Lost in Space actor Mark Goddard was on the soap operas General Hospital and One Life to Live

Soap vet and Lost in Space actor has passed away

US Entertainment and other news outlets have reported that actor Mark Goddard passed away on Tuesday, October 10, after a lengthy illness. He will be fondly remembered as Major Don West in the original Lost in Space television series which ran on CBS from 1965-1968.

Goddard also appeared in many television series including The Fall Guy, The Fugitive, The Beverly Hillbillies, Perry Mason, The Dick Powell Zane Grey Theater, The Detectives, The CBS Dupont Showe with June Allison, and Johnny Ringo.

The beloved actor was also in the 1978 movie Roller Boogie, and although he is best known by fans for his role as Major West longtime soap fans will remember him in two popular daytime drama shows General Hospital and One Life to Live.

Ted Clayton was a troublemaker

Soap fans who were watching daytime drama shows from the 1980s will recall Goddard's roles as Ted Clayton and Derick Barrington. In 1981, the actor was on One Life to Live as a recast and the second actor to portray the role of Ted Clayton. Ted was the stepfather of Tina Clayton Lord ( Soap vet Andrea Evans who passed away in July of this year). Ted had a reputation as a bad man, and a troublemaker in the town of Llanview and was eventually shot and killed by Police Lieutenant, Ed Hall (the late Al Freeman Jr.)

Derek Barrington's time on General Hospital

From 1984-1986 Goddard appeared in 11 episodes of General Hospital as Derek Barrington from the fall of 1984 to the summer of 1986. Derek had a son Mike from a relationship with Ginnie Blake (Judith Chapman) who was adopted by Rick Webber ( Chris Robinson) and Lesley Webber (Denise Alexander).

The character Derek Barrington later married Lorena Sharpe (Shelley Taylor Morgan) and they eventually moved to Omaha ending the actor's soap career.

Mark Goddard's early life

Mark Goddard was born Charles Harvey Goddard in Lowell, Massachusetts on July 24, 1936. He was the youngest of five children, who grew up in Scituate, Massachusetts, and were raised Catholic. After high school, Goddard attended the College of the Holy Cross but transferred to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. Two years, later he moved to Los Angeles.

Goddard finished college 30 years after beginning his studies and received his master's degree in education from Bridgewater State College. From 1991 through at least 2009, he served as a special education teacher at the F.L. Chamberlain School in Middleboro, Massachusetts, where he taught an acting class.

Mark Goddard's later years

In one of his final roles, the actor was in the reboot film Lost in Space (1998). He portrayed the general in charge of the Jupiter Mission and superior officer to his former character Major Don West who was played by Matt LeBlanc.

He released an autobiographical memoir To Space and Back and while at Bridgewater State College, he met his third wife, English professor Evelyn Pezzulich. The couple were married 33 years at the time of his death and had one child, a son John.

Goddard's second wife was actress Susan Anspach, who had two children of her own when they wed. His first marriage to Marcia Rogers lasted from 1960 until their divorce in 1968, and they had two children, Melissa and Michael.

Mark Goddard will be missed by his fans but he has left lasting memories on the small screen in prime time and daytime as well as his film role. For many fans, he will always be Major Don West from Lost in Space but soap viewers will fondly recall his roles as Derek Barington on General Hospital and Ted Clayton from One Life to Live.