On April 18, 2024, Spencer Milligan, widely recognized for portraying Rick Marshall in the 1970s television series “Land of the Lost,” passed away at his residence in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. He was 86.
Milligan was born in Oak Park, Illinois, on September 10, 1937. His zeal for performance was evident from an early age as he amused his peers with magic tricks. After his tenure in the U.S. Army, he followed his passion for acting. His training took place at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, Illinois, the Joan Darling Actors Workshop in Los Angeles, California, and the Lee Strasberg Senior Workshop in New York.
His breakthrough role came in 1974 when he was cast as Rick Marshall in “Land of the Lost,” a series by NBC. The show, which was the brainchild of Sid and Marty Krofft, combined live-action with stop-motion animated dinosaurs, and it quickly achieved cult status. Milligan’s character was a widowed park ranger who, together with his children, ends up in a prehistoric world. After two seasons, Milligan exited the show due to a disagreement over merchandise royalties that used his image.
Wesley Eure and Kathy Coleman, Milligan’s co-stars in “Land of the Lost,” shared touching tributes. Eure stated, “He truly was the dad everybody wanted to have.” Coleman shared, “He not only became the father figure I needed but a father to all the other children in need of that missing puzzle piece.” Both acknowledged Milligan’s kindness and sense of humor.
Following “Land of the Lost,” Milligan took on roles in several popular television series, including “Gunsmoke,” “The Bionic Woman,” “The Dukes of Hazzard,” and “Police Squad!” His last television role was in “General Hospital” in 1987. In his later years, he relocated to Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, dedicating over two decades to teaching and directing at Third Avenue PlayWorks.
Looking back at his career, Milligan once remarked about his time on “Land of the Lost,” “It’s part of my life. It’s not my full life. I did what I wanted to do, and that was it. At the time, I thought it was very good. We had some fun with it.”
He leaves behind his wife, Kerry, whom he met in 1991 and wed in 2002, as well as his godchildren, Andee Solis, Hilary Williams, and Spencer Williams.
