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Charles William Mumy Jr. (; born February 1, 1954) is an American actor, writer, producer, and musician. He came to prominence in the 1960s as a child actor whose work included television appearances on Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, The Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and a role in the film Dear Brigitte, followed by a three-season role as Will Robinson in the 1960s sci-fi series Lost in Space. Mumy later appeared as lonely teenager Sterling North in the film Rascal (1969) and Teft in the film Bless the Beasts and Children (1971).
In the 1990s, Mumy performed the role of Lennier in all five seasons of the sci-fi TV series Babylon 5 and narrated the Emmy Award–winning series Biography.
Mumy is also a guitarist, singer, songwriter, and composer. He is an Emmy nominee for original music in Adventures in Wonderland (1992). As a musician, Mumy performs as a solo artist, an occasional guest performer, and formerly as half of the duo Barnes & Barnes before bandmate Robert Haimer died in 2023. From 1988 through the 1990s he performed at San Diego Comic-Con and other comics-related events as part of the band Seduction of the Innocent (named after the titular book by Fredric Wertham). The band released one CD, The Golden Age.
In 1961, Mumy was cast on CBS-TV's Alfred Hitchcock Presents series in "The Door Without a Key", featuring John Larch, who played his father in "It's a Good Life". The same year, Mumy starred as little Jackie in the episode "Bang! You're Dead", featuring Marta Kristen, who later played his sister Judy on Lost in Space. Mumy was cast as Mark Murdock in the "Keep an Eye on Santa Claus" (1962) episode of the ABC-TV drama series Going My Way, starring Gene Kelly. His fellow guest stars were Cloris Leachman (who played his mother in "It's a Good Life"), Steve Brodie, and Frank McHugh.
At age eight, Mumy appeared in Jack Palance's ABC-TV circus drama The Greatest Show on Earth (1963); he was cast as Miles, a parentless boy, in the Perry Mason episode "The Case of the Shifty Shoebox" (1963), and he portrayed Freddy in the "End of an Image" (1963) episode of NBC-TV's modern Western series Empire, starring Richard Egan.
In 1964, he was cast as Richard Kimble's nephew in ABC-TV's The Fugitive episode, "Home Is the Hunted"; as Barry in the NBC-TV medical drama The Eleventh Hour episode "Sunday Father"; as himself three times in the ABC sitcom The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet; in the Walt Disney film For the Love of Willadena; and as a troubled orphan taken in by the Stephenses in the Bewitched fantasy sitcom episode "A Vision of Sugarplums" (December 1964), on ABC-TV.
Mumy was reportedly the first choice to portray Eddie Munster in the 1964 CBS situation comedy The Munsters, but his parents objected to the extensive makeup requirements. The role instead went to Butch Patrick. Mumy appeared in one episode as a friend of Eddie.
Mumy guest starred in an episode of NBC-TV's I Dream of Jeannie, "Whatever Became of Baby Custer?" (1965). That same year, he also appeared in an episode of Bewitched titled "Junior Executive" (1965), in which he played a young Darrin Stephens.
Mumy starred in Dear Brigitte (1965), a film adaptation of the novel Erasmus with Freckles, as Erasmus Leaf, a child mathematical genius who develops a crush on Brigitte Bardot (played by herself in the film). His parents, played by James Stewart and Glynis Johns, attempt to manage his obsession.
Mumy was later cast in Bless the Beasts and Children (1971) as Teft, a leader in a group of misfit teenage boys resolved to save a herd of bison from hunters. He also played a musician friend of Cliff DeYoung's character in the television film Sunshine (1973), later reprising the role in Sunshine Christmas and in the TV series Sunshine. In 1974, Mumy played Nick Butler in the pilot episode of NBC's The Rockford Files and made an appearance in a later episode in season 1 as a sidewalk artist. In 1988, he played Ben Matlock's genius nephew, Dr. Irwin Bruckner, on Matlock.
In 1996, Mumy was a writer and co-creator of Space Cases, a Nickelodeon television show with themes similar to those of Lost in Space. Between 1994 and 1998, he played the ambassadorial aide Lennier in the syndicated science fiction series Babylon 5. In November 1998, he played Kellin, a Starfleet officer, in the episode "The Siege of AR-558", in which he assists in defeating a Jem'Hadar detachment. To Mumy's delight, his character was human this time due to makeup time and his distaste as being known as an "alien actor"; while playing Lennier in Babylon 5, he was required to wear prosthetic makeup. Mumy later appeared in a 2006 episode of Crossing Jordan and in the Syfy original film A.I. Assault.
In 2018, Mumy appeared in the pilot episode of the Netflix remake series Lost in Space. His character's name is Dr. Z. Smith, in homage to the character played by Jonathan Harris in the 1965 television series.
Mumy's work also includes voice overs in national commercials for Bud Ice, Farmers Insurance, Ford, Blockbuster, Twix, Oscar Mayer and McDonald's.
He and Marta Kristen performed "Sloop John B" in the Lost in Space S3E14 episode Castles In Space.
Mumy has released a number of solo CDs, including Dying to Be Heard, In the Current, Pandora's Box, After Dreams Come True, Los Angeles Times and Ghosts, as well as nine albums with music partner Robert Haimer as Barnes and Barnes. Their most famous hit is the song "Fish Heads", which Rolling Stone named one of the top 100 videos of all time. He also performs with the Jenerators, a blues-rock band based in Los Angeles featuring Tom Hebenstreit on vocals, electric guitars, and keyboards; Mumy on vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, harmonica, keyboards and percussion; Gary Stockdale on vocals and bass; Miguel Ferrer on vocals, percussion and drums; David Jolliffe on guitar, percussion and vocals; and Chris Ross on drums and percussion. Additionally, Mumy released a Byrds tribute song, "When Roger Was Jim" (2012). In 2017, along with John Cowsill (The Cowsills) and Vicki Peterson (The Bangles) he founded the Action Skulls. Their first CD, Angels Hear, which also included posthumous contributions from the bassist Rick Rosas, was released on September 27, 2017.Andy Hermann, "Meet Action Skulls, a New Band Featuring Vicki Peterson, John Cowsill and Bill Mumy", LA Weekly, August 4, 2017.
Mumy produces and hosts The Real Good Radio Hour, a weekly series on KSAV Internet Radio focusing on various styles of music and the artists who pioneered them.
On June 14, 2006, Mumy got to work with Harris one last time, but posthumously. Years before Harris died, he recorded voice work for the animated short The Bolt Who Screwed Christmas, narrating the film and playing the part of The Bolt. As a tribute to Harris, writer-director John Wardlaw added a scene that reunited Lost in Space cast members Mumy, Marta Kristen, and Angela Cartwright as the animated Ratchett family..
Mumy appears in two episodes of the 2018 series Lost in Space on Netflix. He plays the role of Dr. Smith, whose identity is stolen by June Harris, the villain.
Mumy attends Lost in Space reunions and shows, and with Angela Cartwright, he co-authored a 2015 book, Lost (and Found) in Space.King, Susan (September 14, 2015). "Warning! Warning! 50th anniversary 'Lost in Space' Blu-ray and book approaching!". Los Angeles Times. He and Cartwright co-authored the 2021 book, Lost (and Found) in Space 2: Blast Off into the Expanded Edition. (2025). 9781735621531, Next Chapter Publishing. ISBN 9781735621531
He has also written a number of comics. With his friend, the late Miguel Ferrer, Mumy created Comet Man and Trypto the Acid Dog. They also co-wrote the Marvel Graphic Novel The Dreamwalker.
| Season 1 Episode 5: "Tom Puts the Girls to Work" |
| Season 2 Episode 22: "Long Distance Call" |
| Season 3 Episode 8: "It's a Good Life" |
| Season 7 Episode 2: "Bang, You're Dead" |
| Season 7 Episode 15: "The Door Without a Key" |
| Season 1 Episode 8: "House Guest" |
| Episode: "Sammy, the Way-Out Seal" |
| Season 13 Episode 12: "Jack and the Crying Cab Driver" |
| Season 6 Episode 15: "The Sam Darland Story" |
| Season 5 Episode 1: "In Praise of Pip" |
| Season 7 Episode 2: "The Case of the Shifty Shoebox" |
| Season 1 Episode 15: "A Vision of Sugar Plums" |
| Season 13 Episode 2: "Rick's Old Printing Press" |
| Season 13 Episode 7: "The Pennies" |
| Season 13 Episode 8: "The Ballerina" |
| Season 2 Episode 10: "Junior Executive" |
| Season 3 Episode 28: "Old Cowboy" |
| Season 1 Episode 11: "Whatever Became of Baby Custer?" |
| Season 1 Episode 25: "Come Back Little Googie" |
| 84 episodes |
| Uncredited |
| Season 2 Episode 3: "The Kid" |
| Season 2 Episode 15: "Break the Bank of Tacoma" |
| Season 1 Episode: "Backlash of the Hunter" (pilot) |
| Season 1 Episode 14: "Aura Lee, Farewell" |
| 15 episodes |
| Season 2 Episode 20: "The Genius" |
| Season 1 Episode 19: "Good Night, Central City" |
| Season 4 Episode 1: "A Change of Heart, Part 1" |
| Season 4 Episode 2: "A Change of Heart, Part 2" |
| Season 4 Episode 19: "Obituary for a Super Hero" |
| Season 1 Episode 5: "Monstrous Meltdown" |
| Voice, Season 1 Episode 62: "Witch One" A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. |
| Voice, Season 4 Episode 3: "Blazing Entrails" |
| 109 episodes |
| Voice, Season 4 Episode 1: "The Terrible Trio" |
| Voice |
| Season 1 Episode 4: "Back to School |
| Voice, episode: "Switcheroo '97" |
| Season 7 Episode 8: "The Siege of AR-558" |
| TV special |
| Voice, Season 1 Episode 9: "Tag Team" |
| Voice, Season 1 Episode 19: "A Zoo Out There" |
| Season 1 Episode 30: "It's Still a Good Life" |
| Video |
| Voice, Season 1 Episode 2: "Holly Hobbie and Friends: Christmas Wishes" |
| Theatrical short |
| Voice, Season 3 Episode 8: "The Widening Gyre" |
| Voice, 11 episodes |
| Voice, Season 2 Episode 14: "The Vigilant Town" |
| Voice, Season 3 Episode 6: "No Place Like Dome" |
| Voice, Season 3 Episode 1: "A Fridge Too Far" |
| Season 1 Episode 1: "Impact" |
| Season 2 Episode 3: "Echoes" |
| Voice, direct-to-video |
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