'Land of the Lost' Cast Then and Now

Land of the Lost originally aired on Saturday mornings on NBC from 1974-1976. The series follows the adventures of the Marshall family — father Rick and his children, Will and Holly—who get trapped in an alternate pocket universe after plunging through a dimensional portal while on a family rafting trip. This new land is inhabited by dinosaurs, inquisitive primate-type people called Pakuni, and aggressive insect lizard humanoids called Sleestak.

The story line focuses on the family’s efforts to survive in a hostile environment, unravel the mystery of the land itself, and to find their way back home. The show’s blend of adventure, science fiction, and fantasy captivated audiences, making it a memorable part of 1970s children’s television.

The original series was an instant hit and was remade in 1991. It was also adapted into a film in 2009.

Here, we look back at what happened to the original 1974 Land of the Lost cast.

Spencer Milligan as Rick Marshall

CHARACTER PLAYED: Rick Marshall

BORN: September 10, 1937, in St. Louis, Missouri.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Sleeper (1973), The Photographer (1974) Quincy (1979) and General Hospital (1987).

PERSONAL: Milligan currently lives in Door County, Wisconsin and works with local theater groups there.

THOUGHTS ON LAND OF THE LOST: Milligan left the show after two seasons because of salary dispute. He doesn’t regret anything, saying, “It’s part of my life. It’s not my full life. I did what I wanted to do and that was it. For the time, I thought it was very good. We had some fun with it.”

Wesley Eure as Will Marshall: Land of the Lost cast

CHARACTER PLAYED: Will Marshall

BORN: August 17, 1951, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

BEST KNOWN FOR: CHOMPS (1979) Days of Our Lives (1974-1981) and Dragon Tales (2000-2005).

PERSONAL: Eure has written several books including The Red Wings of Christmas and A Fish Out of Water.

THOUGHTS ON LAND OF THE LOST: He landed the roles of Land of the Lost and Days of Our Lives at the same time. Looking back Eure said, “Days of Our Lives made sure that all my scenes were filmed in the morning for three years. And then I would race over to General Services Studio in Hollywood – and run from dinosaurs!

In the morning, I was crying that my girlfriend was cheating on me…and in the afternoon, I was running from dinosaurs. It was a lot of fun. I had a great time.” Ironically, he said no to the part in Land of the Lost saying, “They said I had to play sixteen and I was like nineteen or twenty. I turned them down at first and they kept calling and I finally said. ‘Okay, I’ll do it.’ That’s how that happened.”

Kathy Coleman as Holly Marshall

CHARACTER PLAYED: Holly Marshall

BORN: February 18, 1962, in Simi Valley, California.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Fault (2021) and TV Therapy (2020)

PERSONAL: Coleman is divorced and has two children.

THOUGHTS ON LAND OF THE LOST: Looking back at her audition, Coleman recalls, “I think it took seven callbacks in total. I do remember going in wearing the same thing in every interview so they wouldn’t forget me. It was my mother who came up with the checkered shirt and pants with desert boots and braids. So basically, the way my mother sent me is the way they wound up designing the character for the entire show.”

Coleman said one of her favorite parts of the show was working with the cast. She reflects, “It was amazing. And even today, we’re as close as we can be. It’s like having a second family. When you’re doing a show, you don’t always expect to get along with everybody. But we got along famously. We’ve been getting together to do Comic-Con and travel the country for the last eight years to meet with fans.”

Phillip Paley as Cha-Ka: Land of the Lost cast

CHARACTER PLAYED: Cha-Ka

BORN: September 15, 1963, in Los Angeles, California.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Beach Balls (1988) Airwolf (1985) The Last Page of Summer (2020)

THOUGHTS ON LAND OF THE LOST: Looking back on this role, Paley said, “I was a black belt, so I was able to do my part well.” He also noted that he and Kathy Coleman did a Cheez-It commercial before working together on Land of the Lost. Once they reunited on set the two were pretty much inseparable.

Ron Harper as Uncle Jack Marshall

CHARACTER PLAYED: Uncle Jack Marshall

BORN: January 12, 1936, in Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Planet of the Apes (1974), Below Utopia (1997) Pearl Harbor (2001) Generations (1990-91), Another World (1980)

PERSONAL: He passed away in 2024 at the age of 91. He left behind his ex-wife, daughter and two grandchildren.

THOUGHTS ON LAND OF THE LOST: Reflecting on the show, Harper said, “The stories were very good. Each generation of children as they come up and are exposed to it like those stories and remember them, pass them right on. I have about three tapes, and I’ve been showing them to my daughter since she was 5. And she still, of all my series, loves Land of the Lost best.”

Walker Edmiston as Enik the Altrusian: Land of the Lost cast

CHARACTER PLAYED: Enik

BORN: February 6, 1926, in St. Louis, Missouri

BEST KNOWN FOR: Voice work in TV series including Spider-man (1981), Adventures in Odyssey (1987) and Spacecats (1991)

PERSONAL: He passed away in 2007 at the age of 81.

THOUGHTS ON LAND OF THE LOST: On landing on the role of Enik on Land of Lost, Edmiston recalls the director telling him, “’You are on camera, but you are never seen.’ Because I was in costume. Well, work is work. I took it. Hollywood is Hollywood and you take what you get.”