Marta Kristen: Adopted From a Secret Wartime Orphanage and Became a Sci-Fi Icon

Marta Kristen spent three seasons drifting through the stars as Judy Robinson on Lost in Space, but her real story started years earlier in a hidden wartime orphanage in Norway. In this conversation, she traces her adoption into a Michigan family, the chance encounter in a Santa Monica deli that launched her Hollywood career, and the wild shift her most famous show took once a certain caped crusader hit the airwaves. She also opens up about a devastating wildfire that took her home and her nearly finished memoir, and the unexpected new chapter of love she's found in the years since. Show Highlights: Marta auditioned for one of the most iconic movie musicals ever made, and the reason she didn't land the part isn't what anyone expects. One of her earliest films dropped her into freezing ocean water for hours, right alongside a comedy legend nobody saw coming for that kind of role. Her character got quietly pushed to the background halfway through one of the most beloved shows of the 1960s, and it all traces back to one castmate rewriting his own scenes. A random airport encounter turned into one of the strangest "you have no idea who I am" moments of her entire career. She lost nearly everything in a devastating fire, including a book she'd almost finished about the wildest story of her life, and she's already plotting what comes next. You're going to love my conversation with Marta Kristen IMDB Instagram Follow Jeff Dwoskin (host): Jeff Dwoskin on Twitter The Jeff Dwoskin Show podcast on Twitter Podcast website Podcast on Instagram Subscribe to my Youtube channel Yes, the show used to be called Live from Detroit: The Jeff Dwoskin Show Ways to support the show: Buy me a coffee (support the show) Dashery/TeePublic Store: Classic Conversations merch and more! Love the books I talk about on the show? Here is my Amazon store to shop. SPONSOR: STAMPEDE SOCIAL Drive engagement from your social channels and podcast with Stampede Social's Instagram and Facebook DM automation! Visit https://stampede.social Also check out: Why Instagram + Stampede Social Is the Growth Strategy Podcasters Need in 2025 (and Beyond) Thanks for checking out Classic Conversations! Dive into pop culture nostalgia with comedian Jeff Dwoskin as he hosts the best TV and film interviews. Hear inspiring stories from actors, comedians, musicians, and pop culture icons about the road to success. Part comedy, part drama—always entertaining. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.