Mark Goddard (Actor) Cause of Death

Mark Goddard, renowned for portraying Major Don West, the fiery pilot of Jupiter 2 in the iconic CBS series “Lost in Space” from the 1960s, has passed away at the age of 87.

His death occurred on Tuesday in Hingham, Massachusetts. Evelyn Pezzulich, his third wife, informed The Hollywood Reporter that pulmonary fibrosis was the cause.

Prior to this iconic role, Goddard had been a regular on the Four Star Television series such as “Johnny Ringo” and “The Detectives.” It was during this time that his agent proposed the idea of joining the nascent “Lost in Space” series, a brainchild of Irwin Allen.

This science fiction series chronicled the adventures of the Robinson family: Professor John Robinson (portrayed by Guy Williams), his biochemist spouse, Maureen (played by June Lockhart), and their kids Judy, Penny, and Will (portrayed by Marta Kristen, Angela Cartwright, and Billy Mumy). Alongside the family were Major West, the mischievous stowaway Dr. Zachary Smith (Jonathan Harris), and a robot (conceptualized by Robert Kinoshita of “Forbidden Planet” fame, acted by Bob May, and voiced by Dick Tufeld). Their quest to colonize space starting in October 1997 goes haywire due to Dr. Smith’s blunders.

Remembering his agent’s pitch, Goddard once shared in an interview for Tom Weaver’s 1995 book “They Fought in the Creature Features,” “It’s essentially a family’s space odyssey filled with adventures, even earthquakes…” He had initially expressed uncertainty about the project, but his agent had assured him, stating, “Just do it, take the payment. Chances are, it might not even get noticed or be successful.”

Contrary to this prediction, with a $600,000 pilot that spanned 21 days of filming, “Lost in Space” saw a successful run of 83 episodes across three seasons, from 1965 to 1968. In the series, Goddard’s character frequently clashed with Dr. Smith and often found himself overshadowed by the robot.

In his 2008 memoir “To Space and Back”, Goddard humorously recounted his first reaction to seeing himself in his snug, shiny spacesuit: he compared himself to a “wrapped-aluminum baked potato.”

Born Charles Harvey Goddard on July 24, 1936, in Lowell, Massachusetts, he was the youngest of five siblings. He grew up in Scituate, a coastal town where his father ran a general store. Though he started his education at Holy Cross, he left in his junior year in 1958 to follow his passion for acting.