Marta Kristen is a Norwegian-born American actress. Kristen is best known for her role as Judy Robinson, the oldest child of Professor John Robinson and his wife, Maureen, in the television series ''

Lost in Space ''Lost in Space'' is an American science fiction television series created and produced by Irwin Allen, which originally aired between 1965 and 1968 on CBS. Lightly dramatic, sometimes comedic in tone, the series was inspired by the 1812 J ...

'' (1965–1968). Her character was a young adult, around 20 years of age.

Early life

Kristen was born Birgit Annalisa Rusanen in

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

, Norway, to a Finnish mother and a German soldier father who was killed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. (Her Finnish mother gave up little Birgit to save her the pain of growing up knowing her real parents were part of the Nazi regime or Third Reich.) Birgit spent her first years in an orphanage in Norway, and was then adopted in 1949 by a couple from

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, Harold Oliver Soderquist and his wife, Bertha, who renamed her Martha Annalise Soderquist. Her adoptive father was a professor of education at

Wayne University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 375 programs. It is Michigan's third-largest university w ...

, also in Detroit. Kristen has one brother, whom her parents also adopted. In 1959, Kristen moved to the

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

area while her father was on sabbatical leave from his professorship. She remained there with a guardian and graduated from

Santa Monica High School Santa Monica High School, officially abbreviated to Samohi or SMHS, is a public high school in Santa Monica, California. Founded in 1891, it changed location several times in its early years before settling into its present campus at 601 Pico Bo ...

Career

Reflecting her Scandinavian heritage, Kristen adopted the more European-sounding "Marta" and used Marta Kristen as her stage name. She first appeared in a 1961 episode of ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, airing on CBS and NBC, alternately, between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. Between 1962 ...

'', "Bang! You're Dead", alongside Billy Mumy, who later co-starred with Kristen in ''Lost in Space''. In 1963, she starred with

Tony Dow Anthony Lee Dow (April 13, 1945 – July 27, 2022) was an American actor, film producer, director and sculptor. He portrayed Wally Cleaver in the iconic television sitcom ''Leave It to Beaver'' from 1957 to 1963. From 1983 to 1989, Dow repri ...

in "Four Feet in the Morning," an episode of '' The Eleventh Hour'', and as Peggy Meredith on ''

My Three Sons ''My Three Sons'' is an American television sitcom that aired from September 29, 1960, to April 13, 1972. The series was filmed in black-and-white and broadcast on ABC during its first five seasons, before moving to CBS for the remaining seve ...

''. Kristen's first film role was in the 1963 Walt Disney production of '' Savage Sam''. She played the role of Lorelei in the 1965 movie ''

Beach Blanket Bingo ''Beach Blanket Bingo'' is a 1965 American beach party film directed by William Asher. It is the fifth film in the Beach Party film series. The film stars Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, Linda Evans, Deborah Walley, Paul Lynde, and Don ...

''. Kristen starred in ''Lost in Space'' from its beginning in 1965 until its cancellation in 1968. Afterwards, she had a daughter, born in 1969, and appeared in more than forty television commercials as well as making numerous guest appearances on television shows. She also appeared in the A&E

biography A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curri ...

Jonathan Harris Jonathan Daniel Harris ( Charasuchin; November 6, 1914 – November 3, 2002) was an American character actor whose career included more than 500 television and film appearances, as well as Voice-over, voiceovers. Two of his best-known roles we ...

: Never Fear, Smith Is Here'' in 2002. She also made the occasional film appearance in movies such as ''

Terminal Island Terminal Island, historically known as , is a largely artificial island located in Los Angeles County, California, between the neighborhoods of Wilmington, Los Angeles, Wilmington and San Pedro, Los Angeles, San Pedro in the city of Los Angeles ...

'' (1973), ''

Once Once may refer to: Film, television and theatre * ''Once'' (film), a 2007 Irish musical film by John Carney ** ''Once'' (musical), a 2011 stage adaptation of the film * ''Once'' (TV series), a 2017–2019 Argentine telenovela * Canal Once (Mex ...

'' in 1974, appearing as a bare breasted 'Humanity', and the science-fiction film ''

Battle Beyond the Stars ''Battle Beyond the Stars'' is a 1980 American space opera film produced by Roger Corman, directed by Jimmy T. Murakami, and starring Richard Thomas, Robert Vaughn, George Peppard, John Saxon, Sybil Danning and Darlanne Fluegel. Inspire ...

'' (1980); and had a cameo role in the 1998 movie ''

''. Kristen also provided voice work for the 2009 animated theatrical short " The Bolt Who Screwed Christmas" which also included voice work from her ''Lost in Space'' co-stars Harris, Mumy, and

Angela Cartwright Angela Margaret Cartwright (born September 9, 1952) is an English-born American actress primarily known for her roles in movies and television. On television, she played Linda Williams, the stepdaughter of Danny Williams (played by Danny Thoma ...

Personal life

Kristen has been married twice. Her first marriage was to Terry Treadwell, a psychologist. She met her second husband, Kevin P. Kane, in 1974 and they married on November 18, 1978. They lived in

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

, with two

rescue dog Pet adoption is the process of transferring responsibility for a pet. Common sources for adoptable pets are animal shelters, rescue groups, or other pet owners. Some organizations give adopters ownership of the pet, while others use a guardian ...

s until 2016, when Kristen announced on her

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

page that Kane had died.

Selected filmography

* ''

The Loretta Young Show ''The Loretta Young Show'' (originally known as ''Letter to Loretta'') is an American anthology drama television series broadcast on Sunday nights from September 2, 1953, to June 4, 1961, on NBC for a total of 165 episodes. The series was hoste ...

'' (1960) (Season 8 Episode 7: The Glass Cage) as Bonnie * ''

'' (1960) (Season 1 Episode 11: The Mechanic) as Peggy Meredith (Pig) Robbie’s love interest * ''

Leave It to Beaver ''Leave It to Beaver'' is an American television sitcom that follows the misadventures of a suburban boy, his family and his friends. It starred Barbara Billingsley, Hugh Beaumont, Tony Dow and Jerry Mathers. CBS first broadcast the show ...

'' (1961) (Season 4 Episode 25: "Wally and Dudley") as Christine Staples * ''

'' (1961) (Season 6 Episode 31: "The Gloating Place") as Marjorie Stone * ''

'' (1961) (Season 7 Episode 2: "Bang! You're Dead") as Jiffy Snack Girl * ''

'' (1962) (Season 3 Episode 14: "Going Steady") as Linda Francis * ''

The Dick Powell Show ''The Dick Powell Show'' is an American television anthology series that aired on NBC from September 26, 1961 until September 17, 1963, primarily sponsored by the Reynolds Metals Company. Overview The series was an anthology of various dram ...

'' (1963) (Season 2 Episode 26: "The Third Side of a Coin") as Joan Kent * ''

Dr. Kildare Dr. James Kildare is a fictional American medical doctor, originally created in the 1930s by the author Frederick Schiller Faust under the pen name Max Brand. Shortly after the character's first appearance in a magazine story, Paramount Pictur ...

'' (1963) (Season 3 Episode 9: "Four Feet in the Morning") as Darleen Landon * '' The Eleventh Hour'' (1963) (Season 2 Episode 9: "Four Feet in the Morning") as Darleen Landon A two-part crossover, which started on Dr. Kildare: Four Feet in the Morning (1963). * ''

'' (1964) (Season 5 Episode 2: "A Serious Girl") as Lorraine Pendleton * ''

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' is an American spy fiction television series produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television and first broadcast on NBC. The series follows secret agents Napoleon Solo, played by Robert Vaughn, and Illya Kuryakin, p ...

'' (1964) (Season 1 Episode 11: "The Neptune Affair") as Felicia Lavimore * '' The Greatest Show on Earth'' (1964) (Season 1 Episode 21: "Clancy") as Billie Jo * ''

Mr. Novak ''Mr. Novak'' is an American television drama (film and television), drama television series starring James Franciscus in the title role as a high school teacher. The series aired on NBC for two seasons, from 1963 to 1965. It won a Peabody Award ...

'' (1964) (Season 1 Episode 30: "The Senior Prom") as Gail Andrews * ''

Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western television series that aired for eight seasons, first on the NBC television network (1957–1962) and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and reached the top of the ...

'' (1965) (Season 8 Episode 16: "The Wanda Snow Story") as Wanda Snow * ''

'' (1965) (Feature Film Unrated 1h 38m) as Lorelei * ''

'' (1965 - 1968) (3 Seasons 84 Episodes) as Judy Robinson * ''

Insight Insight is the understanding of a specific causality, cause and effect within a particular context. The term insight can have several related meanings: *a piece of information *the act or result of understanding the inner nature of things or of se ...

'' (1969) (Season 1 Episode 317: "Is the 11:59 Late This Year?") as Chick * '' The Mephisto Waltz'' (1971) (Feature Film R 1h 55m) as Party Guest (uncredited) * ''

Mannix ''Mannix'' is an American detective television series that originally aired for eight seasons on CBS from September 16, 1967, to March 13, 1975. The show was created by Richard Levinson and William Link, and developed by executive producer ...

'' (1965) (Season 6 Episode 15: "A Game of Shadows") as Aileen * ''

'' (1973) (Feature Film R 1h 28m) as Lee Phillips * ''

'' (1973) (Feature Film R 1h 40m) as Humanity * '' Gemini Affair'' (1975) (Feature Film X 1h 32m) as Julie * ''

Project U.F.O. ''Project U.F.O.'' is an American television series which ran on NBC from 1978 to 1979. Running for two seasons of 13 episodes each, the show was based loosely on the real-life Project Blue Book. The show was created by Jack Webb, who pored th ...

'' (1978) (Season 1 Episode 11: "Sighting 4011: The Dollhouse Incident") as Anita * ''

'' (1980) (Feature Film PG 1h 44m) as Lux * ''

Remington Steele ''Remington Steele'' is an American television series co-created by Robert Butler and Michael Gleason. The series, starring Stephanie Zimbalist and Pierce Brosnan, was produced by MTM Enterprises and first broadcast on NBC from October 1, 1982, ...

'' (1982) (Season 1 Episode 4: "Signed, Steeled and Delivered") as Blonde * '' Fame'' (1985) (Season 4 Episode 17: "Danny De Bergerac") as Dede Callahan * '' Trapper John, M.D.'' (1985) (Season 6 Episode 20: "In the Eyes of the Beholder") as Mrs. Christopher * '' Wildside'' (1985) (Season 1 Episode 3: "The Crimea of the Century") as Ellen Jonsen * ''

Scarecrow and Mrs. King ''Scarecrow and Mrs. King'' is an American television series that aired from October 3, 1983, to May 28, 1987, on CBS. The music underscore was composed by Arthur B. Rubinstein. The show starred Kate Jackson and Bruce Boxleitner, as divorced ...

'' (1987) (Season 4 Episode 14: "Rumors of My Death") as Lena Spickens * '' Strange Voices'' (1987) (TV Movie Not Rated 1h 40m) as Mona * ''

Murphy Brown ''Murphy Brown'' is an American television sitcom created by Diane English that premiered on November 14, 1988, on CBS. The series stars Candice Bergen as the eponymous Murphy Brown, a famous investigative journalist and news presenter, news anch ...

'' (1994) (Season 6 Episode 18: "Fjord Eyes Only") as Norwegian Mom * '' Panic in the Park'' (1995) (Video Game) as Annabelle Lee * ''

Harvest of Fire ''Harvest of Fire'' is an American mystery drama television film that premiered on CBS on April 21, 1996, as part of the ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'' anthology series. The film is directed by Arthur Allan Seidelman, from a teleplay by Richard Alfie ...

'' (1996) (TV Movie PG 1h 39m) as Martha Troyer * ''

Below Utopia ''Below Utopia'', also known as ''Body Count'', is a 1997 independent film directed by Kurt Voss. The movie stars Justin Theroux, Alyssa Milano and Ice-T. Milano was also the executive producer of the film. Ice-T had composed an instrumental music ...

'' (1997) (Feature Film R 1h 28m) as Marilyn Beckett * ''

'' (1998) (Feature Film PG-13 2h 10m) as Reporter #1 * '' The Bolt Who Screwed Christmas'' (2009) (Short Film 7m) as Mrs. Ratchet(voice) * '' Lost in Space: The Epilogue'' (2015) (Video) as Judy Robinson * '' Ageless'' (2016) (TV Short 18m) as Phyllis * '' Breaking Point'' (2018) (Short) as Debby * '' The Vamps Next Door'' (2019) (Season 6 Episode 1: "Party in the Cul-De-Sac") as Astrid * '' The Vamps Next Door'' (2019) (Season 6 Episode 2: "Chaos in the Cul-De-Sac") as Astrid * '' The Vamps Next Door'' (2019) (Season 6 Episode ?: "Beverly's Birthday Bash") as Astrid * ''

Last Day The Last Judgment is a concept found across the Abrahamic religions and the ''Frashokereti'' of Zoroastrianism. Christianity considers the Second Coming of Jesus, Jesus Christ to entail the final judgment by God in Abrahamic religions, God of a ...

'' (2021) (Short 16m) as Mila * '' Brenda & Oliver'' (2022) (Short) as Brenda * '' A Reluctant Heart'' (2022) (Feature Film - Original title: A Bachelor's Valentine) as Inez Burr * '' Benny the Barnacle'' (2022) (Animation - Believing is Seeing Episode aired Dec 23, 2022) as Serenity Seahorse

References

External links

* *
Facebook site (official)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kristen, Marta Living people American film actresses American television actresses Norwegian emigrants to the United States American adoptees 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses American people of Finnish descent American people of German descent Actresses from Los Angeles Actresses from Santa Monica, California 20th-century Norwegian actresses Year of birth missing (living people)