Spencer Milligan, the actor best known for his role as Rick Marshall on the 1970s TV series “Land of the Lost,” died on April 18, 2024 at his home in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. He was 86 years old.
Milligan was born on September 10, 1937, in Oak Park, Illinois. His passion for performing began early when he entertained peers with magic tricks. After serving in the U.S. Army, he pursued acting, training at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, the Joan Darling Actors Workshop in Los Angeles, and the Lee Strasberg Senior Workshop in New York.
In 1974, Milligan was cast as Rick Marshall, a widowed park ranger who, along with his children, gets transported to a prehistoric world in “Land of the Lost.” The NBC series, created by Sid and Marty Krofft, mixed live-action with stop-motion animated dinosaurs, becoming a cult classic. However, Milligan left after two seasons due to a dispute over royalties from merchandise using his likeness.
“Land of the Lost” co-stars Wesley Eure and Kathy Coleman paid heartfelt tributes. Eure said, “He truly was the dad everybody wanted to have.” Coleman added, “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 highlighted Milligan’s kindness and humor.
After “Land of the Lost,” Milligan appeared in popular TV shows like “Gunsmoke,” “The Bionic Woman,” “The Dukes of Hazzard,” and “Police Squad!” His final television role was in “General Hospital” in 1987. In his later years, he moved to Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin where he dedicated over 20 years to teaching and directing at Third Avenue PlayWorks.
Reflecting on his career, Milligan once said 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.”
Milligan is survived by his wife, Kerry, who he met in 1991 and married in 2002, and his godchildren, Andee Solis, Hilary Williams, and Spencer Williams.
