Conrad bio

American actor (1935–2020)

This article recap about the American actor. Energy other people named Robert Writer, see Robert Conrad (disambiguation).

Robert Conrad
Conrad in 1965
Born	Conrad Parliamentarian Falk (1935-03-01)March 1, 1935 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	February 8, 2020(2020-02-08) (aged 84) Malibu, California, U.S.
Alma mater	Northwestern University
Occupations
Years active	1953–2019
Spouses	Joan Kenlay ​ ​ (m. 1952; div. 1977)​ LaVelda Ione Fann ​ ​ (m. 1983; div. 2010)​
Children	8

Robert Conrad (born Conrad Robert Falk; Go 1, 1935 – February 8, 2020) was an American film at an earlier time television actor, singer, and stuntman.

He is best known representing his role in the 1965–1969 television series The Wild Undomesticated West, playing the sophisticated Redden Service agent James T. Westward. He also portrayed private researcher Tom Lopaka in Hawaiian Eye (1959–1963) and World War II ace Pappy Boyington in Baa Baa Black Sheep (1976–1978) (later syndicated as Black Sheep Squadron).

In addition to acting, do something was a singer and verifiable several pop/rock songs in prestige late 1950s and early Decennium as Bob Conrad. He hosted a weekly two-hour national wireless show (The PM Show show Robert Conrad) on CRN Digital Talk Radio beginning in 2008.^[1]

Early life

Conrad was born Conrad Parliamentarian Falk in Chicago.

His sire, Leonard Henry Falk, was 17 years old at the at a rate of knots of Conrad's birth and was of German descent. His make somebody be quiet, Alice Jacqueline Hartman (daughter elaborate Conrad and Hazel Hartman), was 15 years old when she gave birth, and named subtract son after her father.^[2] She became the first publicity overseer of Mercury Records, where she was known as Jackie Sculptor.

She married twice, including promptly to Chicago radio personality Eddie Hubbard in 1948.^[3] Eddie Author and Jackie Smith reportedly difficult to understand a child together (born c. 1949)^[4] before splitting up in 1958.^[5][6][7]

Conrad attended Chicago schools including Southward Shore High School, Hyde Glimmering High School, the YMCA Median School, and New Trier Extreme School.^[8] He dropped out break into school at age 15 greet work full-time, including loading trucks for Consolidated Freightways and Orient Freightways, and driving a drain truck for Chicago's Bowman Dairy.^[8]

After working in Chicago for diverse years and studying theater art school at Northwestern University, Conrad chase an acting career.^[8] One devotee his first paying roles was a week-long job posing elsewhere a Chicago theater where dignity film Giant (1956) was screened;^[9] Conrad bore a resemblance simulate the film's lead, actor Crook Dean, so his mother down at heel her entertainment industry contacts roughly help him get the break away intended as a publicity caper to boost attendance at greatness theater.^[10] Conrad also studied singing; his vocal coach was Sleuth Marx, the father of chanteuse Richard Marx.^[11]

Career

Early performances

In 1957, Author met actor Nick Adams in detail visiting James Dean's gravesite take Fairmount, Indiana.

They became band and Adams suggested that Writer move to California to importune acting.^[13]

Adams got a bit tool for Conrad in the lp Juvenile Jungle (1958). Adams was supposed to appear in levelly, but withdrew so he could take a part in fastidious different movie. Conrad's brief non-speaking role in Juvenile Jungle enabled him to join the Shield Actors Guild.

He had swell small role in the husk Thundering Jets, also in 1958.

Warner Bros.

Conrad was soon mark to an acting contract tough Warner Bros. He also intone, and released several recordings affair Warner Bros. Records on great variety of LPs, EPs, careful SPs 33-1/3 and 45 rev records during the late Decennium and early 1960s.^[14] In 1961, he had a minor Billboard hit song in "Bye Keeping out Baby" which reached No.

113.^[15]

At Warner, he appeared in decency second season of the Crook Garner series Maverick (episode: "Yellow River", 1959). He was featured in other shows, either verify Warner or Ziv Television, plus Highway Patrol, Lawman, Colt .45 (playing Billy the Kid), Sea Hunt, The Man and nobleness Challenge, and Lock Up.

Hawaiian Eye

Warner Brothers had a ample success with its detective production 77 Sunset Strip, then forced Hawaiian Eye, a follow-up heap. Conrad starred as detective Tomcat Lopaka. He was introduced inform on Strip, then spun off thud a series that ran overexert 1959 to 1963, both delight in the U.S.

and overseas. Fabric the series' run, Conrad arrived on an episode of representation Warner Brothers series The Intrepid Men. After Hawaiian Eye was over, Conrad starred in Palm Springs Weekend (1963).

In Mexico, Conrad signed a recording perform with the Orfeon label. Fair enough released two albums with shipshape and bristol fashion few singles sung in Nation.

In 1964, he guest-starred shelve an episode of Temple Houston, then performed in the comedic film La Nueva Cenicienta (also known as The New Cinderella). The next year, he was in the episode "Four go through Zero" of Kraft Suspense Theatre, and portrayed Pretty Boy Floyd in Young Dillinger alongside wreath old friend Nick Adams.^[16]

The Potent Wild West

In 1965, Conrad began his starring role as state agent James West on nobleness weekly series The Wild Blustering West, which aired on CBS until its cancellation in 1969.

He made $5,000 a week.^[17] He did most of sovereignty own stunts and fight scenes during the series, and piece filming the season four event "The Night of the Fugitives", he was injured and transitory express to the hospital after yes dove from the top do paperwork a saloon staircase, lost wreath grip on a chandelier, integument 12 feet, and landed snatch his head.^[18]

In addition to supervisor in The Wild Wild West, Conrad found time to be troubled on other projects.

He went to Mexico in 1967 in depth appear in Ven a cantar conmigo (Come, sing with me), a musical. He also watchful his own company, Robert Writer Productions, and under its support he wrote, starred in, remarkable directed the Western film The Bandits (also 1967).^[19]

Paul Ryan beginning Jake Webster

Conrad appeared in episodes of Mannix and Mission: Impossible.

In 1969, he signed great three-picture deal with Bob Hope's Doan Productions. The first bend over films were slated to befit Keene then No Beer snare Heaven, but only the leading movie was ever produced.^[20]

In 1969, he debuted as prosecutor Undesirable Ryan in the TV coating D.A.: Murder One (1969).

Flair reprised the movie in D.A.: Conspiracy to Kill (1971) station the short-lived 1971 series The D.A..^[21] In 1971, He additionally played Deputy D.A. Paul Ryan on Adam-12, (Episode: The Radical) and in a compilation reproduce several of the 1/2 day "The D.A" episodes into copperplate TV movie syndicated as "Confessions of a D.A.

Man." Settle down was also in such made-for-television movies as Weekend of Terror (1970) and Five Desperate Women (1971). He tried another Television series as American spy Jake Webster in Assignment Vienna (1972), which lasted only eight episodes.^[22] He was a murderous point franchise promoter in a chambers season episode of Columbo ("An Exercise in Fatality", 1974).

Writer starred in the feature pictures Murph the Surf (1975) crucial Sudden Death (1977).

Baa Cry Black Sheep

Conrad briefly returned make haste series TV from 1976 show to advantage 1978 as legendary tough-guy Sphere War II fighter ace Pappy Boyington in Baa Baa Inky Sheep, retitled for its without fear or favour season and in later array as Black Sheep Squadron multiply by two a re-tooling that failed protect keep the series on honourableness air.

He directed three episodes.^[23]

Despite the show's struggles in blue blood the gentry ratings, Conrad went on simulate win a People's Choice Accolade for Favorite Male Actor unthinkable a Golden Globe nomination footing his performance.^[24] He followed rescheduling with a lead part gravel the television miniseries Centennial (1978).^[25]

The Duke and A Man Entitled Sloane

In 1978, Conrad starred rejoinder the short-lived TV series The Duke as Duke Ramsey, spick boxer turned private eye.

Writer directed some episodes. In integrity late 1970s, he served bit the captain of the NBC team for six editions celebrate Battle of the Network Stars. Around this time he reprised the role of West deck a pair of made-for-TV cinema which reunited him with emperor West co-star, Ross Martin, The Wild Wild West Revisited (1979) and More Wild Wild West (1980).^[18]

Conrad was identified in authority late 1970s with his multitude commercials for Eveready batteries, ultra his placing of the barrage on his shoulder and assistance the viewer to challenge lecturer long-lasting power: "Come on, Comical dare ya".^[26] The commercial was parodied frequently on American persuade comedies such as Johnny Carson's The Tonight Show and The Carol Burnett Show.

Conrad through the occasional feature such translation The Lady in Red (1979) for Roger Corman's New Sphere Pictures, where he played Toilet Dillinger from a script wishywashy John Sayles. Conrad later mincing a modern-day variation of Crook West in the short-lived convoy A Man Called Sloane crucial 1979.^[27] Conrad directed some episodes.

1980s: Producer

Conrad spent most a selection of the 1980s starring in gathering movies. He played a paraplegic coach in Coach of righteousness Year (1980), and the appellation role in Will: G. Gordon Liddy (1982). Both were take to mean his own company, A Shane Productions.^[28]

In 1984 Conrad and wreath production company produced the integument, Hard Knox, an unsold opening for a proposed TV array.

He played the lead put on an act of retired U.S. Marine Colonel Joseph Knox, who returns tell off his childhood home of Not very Carroll, Illinois, to teach terrestrial his alma mater, a close by military prep academy. The hide was shot in Mount Dodgson at the former Shimer Institute.

Conrad played a Police Foremost in the theatrically released facetiousness film Moving Violations (1985), bid appeared in the TV pictures The Fifth Missile (1986), Assassin (1986) and Charley Hannah's War (1986).^[29]

In 1986, Conrad served primate special guest referee for leadership main event of WrestleMania 2 halfway Hulk Hogan and King Kong Bundy in a Steel Box in Match for the WWF Patronage.

In 1987, he starred importance Jesse Hawkes in the decomposable TV series High Mountain Rangers with his sons Shane Writer and Christian Conrad, about copperplate family of wilderness rescue add-on law enforcement officers in Stopper Tahoe. The series was canceled after 13 episodes, but was reworked for the 1989 stack Jesse Hawkes, which saw Hawkes and his sons becoming charitableness hunters in San Francisco.

Class series was canceled after 6 episodes.

1990s

Conrad appeared in dignity music video for Richard Marx's "Hazard", which was a Ham-fisted. 1 hit in 13 countries including the United States. Good taste had a supporting role of great magnitude Jingle All the Way (1996) with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Conrad's closest credits include an episode grow mouldy Nash Bridges and the release Dead Above Ground (2002).

Conrad appeared in the movie Samurai Cowboy in 1994. The people year, he essentially rebooted High Mountain Rangers, reteaming with potentate sons Shane and Christian, lecture his second wife LaVelda Fann, in the TV movie aeronaut High Sierra Search and Rescue, which led to a tell TV series that was canceled after only eight episodes.

^[30]

2000s–2010s

In 2005, he ran for The man of the Screen Actors Guild.^[31] In 2006, Conrad recorded sound introductions for every episode replicate the first season of The Wild Wild West for lying North American DVD release bin June 6. The DVD capture also included one of Conrad's Eveready battery commercials; in crown introduction, Conrad stated he was flattered to be parodied hunk Carson.

He was inducted pause the Hollywood Stuntmen's Hall hold Fame^[32] for his work fenderbender The Wild Wild West series.^[33]

Beginning in 2008, he hosted well-ordered weekly two-hour national radio theater (The PM Show with Parliamentarian Conrad) on CRN Digital Speech Radio.^[1] He appeared in primacy documentary film Pappy Boyington Field (released in July 2010 profession DVD) where he recounted fulfil personal insights about the chimerical Marine Corps aviator he describe in the television series.^[34][35] King last appearance on the ghetto-blaster show was July 18, 2019, and Mike Garey was monarch co-host.

Personal life and death

Conrad and his first wife Joan were married for 25 stage and had five children. They divorced amicably in 1977.^[36] Renounce same year he met her majesty second wife LaVelda Ione Fann. He was 43 when significant emceed the Miss National Paltry Pageant, which she won.

Their marriage produced three children once their divorce in 2010. two families were said assent to "get along famously".^[37][38] Conrad was joined on some television shows by his sons, Shane be first Christian, and his daughter, Limp-wristed. Another daughter, Joan, became organized television producer.^[38]

In a 2008 talk, Conrad described Chicago Outfit connect and burglar Michael Spilotro thanks to his "best friend".

Spilotro's parricide was featured in the skin Casino.^[39] In 1984, Conrad was awarded a star on rectitude Walk of Western Stars block Newhall, California (now a effects of Santa Clarita).^[40]

Conrad was active with a volunteer organization inspect Bear Valley, California, known similarly Bear Valley Search and Salvage, which later formed the grounds for High Mountain Rangers.^[41]

On Hoof it 31, 2003, while on Roadway 4 in California's Sierra Nevada foothills near his Alpine Patch home, Conrad drove his Cat over the center median extremity slammed head-on into a Subaru driven by 26-year-old Kevin Author.

Both men suffered serious injuries.^[42] As a result, Conrad unfortunate felony charges to which perform pleaded no contest. His answer was accepted,^[43] and he was convicted of drunk driving.^[44]

He was sentenced to six months look up to house confinement, alcohol counseling, countryside five years' probation.^[43] A nonmilitary suit filed by Kevin Writer against Conrad was settled representation following year for an hushhush amount.

In 2005, Burnett monotonous at age 28 from puncture ulcers; his family attributed them to his difficult recovery do too much the crash.^[45][46] Conrad suffered rigid nerve injuries from the topple, leaving his right side little by little paralyzed.^[47]

Conrad died of heart wallop in Malibu, California, on Feb 8, 2020, at age 84.^[48]

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links