Spencer Milligan was an actor best known for playing Rick Marshall, the park ranger and widowed father on the popular Saturday morning adventure show, “Land of the Lost.”
- Died: April 18, 2024 (Who else died on April 18?)
- Details of death: Died in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin at the age of 86.
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Spencer Milligan’s legacy
Born in Oak Park, Illinois, Spencer Milligan honed his acting chops at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago and first began to draw accolades for his performance in a 1960 production of “Come Back, Little Sheba.” A stint in the U.S. Army briefly set him off course from acting, but he returned to the craft after being discharged in 1966, studying under Lee Strasberg and Joan Darling. His screen debut came in the 1973 Woody Allen film, “Sleeper.”
Milligan’s primary claim to fame came the following year, when he was cast in the Sid and Marty Krofft (1937–2023) family adventure show, “Land of the Lost.” Playing Rick Marshall, a park ranger and father who helps his kids navigate the strange prehistoric world they find themselves in, Milligan became a well-known face to young viewers, appearing on lunch boxes and other merchandise. But that was an issue. He received no compensation for his likeness being used. Unable to come to a deal, he quit the show after two seasons.
Milligan still enjoyed a career as a television actor in the years to come, appearing on shows like “Baretta,” “The Bionic Woman,” “Police Quest!” and “Quincy M.E.,” but he never again had a long-running role like he did on “Land of the Lost.” His closest was a seven-episode stretch on “General Hospital.” As his TV work slowed down in the late 1980s, Milligan taught acting in Texas, then joined his family in Wisconsin. For the last 20 years, he taught and directed local plays in Sturgeon Bay.
Tributes to Spencer Milligan
Full obituary: The Hollywood Reporter
