Kathy Coleman was 18 years old and filming Burger King commercials when she said “I do” and left Hollywood.
The former child star, who had skyrocketed to fame with “Land of the Lost,” got her hands dirty as she worked on her father-in-law’s Fallon, Nevada ranch. The 62-year-old is now back in California and ready for her close-up, but still has fond memories of life out of the spotlight.
“It was very hard work, but it was also very rewarding,” the actress told Fox News Digital. “It’s funny, I watched ‘Yellowstone,’ recently – the whole series. I lived that life! I lived that exact life.”
Kathy Coleman starred as Holly Marshall in “Land of the Lost.” (NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
“Land of the Lost,” a Saturday morning favorite, is now available for streaming on The Sid and Marty Krofft Channel. The producing pair were known for their imaginative children’s programming.
The show followed the adventures of the Marshall family, trapped in a land of dinosaurs, lizard men called Sleestak and enigmatic pylons offering the hope of a way back home. “Land of the Lost,” which also starred Wesley Eure, Spencer Milligan and Phillip Paley, among others, aired from 1974 to 1976.
“When ‘Land of the Lost’ was first introduced, my sisters and I fell in love with the character Holly [played by Coleman],” Marty’s daughter, Deanna Krofft Pope, told Fox News Digital. “We wanted to be like her, and we weren’t alone. I believe most little girls looked at her as a role model. She was strong, independent and fearless.”
Sid and Marty Krofft display their Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2018 Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards at Pasadena Civic Center April 27, 2018, in Pasadena, California. (Greg Doherty/Patrick McMullan)
“Holly didn’t just stay in the cave and make stone soup,” Krofft Pope shared. “From dinosaurs to aliens, Holly boldly faced the dangers of ‘Land of the Lost,’ proving she was a survivor. Kathy did a remarkable job bringing the character of Holly to life, making her a fan favorite.”
Like all child stars, Coleman grew up. And life on the farm turned out to be a blessing, she said, one that taught her the importance of no-nonsense hard work.
And there was no special treatment, she insisted.
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Kathy Coleman compared her ranch years to the series “Yellowstone,” which starred Kevin Costner. (Richard Bord/Getty Images for Cannes Lions)
“The farm was gigantic,” Coleman recalled. “We had a hog farm where we produced 12,000 hogs a year. We were milking 24-hour double shifts. Because my father-in-law owned the ranch, we were brought in, and we started at the bottom of the totem pole. We had to learn everything. You messed up, God help you.”
Kathy Coleman as Holly Marshall with a Sleestak. (NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
“[My father-in-law] said, ‘You can never ask anybody to do something you don’t know how to do or haven’t done yourself,’” she said. “So I did everything. I fed the cows, I milked them. I worked the hay, the grains. I worked the front loaders, all kinds of stuff. I really had to learn everything. There are 150 steps to cleaning the milk barn after every milking session. And all 150 steps had to be done just right.”
The clean-up was far from glamorous, she chuckled. But there were perks.
Kathy Coleman now lives in Palm Springs, but she has fond memories of her time in Fallon, Nevada. (Bobby Bank/Getty Images)
“We had baby calves all over the place,” she gushed. “We also used to have nice parties. It was a small town, so we knew everybody. We put everybody to work in the town. I was only 18. I was raised in Los Angeles and put on a farm in Nevada at 18. It was a culture shock… But my mother taught me something that I think has been a valuable lesson in [surviving child stardom] – ‘Stay true to your word.’ If you’re going to do something, follow through. Fame is not an easy club to belong to. It’s taxing. But if you stay true to your word and what you’re going to do, what you’re going to achieve, you can survive anything.”
Kathy Coleman and former co-star Wesley Eure at the 12th annual Star Trek Convention at the Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. (Gabe Ginsberg/FilmMagic)
“People think that because you’re on television, life is so easy,” she reflected. “I just had a different kind of job that happened to be on television. I went through all the same heartaches and hardships that any other teenager or woman goes through – and 10 others… My life changed, but I was also a responsible soul. I learned to love myself. You can’t survive this industry without learning to love yourself.”
Some of Coleman’s happiest memories involve being on the set of “Land of the Lost.” As a gift for nabbing the role of Holly, Coleman’s mother gifted her a pony – a sign of what her future would look like. Her castmates also became lifelong friends.
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From left, Wesley Eure as Will Marshall, Kathy Coleman as Holly Marshall, Phillip Paley as Cha-Ka and Spencer Milligan as Park Ranger Rick Marshall. (Ron Tom/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
“It’s not very common in this industry to have such a closeness as we do,” she shared. “I live right down from my [TV] brother. We travel together all the time. We really are like brother and sister. My TV father was like a real father. I grew up in a single-family home, so I wasn’t raised with a father in the house. And yet, he stepped into that role, not only for the show but in real life as well. We’re extremely close and love each other to death.”
But all good things come to an end, Coleman admitted.
“Why did the show end? I believe it was a combination of things,” she explained. “There was a limited amount of funds to produce this show, one that had a lot of special effects. I was also hired as a young girl. I was already starting to bypass [co-star] Wesley Eure in height… The show ended, but the memories remain.”
Kathy Coleman told Fox News Digital a “Land of the Lost” reboot would do well in 2024. (NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
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Coleman has written two books chronicling her life in Hollywood, with “Run, Holly Run!” being the most recent. Her marriage lasted from 1980 to 1987 and the mother of two now resides in Palm Springs.
Life “isn’t all that quiet,” she noted. Coleman frequently travels the country throughout the year and meets with fans at conventions. “Land of the Lost” loosely inspired the 2009 film by the same name starring Will Ferrell, but Coleman said it “totally missed the mark.” She believes the series is ripe for a reboot.
“Life is wonderful,” she said. “I have great friends. I’m surrounded by a lot of loving people and good energy. I have great kids whom I adore. Life is good – it truly is. I made it that way. I did the homework. I did the legwork.”
