goddard(Sibling)
- Has Masters Degree in Education,
- He is a distant cousin of Robert H. Goddard, one of the pioneers of modern rocket technology.
- Teaching at the Chamberlain School, Middleboro, Massachusetts, USA, a residential facility for students with behavioral problems.
- (11/63) He and his (then) wife Marcia discovered murdered body of starlet Karyn Kupcinet.
- He adopted Susan Anspach's children, Catherine M. Curry (whose father is Steve Curry) and Caleb Goddard (whose father is Jack Nicholson). Susan was six months pregnant with Caleb when she married Mark.
- I had a wonderful life as an actor. But I didn't want to be sitting around in Hollywood, kind of a halfway celebrity looking for his next job.
- [on the discouragement of the actors]: Well, that's going to happen. I understand that. I understand there are times when you have to read, when you have to do things. But I can tell you horror stories about it - every actor out there can, horror stories from people who I've worked with.
- [on his on- and off-screen chemistry with Jonathan Harris, who played Dr. Zachary Smith]: You know, for Jonathan, it was gruelling days, because he was in just about every scene, he had a lot of weight to pull on the show, he had a lot of lines to learn and he worked with them creatively. He made up lines, he re-wrote lines for himself and he worked very hard. Plus, he took time in the make up chair, it wasn't just thrown on, he cared about that, he cared about every aspect of Lost in Space, because he is the consummate professional. We all were professionals, we all had a great background before doing Lost In Space, but Jonathan had done a lot of theatrical work, television work and movies. He worked very hard on the set.
- [Of Jonathan Harris]: Jonathan and I get along real well. He's a wonderful man, he worked very hard in the part. We had a lot of laughs and we still do get together. We really share memories and we have a great time.
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