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.

Since his early acting days – gracing screens from not-quite-three – Jon has seen it all: the trials of child celebrity; the social strain; the sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll. But these days he has a different story to tell.

In ’09, Jon made his animated debut as the voice of Prancer, the reindeer, in the Elf Sparkle children’s series debuting later this year on NickToons. Seems you can teach an old dog new tricks. In another first, Jon will direct an animated children’s story about a dog – not a collie, but Toodles the Pink Poodle later this year, starring Frances Fisher and Amber Tamblyn.

Recently Jon celebrated his 50th anniversary as Timmy with the release of his autobiography, Timmy’s in the Well (2nd printing), out in paper, summer, 2010. He’s hard at work on his next -- a cookbook called Timmy’s in the Kitchen. Known as a humanitarian and expert on dogs, Jon writes regularly for the dog-lovers magazine Fido Friendly. And in addition to being a sought-after celebrity guest on TV and radio, Jon makes regular appearances at fundraisers, autograph shows, pet expos, kennel clubs, trade shows, speaker’s engagements and other entertainment-industry events throughout the year. His fans are legion.

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 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, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Youth in Film Association and most recently, a Lifetime Career Achievement Award from the Pocono Mountains Film Festival.

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.  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. He lives there still with his wife, Hollywood writer, Laurie Jacobson. Of his many accomplishments, he is most proud of his children, Ryan, 26, and Katie, 24.

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 ’94, Jon was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He and Lassie toured in honor of her 50th anniversary on TV. He began directing and hosting online videos about dogs and cats for a Purina website. Jon’s career has been burgeoning in a variety of directions since.

The check shirt and jeans he wore for seven years on Lassie hang in
The Smithsonian next to Archie Bunker’s chair. 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.”