June Lockhart (born June 25, 1925), best known for her roles in TV shows Lassie and Lost in Space, has died at the age of 100. She passed away peacefully on Thursday, October 23, at 9:20 p.m. local time in Santa Monica, California, surrounded by her daughter, June Elizabeth, and her granddaughter, Christianna. Lockhart’s family confirmed that she died of natural causes.
“She was very happy up until the very end, reading the New York Times and LA Times everyday,” family spokesman Lyle Gregory, a friend of 40 years, said Saturday. “It was very important to her to stay focused on the news of the day.”
Lockhart made her film debut at age 12 in A Christmas Carol (1938), playing Belinda Cratchit, alongside her real-life parents.
In the early 1940s, she continued appearing in small roles, but her breakout came during World War II, when Hollywood was filled with patriotic and dramatic films. One of her most notable early performances was in Sergeant York (1941), though uncredited, and she gained attention for her youthful charm and natural acting.
Her major success came with Lassie Come Home (1943), the beloved MGM classic in which she played Priscilla, a supporting role opposite a young Roddy McDowall and Elizabeth Taylor. The film’s success helped establish her reputation as a talented and wholesome young actress.
In addition to film, she also worked on stage, including Broadway performances during the mid-1940s, showing her range beyond the silver screen. She won a Tony Award in 1948 for her performance in For Love or Money, further solidifying her transition into serious adult roles.
In the 1940s, Lockhart was often cast as the wholesome, intelligent, and sincere young woman — a persona that would follow her into her iconic television roles in later decades (Lassie in the 1950s and Lost in Space in the 1960s). Photographs from this era show her with classic 1940s Hollywood glamour — wavy shoulder-length hair, soft makeup, and elegant fashion, reflecting MGM’s polished studio image.
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