Marta Kristen, one of the last three surviving stars of TV’s original Lost in Space series, bursts into the warmest smile when talking about her upcoming Australian adventure – as it means a catch-up with her long-lost brother!
“I’ll be in Sydney late November to meet with Lost in Space fans, and it’s an extra big thrill because I’ll be spending precious time with my younger brother Seppo. We first met face-to-face in 1997,” shares Marta, now 81, from her Los Angeles home.
Marta, who played Judy, the eldest of the three Robinson kids on the cult classic ’60s sci-fi series, has lived her life with an astoundingly bittersweet backstory.
“I was a ‘war child’. My mother was Finnish and my father a German pilot. World War II was nearing. Fearing the Nazis, my mother fled to Norway, gave birth to me in a room and surrendered me to an orphanage – to save my life.
“I was nearly five when I was adopted by a family in Detroit. Adoption was impossible in Norway due to my father’s background.”
“To this day I remain astounded at how my life turned out. I’m forever blessed to have been adopted by two of the most amazing parents, Harold and Bertha Soderquist.
“I did get to meet my birth mother, which was extraordinary. In 1995 my brother Seppo, living in Australia, wrote me a letter. He had been told his sister was the Lost in Space actress, so it wasn’t hard to track me down.”
When Marta finally got to meet Seppo it was “a moment of utter joy,” she shares.
“We couldn’t stop hugging. Since then, we’ve been in constant touch. Over the years I’ve met other siblings. It’s very emotional. I’m told I may have as many as eight!
“My husband Kevin, who died 10 years ago, discussed moving to Australia at one point to join Seppo!”
Of course, as well as seeing Seppo, Marta is eager to meet the many passionate Aussie Lost in Space fans. Lost in Space began airing in Australia in 1966, shortly after its US debut in September 1965. The show ended in 1968.
“Some of the show’s biggest fans are Australian,” says Marta. “I remember being at a Lost in Space convention in Seattle and an Aussie fan said hello. He knew every word of dialogue from all 83 episodes!”
Marta’s new partner, Bob Ginsberg, will be joining her Down Under and she can’t wait for him to meet Seppo. Marta says Bob has “been a saviour”, particularly after she lost her house and almost everything she owned in the 2025 Pacific Palisades fires.
Looking back at Lost in Space, Marta says the whole cast got on famously, and they all kept in touch long after they returned to Earth. Sadly, Marta, Bill Mumy and Angela Cartwright (who played her siblings Will and Penny Robinson) are the only major cast members still here. Marta was “especially close to” the late Mark Goddard, aka Major Don West.
“There was talk of a Lost in Space spin-off focusing on our characters falling in love, but it never came to pass. My first marriage was on the rocks toward the end of Lost in Space and Mark and I became very close.
“But like the spin-off, nothing eventuated but we remained great friends until his passing in 2023. He had the best sense of humour.”
For tickets to Marta’s meet and greet fan events in Sydney from Nov. 27-30, visit the Australian 60th Anniversary Lost in Space Event on Facebook.
