For nearly two decades, most of us can recall tuning in to watch the latest adventures of the most famous dog on television, Lassie.
This beloved Rough Collie dog and her human companions graced our screens for 17 seasons from 1954 to 1973, even transitioning from black and white to color in the 1960s.
But who could forget 7-year-old Timmy Martin, who appeared on the show in its fourth season and adopted Lassie with his family?
Jon Provost, who played Timmy, just celebrated his 74th birthday and talks about the delight he had filming with his four-legged pal and how he was found by Hollywood at the age of three.
The Los Angeles-born actor revealed that when he was three years old, he was taken to an audition for a Jane Wyman film because his mother was a major fan and wanted to acquire her autograph. However, Jon was chosen from among 200 kids who auditioned for the role.
It was far from certain that Jon would become an actor. His father worked in a completely different field; he was an aeronautical engineer.
”My parents weren’t Hollywood people. My father is from Alabama and my mother is from Texas,” Jon said.
At the age of four, he was cast in a film starring Grace Kelly and Bing Crosby.
“I didn’t have an agent. I got one and that led to more movies like The Country Girl with Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly. I did about 12 movies before I started ‘Lassie’”, he told Fox News.
Three different Lassies
Jon recalled the ties he built with the three different male dogs who played the female Lassie, saying he developed the strongest bond with the final dog to play Lassie.
“I did the show for seven years, 249 half-hour episodes. I worked with three different Lassies. The last dog I worked with, I worked with him for five years alone,” he told Fox News.
“We grew up together. For five years, we saw each other five days a week and sometimes on weekends.
He revealed how well-behaved the dog was, saying, “The actors made more mistakes than the dog. They were more of a problem,” he joked.
After leaving the program at 14, he starred with Natalie Wood and Kurt Russell, and he refused to fall into the Hollywood child actor trap, claiming, “My parents let me pretty much do what I wanted to do. I didn’t have to take a job.
“When I left Hollywood, I thought it was good that I did.”
Jon now resides in Northern California, away from the spotlight, but he regularly receives fan mail from his time in “Lassie”. In 1994, the actor was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Meanwhile, Lassie, the canine character, grew so popular that a compelling radio series titled “Lassie” was created.
Jon Provost wife
In 1979, Jon Provost married Sandy Goosens. They had two children: Ryan and Katie.
After 14 years of marriage, the couple split on December 20, 1993.
Jon Provost found love again in 1999, marrying Laurie Jacobson, a well-known scholar and novelist.
I really like the travels that this cute couple went on. And with a moral in each episode, it was the ideal entertainment for children.
Please share with all of the “Lassie” fans you know.
