At 24, he prepared a fake resumé and tried out for a repertory company at the Millpond Playhouse in Long Island, New York and appeared in several of this troupe's plays prior to landing a spot in The Red Company. He graduated in 1936 and worked in several drugstores.Īcting was Harris's first love. That same year, Harris' work at the pharmacy led him to attend nearby Fordham University where he majored in pharmacology. ![]() ![]() In 1932, he legally changed his name from "Charasuchin" to "Harris," apparently without informing his parents. He did not fit in amongst his peers (who included classmate Estelle Reiner, mother of future actor/director Rob Reiner) with the exception of his girlfriend, Gertrude Bregman, whom he subsequently married. Before graduation from James Monroe High School in 1931 (at age 16), he had also become interested in archeology, Latin, romantic poetry and, inevitably, Shakespeare. Although he could seldom afford tickets, Broadway plays were also an interest. He discarded his Bronx accent and began to cultivate more sophisticated English tones. This included trips to the Yiddish Theatre, where he was encouraged by his father to listen to opera. While there was little money for luxuries, Jonathan's father took efforts to expand his son's cultural horizons. From the age of 12, he worked as a pharmacy clerk. To raise money, his mother took in boarders, some of whom were given Jonathan's bed, forcing Harris to sleep on dining room chairs. His family resided in a six unit apartment building. His parents were Sam and Jennie Charasuchin, Russian Jewish immigrants who eked out a living in Manhattan's garment district. ![]() The second of three children, Harris was born to a poor family in The Bronx, New York City. 6 Voice-over Actor and Guest Starring Roles.4 As Doctor Zachary Smith in Lost in Space.She and her husband live in Santa Monica, California, with a pair of rescue dogs. She met her second husband, Kevin Kane, in 1974. On a trip to Finland in 1969, she located her birth mother, Helmi Rusanen, and an older sister whom she had never met and in 1997 she discovered a brother residing in Australia. Kristen's personal life has revolved around discovering her roots, caring for her daughter, and now caring for her granddaughter. Kristen also provided voice work for the 2009 animated theatrical short The Bolt Who Screwed Christmas which also included voice work from her Lost in Space co-stars Jonathan Harris, Bill Mumy and Angela Cartwright. She also appeared in the A&E Biography Jonathan Harris, Never Fear Smith Is Here in 2002. In recent years she has starred in the 1998 television movie Lost in Space Forever and had a cameo role in the 1998 movie Lost in Space. When her daughter was born in 1969 she began making television commercials and eventually appeared in more than 40. She would later star in Lost in Space and make numerous guest appearances on television shows. Her first success in acting was the role of Lorelei in the 1965 movie Beach Blanket Bingo. She appeared in a 1961 episode ("Bang! You're Dead") of Alfred Hitchcock Presents alongside Billy Mumy who would later co-star with Kristen in Lost in Space. She moved to Los Angeles, California, with her family in 1959 and is a graduate of Santa Monica High School. Harold Soderquist, and was renamed Marta. She was adopted in 1949 by an American couple from Detroit, Michigan, Prof. Kristen was born Birgit Annalisa Rusanen in Oslo, Norway, to a Finnish mother and a German soldier father who was killed during World War II.
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