Jon Provost
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| Jon Provost | |
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| Born | Jonathan Provost March 12, 1950 Los Angeles, California, USA |
| Occupation | Actor; Educator; Businessman |
| Years active | 1958-present |
| Spouse | Sandy Goosens (1979-1993) (divorced) 2 children Laurie Jacobson (1999-present) |
Jon Provost (born Jonathan Provost on March 12, 1950, in Los Angeles, California) is a former child actor of film and television. He is best known for his role as young Timmy Martin in the CBS series, Lassie.
At the age of four, Provost was cast in the film The Country Girl (1954), starring Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly. He then appeared in Back from Eternity (1956) with Anita Ekberg and Escapade in Japan (1957), again with Ekberg and an unknown (and uncredited) Clint Eastwood.
In 1957, Provost acquired the role of Timmy Martin in the CBS television series Lassie. He joined the show at the top of the fourth season as co-star to Tommy Rettig, Jan Clayton, and George Cleveland. Midpoint in the season, George Cleveland died and the show was completely revamped with Provost becoming the human star after the departures of Rettig and Clayton. Hugh Reilly and June Lockhart joined the show in 1958 as Timmy's parents (roles had been played by Jon Shepodd and Cloris Leachman). On December 25, 1958, Provost and Lassie were holiday guests on NBC's The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford. This was the only time of the five years that the Ford program ran that an episode actually aired on Christmas Day. Ford sang the carol "Some Children See Him" for the first time on this episode.[1]
For seven seasons, 1957–1964, audiences grew to love Timmy and his adventures with Lassie. In 1964, however, Provost was fourteen and chose not to renew his contract though Campbell's Soup Company, the sponsor, wanted three more years.[2] With Provost out of the picture, the format of the series was revamped. The Martins were sent to Australia to teach agriculture while Lassie was forced to remain in the United States because of quarantine regulations. Robert Bray was then cast as forest ranger Corey Stuart, Lassie's new owner from 1964-1968. Although different collies were featured throughout the run of all three series, Lassie was presumed to be the same collie, which would have made her at least 15 years old at the end of the third series.
Provost's career as a television child star ended, and he left show business when he was eighteen. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and worked for a time in the field of special education.
Later, he sold real estate in Sonoma County north of San Francisco and donated his time to various causes. In 1991, Provost returned to television with a recurring role in The New Lassie series as real estate agent, Steve McCullough. In one nostalgic episode, he appeared together with Tommy Rettig. In another episode, June Lockhart reprised her role as Timmy's mother, Ruth Martin. In an incredible twist, the audience learned Timmy was never properly adopted by the Martins and forced to remain in the States while they continued on to Australia. Timmy was then adopted by the McCullough family and began using the name, Steve McCullough.
Today, Provost continues to attend celebrity conventions and autograph parties. He sometimes appears on network news programs to speak about classical television and American culture. In 1994, Provost received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7080 Hollywood Blvd.
His memoirs, Timmy's in the Well: The Jon Provost Story, were released in November 2007 (Cumberland House Publishing, ISBN 1-58182-619-2). In August 2008, Provost was honored with a "Lifetime Achievement Award" at the Pocono Mountains Film Festival.
[edit] Complete filmography
- 1970: The Secret of the Sacred Forest
- 1969: The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, starring Kurt Russell
- 1966: This Property Is Condemned
- 1964: The Wayfarers [TV]
- 1964: The Disappearance [TV]
- 1962: Lassie's Great Adventure (The Odyssey) [TV]
- 1957: Escapade in Japan
- 1956: Toward the Unknown
- 1956: All Mine to Give
- 1956: Back from Eternity
- 1954: The Country Girl
- 1953: So Big
[edit] References
- ^ 25, 1958 "The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford". ernieford.com. http://www.ernieford.com/FordShow3-2.htm#December 25, 1958. Retrieved November 25, 2010.
- ^ Provost, Jon. Timmy's in the Well: The Jon Provost Story. Cumberland, 2007.
