Bob May, robot on "Lost in Space", dies

[Thomas Veil]

Bob May, best known as The Robot on the 1960s television series Lost in Space, has died. He was 69.

May passed away Sunday of congestive heart failure at a Lancaster, Calif., hospital, his daughter, Deborah May, said.

A veteran actor and stuntman, May was the grandson of vaudeville comedian Chic Johnson, who recruited a 2-year-old May to appear in his comedy revue Hellzapoppin.

After following in his grandfather's vaudeville footsteps, May eventually broke out in numerous television series, including The Time Tunnel, McHale's Navy and The Red Skelton Show. In the 1950s and '60s, he worked as a stuntman on Cheyenne, Surfside 6, Hawaiian Eye, The Roaring 20s and Stagecoach.

In 1965, May was tapped to portray the loyal sidekick Robot on Irwin Allen's Lost in Space, where the legendary catchphrase "Danger, Will Robinson" originated.

May is survived by his wife, Judith; a daughter, Deborah; a son, Martin; and four grandchildren.

TV Guide

Sad. LIS was one of my favorite shows as a youth, and I still like the early (non-camp) episodes.

To clarify the article, May was not the voice of the robot. That was Dick Tufeld. May was the man inside the suit. Which is kind of sad too, to be that iconic yet that unknown.

 

[SFStateStudent]

My favorite line, "kill-crush-destroy" then followed-up by "danger Will Robinson, danger." It wasn't my favorite show growing up, but I have to say Bob May was worth watching...

 

[erickkoch]

I had the pleasure of meeting him once at a sci-fi convention and got an autographed picture. He was kind of short, I guess he had to be to fit in the robot suit. He had a big beaming smile as he answered fans questions about the robot and the series. You could tell he really loved the attention and his fans.