Jon Provost, who was born in 1950, had his big break starring as young orphan "Timmy Martin" in the TV show Lassie from 1957 to 1964. Along with colleague June Lockhart (now 93), he acted alongside gorgeous rough collie Lassie for seven years.
"Timmy" was adopted by the Martin family and embarked on countless adventures with Lassie, who was played by three different dogs over the years. All were descendants of the border collie Pal (†18), the original Lassie, from the first film in the series Lassie Come Home (1943), which starred a ten year old Elizabeth Taylor.
Then & Now
Jon Provost’s career
Provost had already been a child actor before he was cast as "Timmy" in Lassie. After the show made him a household name, he started appearing in other series, and also played himself in the sitcom Mr. Ed. He was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his performance in Lassie in 1994. After starring in a couple of smaller roles, Jon quit acting to attend university and then went on to work as a special education teacher for some years.
Provost returned to television in 1989 when he played a small part in the TV drama The New Lassie. Since then, he has benn a regular at media conventions, taking part in talks about "classic television" and the media today. His memoir Timmy’s in the Well: The Jon Provost Story was published in 2007. His last film role was in the 2013 drama Susie’s Hope, which, fittingly, also deals with an incredible friendship between a human and a dog (although in this case, the dog in question is an adopted pit bull and not a rough collie).
The TV star is still sorely missed!
Jon has been married to his wife Laurie Jacobson, an author, since 1999 and they have two children.
