Until You Walk
The Path, You Won’t Know Where it Goes will be chatting with actor,
author, and animal activist Jon Provost on August 16 at 1 pm eastern
as he talks about his career and how it led him to be an advocate for
animals.
Jon
Provost must have some canine in his DNA. He understands the
relationship between dogs and people implicitly. Watching Jon
interact with dogs has been a dearly loved pastime for generations of
viewers, ever since his career-making role as Timmy in the Lassie
TV series.
Jon’s
acting career began at age two when cast as Jane Wyman and Sterling
Hayden’s son in So Big. During his career as a child actor
and teen heart throb, he worked with some of Hollywood’s biggest
stars: Grace Kelly and Bing Crosby in The Country Girl,
William Holden in Toward the Unknown, Natalie Wood and Robert
Redford in This Property is Condemned, Rod Steiger and Anita
Ekberg in Back From Eternity, Clint Eastwood in Escapade in
Japan, Kurt Russell in The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes and
on television with stars like Kim Novak, Jack Benny, James Garner and
everyone’s favorite talking horse, Mr. Ed.
But
it is his years as Timmy for which he is best remembered. The check
shirt and jeans he wore for seven years on Lassie hang in The
Smithsonian next to Archie Bunker’s chair and the Fonz’s leather
jacket. Lassie continues to air in more than 50 countries and
Jon receives letters and emails from fans of all ages, worldwide.
Says
Jon, “Wherever I am, when people realize I was Timmy, they travel
right back to that warm, happy time where, for thirty minutes every
week, they were transported by the adventures of a boy and his dog;
and I am greeted with warm smiles, hugs, and even some tears along
with many stories about what it all meant to them…I could never
possibly have imagined what my work would mean to people over the
years.”
By
the time Jon turned 19, he’d worked in show biz 16 years. Amid
plentiful job offers, he left the only life he’d known for college
in Northern California, eventually settling to raise a family in
Sonoma County.
In
1990, Jon made a decision to return to television in The New
Lassie with Dee Wallace. He received a Genesis Award for
Outstanding Television in a Family Series for an episode he wrote
focusing on the inhumane treatment of research animals. In 1994, the
Hollywood Chamber of Commerce honored Jon with his own star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame. Later he began directing and hosting online
videos about dogs and cats for a Purina website. His career has been
burgeoning in a variety of directions since.
In
2007, Jon celebrated his 50th anniversary as Timmy with the release
of his autobiography, Timmy’s in the Well, recently released in
paperback. An accomplished chef, he is hard at work on a cookbook
called Timmy’s in the Kitchen.
In
2012, he had roles in two independent films and did the voices for an
elf and a reindeer in a series of animated children’s films. And in
addition to being a sought-after celebrity guest on TV and radio, Jon
makes regular appearances at fundraisers, autograph shows, film
festivals, pet expos, trade shows, speaker’s engagements and other
events throughout the year. Recently he judged the World’s Ugliest
Dog Contest.
Jon
has received numerous awards, among them The Motion Picture Council’s
Award for Outstanding Contribution as a Humanitarian for his
dedication to helping the physically challenged, the Allen Ludden
Humanitarian Award presented by Betty White and the Lifetime
Achievement Award from the Youth in Film Association. His altruism
stretches to children’s hospitals, animal shelters, and, closest to
his heart, Canine Companions for Independence, an organization that
provides extraordinary service dogs to the handicapped. He has served
on its Board of Directors for more than 20 years.
Jon
lives in Santa Rosa, CA with his wife, Hollywood writer, Laurie
Jacobson and his rescue mutt, Buddy. Of his many accomplishments, he
is most proud of his children, Ryan, 29, and Katie, 27.
Provost
websites:
https://www.facebook.com/jon.provost.31?fref=ts
http://www.jonprovost.com/
Tune into
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/theresachaze
on August 16, 2013 at 1 pm eastern to listen to Jon Provost speak
about his career as well as how we can make a difference in the lives
of animals. The phone lines and chat will be available for those who
wish to ask questions. The phone number is (347) 838-9927.
The interview
will be available in the archives at
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/theresachaze/2013/08/16/until-you-walk-the-path-you-wont-know-where-it
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