Mark Goddard was an American actor who starred in a number of television programs. He is probably best known for portraying Major Don West in the CBS series Lost in Space (1965–1968). He also played Detective Sgt. Chris Ballard, in The Detectives, starring Robert Taylor.
Charles Harvey Goddard was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, on July 24, 1936. The youngest of five children, he grew up in Scituate. He was raised Roman Catholic and described himself as "almost a good Catholic".
Goddard led both his high school baseball and basketball teams to the state championship finals. Goddard dreamed of becoming a basketball player but eventually turned to acting. He 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. After two years, he moved to Los Angeles. In 1959, after just three weeks in Hollywood, he landed a role in the CBS Four Star Television series Johnny Ringo, having played the character of Cully, the deputy to Don Durant's character of Ringo. At this time, he changed his name to Mark Goddard at the suggestion of his friend and mentor Chuck Connors of The Rifleman. Goddard 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. He played Tod Rowland in the 1960 episode "The Mormons" on Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre. Goddard also appeared in The Rifleman as Marty Blair in 1962 in the episode “Mark’s Rifle”. The Detectives, another production of Four Star Television, was a hit series which ran on ABC and NBC from 1958 to 1961. Goddard was signed for a role lasting three years (64 episodes). Goddard appeared as Roy Mooney on the Perry Mason 1963 episode "The Case of the Potted Planter" and in the 1965 episode "The Case of the Frustrated Folk Singer" as Lester Crawford. 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). Goddard's next role was Major Don West on Lost in Space (1965–1968).
