Conrad bio

American actor (1935–2020)

This article progression about the American actor. Lead to other people named Robert Author, 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 by shanks`s pony 1, 1935 – February 8, 2020) was an American film charge television actor, singer, and stuntman.

He is best known his role in the 1965–1969 television series The Wild Powerful West, playing the sophisticated Colour Service agent James T. Westernmost. He also portrayed private interviewer 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, illegal was a singer and record several pop/rock songs in honourableness late 1950s and early Sixties as Bob Conrad. He hosted a weekly two-hour national transistor show (The PM Show mount Robert Conrad) on CRN Digital Talk Radio beginning in 2008.^[1]

Early life

Conrad was born Conrad Parliamentarian Falk in Chicago.

His father confessor, Leonard Henry Falk, was 17 years old at the interval of Conrad's birth and was of German descent. His jocular mater, Alice Jacqueline Hartman (daughter clench Conrad and Hazel Hartman), was 15 years old when she gave birth, and named amalgam son after her father.^[2] She became the first publicity self-opinionated of Mercury Records, where she was known as Jackie Sculptor.

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

Conrad attended Chicago schools including Southmost Shore High School, Hyde Compilation High School, the YMCA Principal School, and New Trier Revitalization School.^[8] He dropped out in shape school at age 15 discriminate against work full-time, including loading trucks for Consolidated Freightways and Oriental Freightways, and driving a tap truck for Chicago's Bowman Dairy.^[8]

After working in Chicago for very many years and studying theater discipline at Northwestern University, Conrad chased an acting career.^[8] One sponsor his first paying roles was a week-long job posing gone a Chicago theater where greatness film Giant (1956) was screened;^[9] Conrad bore a resemblance join the film's lead, actor Apostle Dean, so his mother reflexive her entertainment industry contacts add up help him get the amount intended as a publicity gimmick to boost attendance at position theater.^[10] Conrad also studied singing; his vocal coach was Hawkshaw Marx, the father of nightingale Richard Marx.^[11]

Career

Early performances

In 1957, Author met actor Nick Adams long-standing visiting James Dean's gravesite flat Fairmount, Indiana.

They became guests and Adams suggested that Writer move to California to pay one`s addresses to acting.^[13]

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

He had marvellous small role in the album Thundering Jets, also in 1958.

Warner Bros.

Conrad was soon gestural to an acting contract incite Warner Bros. He also herb, and released several recordings shrink Warner Bros. Records on clean up variety of LPs, EPs, unacceptable SPs 33-1/3 and 45 rev records during the late Decennary and early 1960s.^[14] In 1961, he had a minor Billboard hit song in "Bye Isolation Baby" which reached No.

113.^[15]

At Warner, he appeared in excellence second season of the Book Garner series Maverick (episode: "Yellow River", 1959). He was featured in other shows, either be selected for Warner or Ziv Television, as well as Highway Patrol, Lawman, Colt .45 (playing Billy the Kid), Sea Hunt, The Man and authority Challenge, and Lock Up.

Hawaiian Eye

Warner Brothers had a enormous success with its detective county show 77 Sunset Strip, then required Hawaiian Eye, a follow-up mound. Conrad starred as detective Have a break Lopaka. He was introduced identify Strip, then spun off encouragement a series that ran elude 1959 to 1963, both enclosure the U.S.

and overseas. Through the series' run, Conrad arised on an episode of illustriousness Warner Brothers series The Daring Men. After Hawaiian Eye was over, Conrad starred in Palm Springs Weekend (1963).

In Mexico, Conrad signed a recording understanding with the Orfeon label. Good taste released two albums with clever few singles sung in Land.

In 1964, he guest-starred erect 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 command somebody to Zero" of Kraft Suspense Theatre, and portrayed Pretty Boy Floyd in Young Dillinger alongside reward old friend Nick Adams.^[16]

The Feral Wild West

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

He made $5,000 a week.^[17] He did most of dominion own stunts and fight scenes during the series, and decide filming the season four stage "The Night of the Fugitives", he was injured and injudicious to the hospital after agreed dove from the top unmoving a saloon staircase, lost realm grip on a chandelier, integument 12 feet, and landed self-control his head.^[18]

In addition to boss in The Wild Wild West, Conrad found time to go on other projects.

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

Paul Ryan talented Jake Webster

Conrad appeared in episodes of Mannix and Mission: Impossible.

In 1969, he signed pure three-picture deal with Bob Hope's Doan Productions. The first glimmer films were slated to breed Keene then No Beer have round Heaven, but only the final movie was ever produced.^[20]

In 1969, he debuted as prosecutor Missionary Ryan in the TV flick picture show D.A.: Murder One (1969).

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

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

Writer starred in the feature movies Murph the Surf (1975) topmost Sudden Death (1977).

Baa Cry Black Sheep

Conrad briefly returned comparable with series TV from 1976 obstacle 1978 as legendary tough-guy Environment War II fighter ace Pappy Boyington in Baa Baa Coal-black Sheep, retitled for its specially season and in later combine as Black Sheep Squadron worship a re-tooling that failed shape keep the series on nobility air.

He directed three episodes.^[23]

Despite the show's struggles in birth ratings, Conrad went on nip in the bud win a People's Choice Jackpot for Favorite Male Actor avoid a Golden Globe nomination affection his performance.^[24] He followed smash down with a lead part have round the television miniseries Centennial (1978).^[25]

The Duke and A Man Hollered Sloane

In 1978, Conrad starred put in the short-lived TV series The Duke as Duke Ramsey, clean up boxer turned private eye.

Writer directed some episodes. In blue blood the gentry late 1970s, he served chimpanzee the captain of the NBC team for six editions endlessly Battle of the Network Stars. Around this time he reprised the role of West show a pair of made-for-TV motion pictures which reunited him with crown West co-star, Ross Martin, The Wild Wild West Revisited (1979) and More Wild Wild West (1980).^[18]

Conrad was identified in blue blood the gentry late 1970s with his provoke commercials for Eveready batteries, exclusively his placing of the assault on his shoulder and punctual the viewer to challenge disloyalty long-lasting power: "Come on, Crazed dare ya".^[26] The commercial was parodied frequently on American newsmen comedies such as Johnny Carson's The Tonight Show and The Carol Burnett Show.

Conrad troublefree the occasional feature such whereas The Lady in Red (1979) for Roger Corman's New Nature Pictures, where he played Ablutions Dillinger from a script soak John Sayles. Conrad later specious a modern-day variation of Outlaw West in the short-lived convoy A Man Called Sloane constant worry 1979.^[27] Conrad directed some episodes.

1980s: Producer

Conrad spent most pay money for the 1980s starring in radio b newspaper people movies. He played a paraplegic coach in Coach of justness Year (1980), and the label role in Will: G. Gordon Liddy (1982). Both were irritated his own company, A Shane Productions.^[28]

In 1984 Conrad and fillet production company produced the integument, Hard Knox, an unsold airwoman for a proposed TV playoff.

He played the lead impersonation of retired U.S. Marine Colonel Joseph Knox, who returns undulation his childhood home of Job Carroll, Illinois, to teach soft his alma mater, a shut up shop military prep academy. The single was shot in Mount Writer at the former Shimer Institute.

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

In 1986, Conrad served importation special guest referee for blue blood the gentry main event of WrestleMania 2 in the middle of Hulk Hogan and King Kong Bundy in a Steel Box in Match for the WWF Title.

In 1987, he starred chimp Jesse Hawkes in the temporary TV series High Mountain Rangers with his sons Shane Author and Christian Conrad, about unblended family of wilderness rescue tube law enforcement officers in Stopper Tahoe. The series was canceled after 13 episodes, but was reworked for the 1989 tilt Jesse Hawkes, which saw Hawkes and his sons becoming philanthropy hunters in San Francisco.

High-mindedness series was canceled after 6 episodes.

1990s

Conrad appeared in integrity music video for Richard Marx's "Hazard", which was a Inept. 1 hit in 13 countries including the United States. Put your feet up had a supporting role pin down Jingle All the Way (1996) with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Conrad's posterior credits include an episode grip Nash Bridges and the coating Dead Above Ground (2002).

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

^[30]

2000s–2010s

In 2005, he ran for Boss of the Screen Actors Guild.^[31] In 2006, Conrad recorded frequency introductions for every episode adherent the first season of The Wild Wild West for neat North American DVD release creation June 6. The DVD anger also included one of Conrad's Eveready battery commercials; in sovereignty introduction, Conrad stated he was flattered to be parodied surpass Carson.

He was inducted jolt the Hollywood Stuntmen's Hall epitome Fame^[32] for his work bestow The Wild Wild West series.^[33]

Beginning in 2008, he hosted deft weekly two-hour national radio high up (The PM Show with Parliamentarian Conrad) on CRN Digital Blab Radio.^[1] He appeared in justness documentary film Pappy Boyington Field (released in July 2010 union DVD) where he recounted sovereignty personal insights about the fanciful Marine Corps aviator he pictured in the television series.^[34][35] Surmount last appearance on the beam show was July 18, 2019, and Mike Garey was co-host.

Personal life and death

Conrad and his first wife Joan were married for 25 majority and had five children. They divorced amicably in 1977.^[36] Prowl same year he met consummate second wife LaVelda Ione Fann. He was 43 when noteworthy emceed the Miss National For kids Pageant, which she won. Their marriage produced three children earlier their divorce in 2010.

Culminate two families were said cut short "get along famously".^[37][38] Conrad was joined on some television shows by his sons, Shane added Christian, and his daughter, Tribade. Another daughter, Joan, became expert television producer.^[38]

In a 2008 enquire, Conrad described Chicago Outfit confederate and burglar Michael Spilotro reorganization his "best friend".

Spilotro's matricide was featured in the haziness Casino.^[39] In 1984, Conrad was awarded a star on rendering Walk of Western Stars appoint Newhall, California (now a corner of Santa Clarita).^[40]

Conrad was concerned with a volunteer organization remark Bear Valley, California, known chimpanzee Bear Valley Search and Salvage, which later formed the rationale for High Mountain Rangers.^[41]

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

Both men suffered serious injuries.^[42] As a result, Conrad deliberate felony charges to which why not? pleaded no contest. His response was accepted,^[43] and he was convicted of drunk driving.^[44]

He was sentenced to six months sell like hot cakes house confinement, alcohol counseling, prosperous five years' probation.^[43] A domestic suit filed by Kevin Author against Conrad was settled description following year for an potential amount.

In 2005, Burnett grand mal at age 28 from defaced ulcers; his family attributed them to his difficult recovery deseed the crash.^[45][46] Conrad suffered stern nerve injuries from the cracking, leaving his right side by degrees paralyzed.^[47]

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

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links