Mark Goddard Biography, Wife, Net Worth

Mark Goddard was an American actor best known for portraying Major Don West in the CBS series Lost in Space (1965–1968) – below is his biography.

Popular actor Mark Goddard has sadly died.

The actor, popular for his performance as Major Don West as well as Detective Sgt. Chris Ballard in The Detectives, starring Robert Taylor, and had recurring roles on several soap operas, including General Hospital, is no more. 

He passed away on October 10, 2023, at the age of 87, after suffering from pulmonary fibrosis.

 In this article, we will examine Mark Goddard biography, age, career, movies and tv shows, net worth, death, wife and children etc.

Mark Goddard Biography

Mark Goddard was born Charles Harvey Goddard on July 24, 1936, in Lowell, Massachusetts, the youngest of his parents’ five children.

The future thespian grew up in Scituate where he was raised Catholic. 

Goddard was a talented athlete growing up and led both his high school baseball and basketball teams to the state championship finals. 

He dreamed of becoming a basketball player but eventually turned to acting.

Mark Goddard originally attended the College of the Holy Cross after high school but transferred and studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City.

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After two years, he moved to Los Angeles to fully concentrate on pursuing his acting career.

Career

In 1959, after just three weeks in Hollywood he landed a role in the CBS Four Star Television series Johnny Ringo, playing Cully, the deputy to Don Durant’s character of Ringo. 

Around this time, Charles Harvey Goddard changed his name to Mark Goddard at the suggestion of his friend and mentor Chuck Connors of The Rifleman.

He appeared as Norman Tabor in the 1960 episode “Surprise Party” of the CBS anthology series The DuPont Show with June Allyson. 

He was cast as Sheldon Hollingsworth in the 1960 episode “To See the Elephant” of the ABC Western series The Rebel, starring Nick Adams. 

Goddard also played Tod Rowland in the 1960 episode “The Mormons” on Dick Powell’s Zane Grey Theatre and later also appeared in The Rifleman as Marty Blair in 1962 in the episode “Mark’s Rifle”

His career was now taking off a bit and Goddard established his credentials a bit more after landing a gig on the show The Detectives.

The Detectives, another production of Four Star Television, was a hit series that ran on ABC and NBC from 1958 to 1961; Goddard was signed for a role lasting three years (64 episodes). 

He played Detective Sgt. Chris Ballard, one of the three assistants to Captain Matt Holbrook (Robert Taylor).

In 1963, actor Mark Goddard appeared as Roy Mooney on the Perry Mason episode “The Case of the Potted Planter”. 

A year later in 1964, Goddard appeared as Richard on The Virginian in the episode titled “The Secret of Brynmar Hall.” 

That same year he guest starred as a wild killer named “Boyd” in the episode “Journey For Three” on the TV Western series Gunsmoke (S9E36).

Lost in Space

Now this Mark Goddard biography article takes a look at the most seminal role of his career.

After his early limited success, Mark Goddard’s next role was portraying Major Don West on Lost in Space (1965–1968), which would become his most famous and iconic role. 

The series followed the fantastic adventures of the Robinson family, space colonists aboard the Jupiter 2 piloted by Goddard’s character. 

A blossoming romance initially existed between West and Judy, the elder daughter of the Robinson family, but by the middle of the second season, West maintained an adversarial relationship with the hapless, sociopathic Dr. Zachary Smith.

The show was a sci-fi classic that blended adventure, comedy, and campiness.

Created by Irwin Allen – who also produced other popular shows like Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and The Time Tunnel – the show featured a memorable theme song composed by John Williams and a famous robot that uttered phrases like “Danger, Will Robinson!”.

Goddard recalled seeing himself in his silver lamé spacesuit for the first time in his 2008 memoir To Space and Back, writing: “I took a deep breath, took a second look at the image of a wrapped-aluminum baked potato and said to myself, ‘How the hell did this happen?'”. He also said that he enjoyed working with his co-stars and that he felt like part of a family.

In 1998, Goddard and Kristen were among several original Lost in Space cast members who had small roles in the big-screen reboot of the show, starring William Hurt, Mimi Rogers, Gary Oldman, and Matt LeBlanc. 

Goddard played the general who sent the Jupiter 2 into space. 

He also appeared in the video short Lost in Space: The Epilogue in 2014, which reunited some of the original cast members and showed what happened to their characters after the series ended.

After Lost in Space, Goddard continued to appear in various TV shows and movies, mostly in guest roles. 

He appeared in episodes of The Beverly Hillbillies, Gunsmoke, Perry Mason,, Adam 12, Barnaby Jones, Jake and the Fatman, and more.

He also had recurring roles on the soap operas One Life to Live (as Joe Riley Jr.), The Doctors (as Dr. Mark Dante), and General Hospital (as Derek Barrington).

He also starred in a few TV movies – such as The Astronaut (1972), The Elevator (1974), and The Return of the Mod Squad (1979) – and feature films, such as A Man Called Gannon (1968), The Monkey Hu$tle (1976), and Blue Sunshine (1978).

Goddard retired from acting in 2016, after appearing in his last movie, Soupernatural.

Mark Goddard Wife, Children

Our Mark Goddard biography now takes a look at his wife and children.

Mark Goddard actor was married to three different wives and had three children. 

Mark Goddard first wife was Marcia Rogers, whom he married in 1960 and divorced in 1968 with their marriage yielding two children, popular producer Melissa Goddard and Michael Goddard.

His second wife was actress Susan Anspach, whom he married in 1970 and divorced in 1978. Anspach brought two children to their marriage.

Anspach was known for her roles in movies like Five Easy Pieces (1970), Play It Again, Sam (1972), and Blume in Love (1973).

The third and last wife of Mark Goddard was Evelyn Pezzulich, an English professor whom he met at Bridgewater State College and married in 1990, remaining married to her until his death. 

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Mark Goddard and his third wife Evelyn Pezzulich had one child – son John Goddard.

Death

Mark Goddard died in Hingham, Mass. on October 10th 2023 of pulmonary fibrosis at the age of 87 as announced by his wife on October 12th.

In a statement posted to Facebook, Mark Goddard’s wife Evelyn Pezzulich confirmed his death, revealing that the actor was hospitalized with pneumonia and then transferred to a rehabilitation center where the doctors discovered he was in the final stages of pulmonary fibrosis.

“I’m so sorry to tell you that my wonderful husband passed away on October 10th. Several days after celebrating his 87th birthday, he was hospitalized with pneumonia,” her statement read. 

“We were hopeful when he was transferred to a rehabilitation center, but then doctors discovered he was in the final stages of pulmonary fibrosis for which there is no cure. 

“He received excellent care at the beautiful Pat Roche Hospice Home and was able to die peacefully and with dignity. His children and I had the chance to express our love and say our goodbyes. 

“I’ll never know how I deserved to spend 33 years with such a loving, gentle, handsome man who made me laugh so often.

“His funeral Mass will be at Holy Family Church in Duxbury on October 21st at 10 am with a viewing beforehand,”

Goddard’s “Lost in Space” costar Bill Mumy, who remained a close friend throughout the years, also confirmed his death in a Facebook statement: 

“R.I.P. to Mark Goddard. A truly beloved friend and brother to me for 59 years. I knew this was coming for the past few months. Shortly after a great phone chat he and I had on his 87th birthday in late July, I became aware that I would most likely never see or speak with him again. The last words we exchanged were ‘I love you.’”

Net Worth 

Mark Goddard biography continues by taking a look at his net worth.

According to various sources, Mark Goddard had an estimated net worth of $3 million at the time of his death. He earned most of his wealth from his acting career, spanning over five decades.

Goddard left behind a legacy as one of the stars of one of the most popular and influential sci-fi shows of all time. 

Lost in Space has been remade twice, once as a movie in 1998 and once as a Netflix series in 2018 – a testament to its enduring popularity. 

The show has also inspired many other sci-fi shows and movies, such as Star Trek, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Doctor Who, and more.

Goddard was also remembered for his other roles on TV and film, especially on The Detectives and General Hospital. 

During his lifetime, he was involved in many charitable causes, such as the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the American Cancer Society. He also taught children with special educational needs for over 20 years in Massachusetts.

May he rest in peace.

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