Fans of classic ’60s TV got a blast from the past on Thursday when a famously reclusive former child star made a rare appearance in Los Angeles.
The 71-year-old, who first lit up the small screen with roles on Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie, looked to be in great spirits as he ran errands in his neighborhood.
Casually dressed in a T-shirt and faded jeans, he was a galaxy away from the silver space suit he donned as Will Robinson in Lost in Space, which aired from 1965 to 1968.
At one point, while hoisting a trash bag high over his head, fans could almost imagine the voice of the show’s beloved robot echoing its famous warning: ‘Danger, Will Robinson!’
This TV veteran also appeared in three episodes of CBS’s original Twilight Zone, most memorably as six-year-old Anthony, who terrorizes his town with psychic powers in 1961’s It’s a Good Life episode.
So, who’s the mystery star?
Fans of classic ’60s TV got a blast from the past on Thursday when a famously reclusive former child star made a rare appearance in Los Angeles
The 71-year-old, who first lit up the small screen with roles on Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie, looked to be in great spirits as he ran errands in his neighborhood
Casually dressed in a T-shirt and faded jeans, he was a galaxy away from the silver space suit he donned as Will Robinson in Lost in Space, which aired from 1965 to 1968
If you guessed Bill Mumy — you’re right!
Mumy was born in sunny San Gabriel, California, and stepped in front of the cameras at just seven years old.
By his teens, he was starring in the 1971 cult favorite Bless the Beasts and Children and strumming a guitar in the TV weeper Sunshine — a role he reprised for a Christmas special and spin-off series.
In the ’70s, he popped up everywhere from The Rockford Files to Matlock, charming viewers whether he was playing a street artist or a brainy nephew.
Sci-fi fans got another dose of Mumy magic when he co-created Nickelodeon’s Space Cases and slipped into prosthetics as Lennier on Babylon 5.
He even beamed into the Star Trek universe in 1998, this time as a human — something he admitted was a relief after years of alien makeup.
In later years, he appeared in Crossing Jordan, starred in Syfy’s A.I. Assault, and made a cheeky cameo as Dr. Z. Smith in Netflix’s Lost in Space.
But acting is only half his story — Mumy has lived and breathed music for decades, releasing solo albums and collaborating with America, Shaun Cassidy, and more.
At one point, while hoisting a trash bag high over his head, fans could almost imagine the voice of the show’s beloved robot echoing its famous warning: ‘Danger, Will Robinson!’
If you guessed Bill Mumy (pictured left) — you’re right!; (seen with Jonathan Harris on Lost in Space in 1966)
LOST IN SPACE cast: (left row) Mark Goddard, Marta Kristen, Jonathan Harris, (ctr) The Robot, (right row) Guy Williams, June Lockhart, Angela Cartwright, and Mumy
Lost in Space the series was inspired by the 1812 Johann David Wyss novel The Swiss Family Robinson
He made waves in the late ’70s as half of the quirky duo Barnes & Barnes, whose bizarre earworm Fish Heads became a cult hit.
These days, he’s rocking out with Action Skulls alongside Vicki Peterson of The Bangles and John Cowsill of Beach Boys fame.
Still happily married to Eileen Joy Davis since 1986, Mumy calls Laurel Canyon home, where he lives with their two kids, Seth and Liliana.
From boy wonder to sci-fi legend to rocker, Mumy’s career has been anything but lost in space.
