#77 | Marta Kristen | From Orphanage to Lost in Space

Actress Marta Kristen on being left in an orphanage in Norway, adoption to America, and playing Judy Robinson on Lost in Space. Marta Kristen was born Birgit Annalisa Rusanen in Oslo, Norway, to a Finnish mother and a German soldier who was killed towards the end of World War II in Europe. Marta was only two months old when she was left in an orphanage. In 1949, Dr. and Mrs. Harold Soderquist of Detroit, Michigan adopted her, and brought her to America; she was renamed Martha Soderquist. By 1959 her family moved to LA and Marta was discovered by Producer James B. Harris and then her career took off with acting roles in Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Loretta Young Show, Beach Blanket Bingo and perhaps her most iconic role as Judy Robinson on Lost in Space. To learn more about Marta: http://martakristen.com/ Chapters 0:00 Welcome Marta Kristen 2:34 The sister who brought the family together 5:11 Sent as far away as possible 7:47 A difficult day in the orphanage 10:20 Tap dancing 12:56 The Lutheran school and learning English 15:32 Living other lives in books 18:10 Playing a former wing walker 20:42 Driving to California 23:13 Santa Monica High School theatre 25:51 Just do it 28:24 Finding a top Hollywood agent 31:01 Real-life experience in a monologue 33:38 Feeling abandoned early in life 36:14 Master of her own destiny 38:44 Wanting to be in the movies 41:17 Playing a psychic 43:47 Going out and being silly 46:22 Beach Blanket Bingo and Lorelei the mermaid 48:52 Choices her agents made 51:27 83 episodes of Lost in Space 53:59 Lost in Space and Star Trek 56:34 Having a child 59:05 Volumes of letters 1:01:36 What she was thinking 1:04:08 Acting, producing and directing 1:06:42 Advice for young actors 1:09:14 I want to be in show business 1:11:48 Understanding the character 1:14:21 Writing plays 1:16:52 Small theatre companies struggling 1:19:27 Fans finding your address 1:21:58 Lost in Space as a cure for anger 1:24:30 Caring for her husband 1:27:06 Come ready and hit your mark 1:29:36 Actors and special effects 1:32:12 Watching Hollywood change 1:34:46 How we treat the elderly 1:37:18 A favourite film, Beginners 1:39:53 Ryan's motorcycle trips around the world 1:42:29 Seeing the world at 18 1:44:59 You have to have a cat 1:47:34 Children separated from their parents 1:50:04 Inspiring future NASA engineers 1:52:35 Neighbours who no longer talk 1:55:05 Laughter and not living in your emotions 1:57:41 Zombies 2:00:11 Venturing somewhere new 2:02:44 Parenting and new friendships 2:05:15 A degree in political science and her book 2:07:51 Getting back to work The Ryan Pyle Podcast is ad-free by choice. If you enjoy these conversations, you can buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/ryanpyle Ryan's TV series are streaming around the world. Follow the Podcast X: https://x.com/RyanPylePodcast Facebook: https://facebook.com/ryanpylepodcast Follow Ryan Pyle YouTube: https://youtube.com/@ryanjpyle Instagram: https://instagram.com/ryanpyle X: https://x.com/RyanPyle Facebook: https://facebook.com/ryanpyle https://www.ryanpyle.com