Veteran actor and stuntman Bob May, best known from the popular 1960s television show Lost in Space, died yesterday, at the age of 69.
According to his daughter, Deborah May, it happened at a hospital in Lancaster, as a result of congestive heart failure.
He had a full life and career, filled with all sorts of events and projects. He was particulary fond of his robot suit from Lost in Space, series which debuted in 1965. He played the Robinson family’s loyal robot and his performance was extremly appreciated. He got very attached to his role and costume, actually saying on one occasion that he considered the suit his home away from home. The show was about the Robinson family, which was composed of professor John, his wife and their children, and their adventures in space once their craft is taken off course by the evil Dr. Zachary Smith.
"He always said he got the job because he fit in the robot suit," remembers June Lockhart, who played family matriarch Maureen Robinson. "It was one of those wonderful Hollywood stories. He just happened to be on the studio lot when someone saw him and sent him to see Irwin Allen about the part. Allen said, ’If you can fit in the suit, you’ve got the job.’" Even though the voice of the robot was done by announcer Dick Tufeld, fans didn’t seem to care about this aspect, growing fond of the actor with each passing episode.
Lockhart also said that May used to wear the suit for many hours each day and was very involved with the show, learning every actor’s lines in order to be prepared to respond to their cues. Because the procedure of getting the suit on was rather difficult, he used to keep it on during the breaks. "He was a smoker," Lockhart remembered. "From time to time (when he was on a break), we’d see smoke coming out of the robot. That always amused us."
He starred in several movies with Jerry Lewis and also in numerous TV shows such as The Red Skeleton Show, The Time Tunnel and McHale’s Navy. As a stuntman, he appeared in Surfside 6, The Roaring 20s and Cheyenne.
Last year, in November, he went through a horible experience, as his home in Southern California was leveled by a massive fire, causing him to lose all of his memorabilia. At the time, he moved in with his family in order to recover from the tragic incident. Still, soon after, he had a stroke which was believed to be connected to the fire, which had a significant impact on the actor.
He left behind his wife Judith, their son, their daugher and four grandchildren.
His daughter Deborah concluded by saying that "My dad always ended his shows the same way his grandfather did, with a toast: 'May you live as long as you want to and may you laugh as long as you live.'"
