Actors - Mark Goddard

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	Actors - Mark Goddard

Mark Goddard (born Charles Goddard July 24, 1936 in Lowell, Massachusetts, United States) is an American film actor who has starred in a number of television shows. He is most widely known for his role as Major Don West in the series Lost in Space.

Biography

Early life

Mark Goddard was born in Lowell, Massachusetts in 1936, the youngest of five children. His birth name was Charles Goddard. Mark was raised in Scituate, Massachusetts. He led both his High School baseball and basketball teams to the state championship finals. Mark dreamed of becoming a basketball player but eventually turned to acting. He studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. After two years, he moved to Los Angeles.

Early acting career

Mark's good looks and charisma were hard to resist, and in 1959 after just three weeks in Hollywood, he landed a role in the television series, Johnny Ringo playing the character of Cully. At this time, he changed his name to Mark Goddard at the suggestion of his friend and mentor, Chuck Conners. He was also signed for a role lasting 3 years in the TV show The Detectives.

Lost in Space

The next role he played gained him the most popularity. Mark was hard not to notice in his form fitting space suits on the TV series Lost in Space. He played the daring and delicious Major Don West. The original pilot however, was a lot different from the actual show. Many fans feel this was the best episode. In it, Mark played a doctor instead of just a pilot, and was in more scenes then his character usually was in the series. The pilot was much more serious and had more scary parts than the show which became (to its demise) more of a comedy than a science fiction. Fans were not very happy when his role was cut down drastically. He was the character everyone wanted to see more of.

Later acting career

Mark also starred in roles on series like Mod Squad and The Fall Guy. At one point he moonlighted as a Hollywood agent. In 1976 he starred as politician Edward Fleming in the movie Blue Sunshine. Blue Sunshine is a retro sixties type of movie and is considered the most artistic of all Mark's films by his fans. In 1978 he starred with Liza Minneli in The Act, (a broadway musical). He also became Ted Clayton on One Live to Live and his character on The Doctors killed Alec Baldwin. Later Mark also starred as Derek Barrington on General Hospital.

Where is he now?

Mark finished college after thirty years and went on to receive his Masters Degree in Education. He made a cameo appearance in 1998, in the movie Lost in Space as the general in charge of the Jupiter Mission, and superior officer to his former character Major Don West. He is currently a special education teacher at the F.L. Chamberlain School in Middleboro, Massachusetts.

Filmography

Starred in

One Life to Live (1968) - Ted Clayton (1981)
Lost in Space (1965) - Major Donald West
Many Happy Returns (1964) - Bob Randall
General Hospital (1963) - Derek Barrington (1984-1986)
The Doctors (1963) - Lt. Paul Reed
The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor (1959-62)
Johnny Ringo (1959) - "Cully"

Guest Starred

Jake and the Fatman - Unknown - Smoke Gets in Your Eyes (1987)
The Master - Paul Stillwell - Failure To Communicate (1984)
The Fall Guy - Fred Dole - Devil's Island (1982)
Barnaby Jones - Roger Clark - The Killin' Cousin (1980)
Barnaby Jones - Tony Klinger - A Frame for Murder (1978)
Quincy, M.E. - Borland - The Two Sides of Truth (1977)
The Streets of San Francisco - Brian Phillips - The Cannibals (1977)
Barnaby Jones - Vince Reeves - Sins of Thy Father (1976)
Barnaby Jones - Frank Halliday - Dark Legacy (1974)
Petrocelli - - A Lonely Victim (1974)
The Mod Squad - - Call Back Yesterday (1970)
The Mod Squad - - You Can't Tell the Players Without a Programmer (1968)
Lost in Space - Drun - The Anti-Matter Man (1967)
The Fugitive (1963) - Dan Holt - Fun and Games and Party Favors (1965)
Gunsmoke - Boyd Lambert - Journey for Three (1964)
The Beverly Hillbillies - Jim Gardner - The Critter Doctor (1964)
Burke's Law - Richard Adams - Who Killed April? (1964)
Vacation Playhouse - - Maggie Brown (1963)
The Rifleman - Marty Blair - Mark's Rifle (1962)
Zane Grey Theater - Adam Lawson - The Mormons (1960)
The Rebel - Seldon Hollingsworth - To See the Elephant (1960)
The Chevy Mystery Show - Peter Montopolis - Murder Me Nicely (1960)
The June Allyson Show - - Surprise Party (1960)
The Rifleman - Walt - The Raid (1959)
Petrocelli - Death Ride

Co starred

Lost in Space - Major Don West - (1966)
The Virginian - Richard - (1964)
Johnny Ringo - Deputy Cully (1959)

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