Trivia
- He was the first actor to receive a "Special Guest Star" credit; this was because his character was added to the series after the other characters' billing had been contractually set. Technically a regular and not a guest star, the credit means that he holds the world's record for making guest appearances in a single series - a record that is not likely to be broken in the near future.
- Best remembered by the public for his special guest starring role as Dr. Zachary Smith on Lost in Space.
- As a mere 8-year-old, future producer John Lasseter, who would later work with Harris in both It's a Bug's Life and Toy Story 2, was said to be a fan of Harris, prior to watching Lost in Space, which was a childhood dream come true for John.
- Before he was an actor, he watched a lot of English movies in theaters.
- His father, Sam Charasuchin, died in a car crash in 1977.
- Harris and the rest of the cast were very disappointed about the cancellation of Lost in Space, in 1968, because the show was very expensive.
- While watching B-movies, Jonathan swapped his New York City accent to a more sophisticated baritone voice, which became a trademark.
- Jonathan was encouraged to listen to opera by his father at age 12.
- Jonathan was of Russian and Polish descent.
- Harris' only son, Richard, who was 16 at the time, visited the set of The Third Man, where the relationship between father and son was reconnected.
- Jonathan met Gertrude Bregman, a high school sweetheart, who became his wife for 64 years.
- While in high school, Jonathan didn't fit in well enough with his peers, with the exception of his future wife, Gertrude.
- He beat out two other actors for the role of Dr. Zachary Smith in Lost in Space.
- His Lost in Space co-star, Bill Mumy, saw him and Leonard Nimoy, at Disney World in 1996.
- Harris died just 3 days before he would've had his 88th birthday. On that day, his family and friends attended Harris' funeral.
- He had a long association with Irwin Allen, for 30 years. In 1995, Harris along with the other Lost in Space crew paid tribute to Allen, who died four years after.
- Prior to co-starring with Gilbert Rowland and Dena Merrill in the 1958 Catch Me if You Can, Harris almost died, while traveling to Cuba. At that time, Fidel Castro was on verge of staging the coup. Jonathan's crew were bombed and horrified at the airport. By the time filming was completed, Castro was in power as the new dictator, the film was seized and it was never released.
- Jonathan changed his name from Charasuchin to Harris, because his classmates were making fun of his real name, while he was in high school.
- While he co-starred on The Bill Dana Show, many of Harris' one-liners "Oh, the pain!" was later reused on Lost in Space.
- He was involved with the NBC TV movie, Lost in Space: The Journey Home, just weeks before his death.
- He graduated from James Monroe High School in The Bronx, New York, in 1931.
- Jonathan's hobbies included: cooking, reading, traveling, magic, painting, watching movies, playing piano, dancing, listening to opera, spending time with children, gardening and knitting.
- Jonathan Harris was a frequent guest star on the Opie and Anthony, radio series.
- Jonathan Harris made his Broadway debut in the 1942 play, Heart Of The City.
- Jonathan Harris graduated from Fordham University with a degree in Pharmacology.
- He refused any role in the film version of "Lost In Space" because he would only agree to playing Dr. Smith, the role he originated on television.
Quotes
- Jonathan: (On the cancellation of Lost in Space): "When the curtain comes down, you're disappointed. Always, the curtain comes down. I've done so much work, and then, the curtain comes down and you go on to something else."
- Jonathan Harris: (On how he created the part of Dr Zachory Smith) I patterned him on every kid I ever knew
- As Dr. Smith: Never fear! Smith is here!
