Celebrating Jon Provost! 5 Things You Never Knew About the ‘Lassie’ Star

Barb Oates March 12, 3:04 pm

Jon Provost with Lassie custom grapic — Everett Collection

One of the nicest actors in Hollywood — Jon Provost — turns 75 today (March 12). Here we celebrate the actor and highlight some fun things we learned about him, his career and his personal life today.

It wasn’t his choice, obviously, but Provost got into acting at age 3 because his mother was a huge fan of Jane Wyman. His first role was as the son of Wyman and Sterling Hayden in 1953’s So Big. His second role was in The Country Girl with Bing Crosby, William Holden and Grace Kelly, which he’s sure his mother got “autographs and a lot more.” Provost, however, is most famous for playing the role of Timmy Martin on TV’s beloved series Lassie, which debuted on CBS on Sept. 12, 1954, and ran until 1973 (the first run of the series). Provost starred on the series for seven years (1957-64). Here are a few more things to know about the humble star.

1 Provost’s Family Originally Didn’t Own a TV

Everett Collection

“We did not even own a television when I first started the series,” Provost tells us. “When the second year started, my mom told my father, ‘We’re getting a TV because our son’s on every Sunday.’ And Dad said, ‘No, we’ll just go to the neighbor’s house.’ My father was kind of frugal; so my mom did it on her own and came home with a television.”

2 His High-Top Sneakers Are at the Smithsonian

Lassie, Everett Collection

Today Provost’s famed high-top sneakers he wore on Lassie are forever immortalized at the Smithsonian, a gift he donated to the museum (his mother had saved his costume for him). His only remaining personal treasures are a scrapbook of autographs (he credits his mother, again, for saving every article and script for Lassie, which he used in his autobiography Timmy’s in the Well: The Jon Provost Story), as well as photos from his career, and a kitty squeak toy of Lassie’s.

3 He Still Tears Up Watching One Episode

While his memories are countless, his favorite episode is the three-part “Lassie’s Odyssey” [Season 8], which aired in 1962. “Even today, when I watch that episode I tear up. It’s really a great.”

4 He Nearly Drowned on the Set of ‘Lassie’

Everett Collection

Provost had a scene with Lassie where they were on a raft in the rapids, and the raft broke up and they were separated. “Well, we couldn’t rehearse it. They couldn’t use doubles because they were going to see our faces, so it was Timmy and the real Lassie [and they needed to act as if they were really drowning],” he tells. Well, things didn’t go as planned and they actually were struggling in the water. “They had two guys to jump in and save Lassie, which they did. But for me, I was just supposed to grab a rope and pull myself out of the river, but I was going down [and he missed all the ropes he was supposed to grab along the route]. And so my stunt double, Whitey Hughes, who was an excellent swimmer, he jumped into the river and pulled me out. But that was the only time things got a little scary on the set.” Provost didn’t know it at the time, but he learned later that the director actually handed Whitey $100 and thanked him for saving Provost.

5 Provost Is an Amazing Animal Advocate

Laurie Jacobson and Jon Provost

Provost and his wife, author Laurie Jacobson, developed Spray, Mix ‘N Go, an all-natural, lab-certified spray that helps dogs who struggle with emotional distress. You can learn more on their company website and follow his current touring schedule here. “I get a lot of people who want to know what they can do and how they can help dogs, as there are a lot of dogs that need to find their forever home. What I suggest that people do is donate locally to their local pet center, especially no-kill dog shelters, that kind of thing,” he shares. Does the spray work? We can give a big yes and vouch for its product as one staff member has successfully used it.