June Lockhart, who has died aged 100, started her career in films, but made her name after switching almost exclusively to television. Having been given little chance to scintillate in the movies from her debut as a child in 1938 until 1947, she shone on the small screen in scores of popular series, above all in Lassie.

Taking over from Cloris Leachman in 1958, Lockhart continued in the show until 1964. She played Ruth Martin, married to the farmer Paul Martin (Hugh Reilly), and the adoptive mother of seven-year-old Timmy Martin (Jon Provost), whose collie was the titular hero of the series.

In her role as a housewife, Lockhart somehow managed to avoid being completely upstaged by the clever canine. She described the show as “a fairy tale about people on a farm in which the dog solves

See Full Page