Godspeed Mark Goddard

Mark Goddard, who starred in the TV shows Johnny Ringo. The Detectives, and Lost in Space, among other shows, died on October 10 2023 at the age of 87. The cause was pulmonary fibrosis.

Mark Goddard was born Charles Harvey Goddard in Lowell, Massachusetts on July 24 1936. He grew up in Scituate, Massachusetts on the coast. He attended the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, but left school in his junior year to pursue acting. He went to New York City and studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. It was in 1959 that he moved to Hollywood. He made his television debut in The Joan Crawford Show: Woman on the Run that same year. He also guest starred on an episode of The Rifleman. In September 1959 he began playing the regular role of Cully, the deputy of the title character on the short-lived Western Johnny Ringo. In 1960 he guest starred The DuPont Show with June Allyson, The Chevy Mystery Show, The Rebel, and Zane Grey Theatre. It was in the fall of 1960 that he began playing Sgt. Chris Ballard on The Detectives. He remained with the show until it ended its run in 1962.

In the Sixties Mark Goddard continued to appear on The Detectives. He played a supporting role on the short-lived sitcom Many Happy Returns, playing opposite Elinor Donahue. It was in 1965 that he began playing Major Don West, the pilot of the Jupiter II, on the sci-fi show Lost in Space. He remained with the show until it ended in 1968. In the Sixties he also guest starred on the shows Fair Exchange, The Rifleman, Vacation Playhouse, Burke's Law, The Bill Dana Show, The Beverly Hillbillies, Channing, The Virginian, Gunsmoke, Perry Mason, The Fugitive, The Mod Squad, and Adam-12. He appeared in the movies The Monkey's Uncle (1965), A Rage to Live (1965), and The Love-Ins (1967).

In the Seventies he appeared on Broadway in The Act. He guest starred on the shows Barnaby Jones, The Wide World of Mystery, Switch, Petrocelli, The Streets of San Francisco, Quincy M.E., Dog and Cat, The Next Step Beyond, Benson, and B.J. and the Bear. He appeared in the movies Play It Again, Sam (1972), Blue Sunshine (1977), and Roller Boogie (1979).

In the Eighties Mark Goddard had recurring roles on the soap operas One Life to Live, The Doctors, and General Hospital. He guest starred on the shows The Fall Guy, The Master, and Jake and the Fatman. He appeared in the movie Strange Invaders (1983). In later years he had a cameo in Lost in Space (1998), the movie based on the classic show, Overnight Sensation (2001), and Soupernatural (2010). His last appearance was as Don West in a "table read," Lost in Space: The Epilogue, included on the Blu-Ray release of the show in 2015.

It is safe to say that Mark Goddard will probably be best remembered as Major Don West, the somewhat quick-tempered pilot of the Jupiter II on Lost in Space. While he may always be best remembered for Lost in Space, Mark Goddard starred on multiple TV shows. He was the youthful Detective Sgt. Chris Ballard on The Detectives and Johnny Ringo's young deputy Cully on Johnny Ringo. He also appeared in the short-lived sitcom Many Happy Returns and several soap operas. Beyond that, he also made several guest appearances. He played bug repellent salesman Jim Gardner in the Beverly Hillbillies episode "The Critter Doctor." In the Perry Mason episode "The Case of the Potted Planter," he played a role as far from  Sgt. Ballard, and Don West as one could get, that of Roy Mooney, a young man paid to compromise a married woman. In the Fugitive episode "Fun and Games and Party Favors" he played a young pool cleaners that the daughter of his wealthy employers was in love with. Mark Goddard played a wide variety of roles beyond those he played regularly in television shows, and he did all of them well.