Mark Goddard(1936-2023)

Charles Harvey (aka Mark) Goddard became best known for his role as the combative Major Don West in the cult TV series Matkalla avaruuteen (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 then replaced Lee Farr as one of Etsivät (1959), portraying police officer Chris Ballard in 64 episodes. Goddard made guest appearances in The Beverly Hillbillies (1962), Virginialainen (1962), Gunsmoke (1955) and Perry Mason yllättää (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 the series had run its course, Goddard remained a frequent guest TV star on popular shows like The Mod Squad (1968) and San Franciscon syke (1972). He also 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 flic Helvetinmatka (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 to 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.