'Lost In Space' Actor Bob May Dies

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'Lost in Space' Actor Bob May Dies

PopEater / Wire Services

 

LOS ANGELES (Jan. 19) - The man behind the 'Lost in Space' robot died Sunday of congestive heart failure. Bob May, who donned The Robot's suit in the hit 1960s television show, was 69. May is survived by his wife Judith; his daughter; his son, Martin; and four grandchildren.

Before 'Lost in Space' creator Irwin Allen recruited May to play the Robinson family's robot sidekick in the series, May had a long career in film, TV, and on the vaudeville stage.

 

"He always said he got the job because he fit in the robot suit," said June Lockhart, who played family matriarch Maureen Robinson. "It was one of those wonderful Hollywood stories. He just happened to be on the studio lot when someone saw him and sent him to see Irwin Allen about the part. Allen said, 'If you can fit in the suit, you've got the job.'"

May once claimed the suit felt like a "home away from home."

Lockhart said May wore the suit for hours at a time and learned the lines of every actor in the show so he would know when to respond to their cues. Because it wasn't easy to get in and out of the suit, he kept it on during breaks. "He was a smoker," Lockhart remembered. "From time to time (when he was on a break), we'd see smoke coming out of the robot. That always amused us."

Although May didn't provide the robot's distinctive voice (that was done by announcer Dick Tufeld), he developed a following of fans who sought him out at memorabilia shows. The character shared by May and Tufield is still famous for his line, "Danger, Will Robinson," which became a national catch phrase.

"Lost in Space" was a space-age retelling of "The Swiss Family Robinson" story in which professor John Robinson, his wife and their children were on a space mission when their craft was knocked hopelessly off course by the evil Dr. Zachary Smith, who became trapped in space with them.

May appeared in films with Jerry Lewis and in TV shows as 'The Time Tunnel,' 'McHale's Navy' and 'The Red Skelton Show.' He was also a stuntman in many 1950s and '60s TV shows.

 

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