Robert Conrad
{{Short description|American actor (1935–2020)}}
{{About|the American actor|other people named Robert Conrad|Robert Conrad (disambiguation)}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Robert Conrad
| image = Robert Conrad 1965.jpg
| caption = Conrad in 1965
| birth_name = Conrad Robert Falk
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1935|03|01}}
| birth_place = Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2020|02|08|1935|03|01}}
| death_place = Malibu, California, U.S.
| alma_mater = Northwestern University
| occupation = {{flatlist|
- Actor
- singer
- stuntman}}
| years_active = 1953–2019
| spouse = {{Unbulleted list | {{Marriage|Joan Kenlay|1952|1977|end=div}} | {{Marriage|LaVelda Ione Fann|1983|2010|end=div}}}}
| children = 8
}}
Robert Conrad (born Conrad Robert Falk; March 1, 1935 – February 8, 2020) was an American film and television actor, singer, and stuntman. He is best known for his role in the 1965–1969 television series The Wild Wild West, playing the sophisticated Secret Service agent James T. West. He also portrayed private investigator 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, he was a singer and recorded several pop/rock songs in the late 1950s and early 1960s as Bob Conrad. He hosted a weekly two-hour national radio show (The PM Show with Robert Conrad) on CRN Digital Talk Radio beginning in 2008.{{Cite news |title=PM Show with Robert Conrad on CRN |url=http://crntalk.com/robertconrad |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100428111906/http://crntalk.com/robertconrad |archive-date=April 28, 2010 |publisher=CRN Digital Talk Radio |date=September 29, 2011 |access-date=December 12, 2024}}
Early life
Conrad was born Conrad Robert Falk in Chicago. His father, Leonard Henry Falk, was 17 years old at the time of Conrad's birth and was of German descent. His mother, Alice Jacqueline Hartman (daughter of Conrad and Hazel Hartman), was 15 years old when she gave birth, and named her son after her father.[http://www.cookcountygenealogy.com/SignIn.aspx Cook Country Genealogy] Certificate #6016090 {{registration required}} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121003060339/http://www.cookcountygenealogy.com/SignIn.aspx |date=October 3, 2012 }} She became the first publicity director of Mercury Records, where she was known as Jackie Smith. She married twice, including once to Chicago radio personality Eddie Hubbard in 1948.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=evUDAAAAMBAJ&q=Eddie+Hubbard+and+Jackie+Smith&pg=PA20|title=Marriage between Eddie Hubbard and Jackie Smith|date=June 12, 1948|access-date=June 27, 2011}} Eddie Hubbard and Jackie Smith reportedly had a child together (born {{circa|1949}}){{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NfYDAAAAMBAJ&q=Eddie+Hubbard+and+Jackie+Smith&pg=PT37|title=Billboard|date=May 28, 1949|access-date=June 27, 2011}} before splitting up in 1958.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4AoEAAAAMBAJ&q=Eddie+and+Jackie+Hubbard&pg=PA35|title=Eddie Hubbard and wife Jackie split up|date=October 20, 1958|access-date=June 27, 2011}}*1940 CENSUS PROFILE:
*Conrad Robert Falk
*Age: 5
*Estimated Birth Year: abt 1935
*Gender: Male
*Race: White
*Birthplace: Illinois
*Marital Status: Single
*Relation to Head of House: Stepson
*Home in 1940: Chicago, Cook, Illinois
*Street: Ada Street
*House Number: 8957
*Inferred Residence in 1935: Chicago, Cook, Illinois
*Residence in 1935: Same Place
*Sheet Number: 1B
*Household members:
*Name: George Smith (26)
*Name: Jacqueline Smith (20)
*Name: Conrad Falk (5)
*Birth Date: 1 Mar[ch] 1935
*Birth Location: Cook County, IL
*File Number: 6008106
*Archive Collection Name: Cook County Genealogy Records (Births)
*Archive repository location: Chicago, IL
*Archive repository name: Cook County Clerk
*Source Citation: Year: 1940; Census Place: Chicago, Cook, Illinois; Roll: T627_959; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 103-1267.
Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1940. T627, 4,643 rolls.
Conrad attended Chicago schools including South Shore High School, Hyde Park High School, the YMCA Central School, and New Trier High School.{{cite news|last=Libman|first=Norma|date=December 8, 1991|title=An Actor's Memories Of His 'Real' Working Days in Chicago|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1991/12/08/an-actors-memories-of-his-real-working-days-in-chicago/|work=Chicago Tribune|access-date=May 20, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171002071959/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1991-12-08/features/9104200799_1_chicago-south-side-trucks|archive-date=October 2, 2017}} He dropped out of school at age 15 to work full-time, including loading trucks for Consolidated Freightways and Eastern Freightways, and driving a milk truck for Chicago's Bowman Dairy.
After working in Chicago for several years and studying theater arts at Northwestern University, Conrad pursued an acting career. One of his first paying roles was a week-long job posing outside a Chicago theater where the film Giant (1956) was screened;{{cite news|last=Thomson|first=Gus|date=August 28, 2005|title=A wild, wild night with Conrad: Actor's Auburn visit recalls fond memories|url=http://www.auburnjournal.com/article/wild-wild-night-conrad|work=Auburn Journal|location=Auburn, California|access-date=May 20, 2018}} Conrad bore a resemblance to the film's lead, actor James Dean, so his mother used her entertainment industry contacts to help him get the part intended as a publicity stunt to boost attendance at the theater.{{cite web|url=http://www.tonymedley.com/Articles/One_on_One_With_Robert_Conrad.htm|title=One on One with Robert Conrad |last=Medley|first=Tony|website=tonymedley.com|access-date=October 1, 2017|ref={{sfnRef|"One on One with Robert Conrad"}}}} Conrad also studied singing; his vocal coach was Dick Marx, the father of singer Richard Marx.{{cite web|url=http://www.nctc.net/hazard/conrad/shadoe|title=Shadoe Steele's Interview with Robert Conrad|last=Steele|first=Shadoe|date=April 25, 2007|website=Entercom Radio Network|publisher=Entercom Communications|location=Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania|access-date=March 30, 2010|archive-date=September 19, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919065352/http://www.nctc.net/hazard/conrad/shadoe/|url-status=dead}}
Career
=Early performances=
In 1957, Conrad met actor Nick Adams while visiting James Dean's gravesite in Fairmount, Indiana.{{sfn|"One on One with Robert Conrad"}} They became friends and Adams suggested that Conrad move to California to pursue acting.{{sfn|"One on One with Robert Conrad"}}Zylstra, F. (March 13, 1964) [https://www.proquest.com/docview/179389260 "TV actor, former Chicagoan, likes to lend hand in kitchen"], Chicago Tribune
Adams got a bit part for Conrad in the film Juvenile Jungle (1958).{{sfn|"One on One with Robert Conrad"}} Adams was supposed to appear in it, but withdrew so he could take a part in a different movie.{{sfn|"One on One with Robert Conrad"}} Conrad's brief non-speaking role in Juvenile Jungle enabled him to join the Screen Actors Guild.{{sfn|"One on One with Robert Conrad"}} He had a small role in the film Thundering Jets, also in 1958.
= Warner Bros. =
Conrad was soon signed to an acting contract by Warner Bros. He also sang, and released several recordings with Warner Bros. Records on a variety of LPs, EPs, and SPs 33-1/3 and 45 rpm records during the late 1950s and early 1960s.{{cite web|url=http://www.nctc.net/hazard/conrad/shadoe|title=Shadoe Steele's Interview with Actor Robert Conrad|publisher=nctc.net|access-date=April 26, 2010|archive-date=September 19, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919065352/http://www.nctc.net/hazard/conrad/shadoe/|url-status=dead}} In 1961, he had a minor Billboard hit song in "Bye Bye Baby" which reached No. 113.Whitburn, Joel. Top Pop Singles, 12th ed.
At Warner, he appeared in the second season of the James Garner series Maverick (episode: "Yellow River", 1959). He was featured in other shows, either for Warner or Ziv Television, including Highway Patrol, Lawman, Colt .45 (playing Billy the Kid), Sea Hunt, The Man and the Challenge, and Lock Up.
=''Hawaiian Eye''=
File:Robert Conrad Connie Stevens Hawaiian Eye 1960.JPG
File:Robert Conrad Connie Stevens Hawaiian Eye 1961.JPG
Warner Brothers had a big success with its detective show 77 Sunset Strip, then made Hawaiian Eye, a follow-up series. Conrad starred as detective Tom Lopaka. He was introduced on Strip, then spun off into a series that ran from 1959 to 1963, both in the U.S. and overseas. During the series' run, Conrad appeared on an episode of the Warner Brothers series The Gallant Men. After Hawaiian Eye was over, Conrad starred in Palm Springs Weekend (1963).
In Mexico, Conrad signed a recording contract with the Orfeon label. He released two albums with a few singles sung in Spanish. In 1964, he guest-starred on 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 into Zero" of Kraft Suspense Theatre, and portrayed Pretty Boy Floyd in Young Dillinger alongside his old friend Nick Adams.Major, Jack (1965). "Robert Conrad Interview", Akron Beacon Journal, August 22, 1965.
=''The Wild Wild West''=
File:Ross Martin Robert Conrad Wild Wild West 1965.JPG and Conrad, 1965]]
File:Julie Payne Robert Conrad Wild Wild West 1966.jpg and Conrad in The Wild Wild West, 1966]]
In 1965, Conrad began his starring role as government agent James West on the weekly series The Wild Wild West, which aired on CBS until its cancellation in 1969. He made $5,000 a week.{{cite news |last1=Hopper |first1=Hedda |title=Bob Conrad Doubles Income Five Times |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/178913463 |publisher=Chicago Tribune |date=January 25, 1966 |access-date=May 20, 2018|id={{ProQuest|178913463}} }} He did most of his own stunts and fight scenes during the series, and while filming the season four episode "The Night of the Fugitives", he was injured and rushed to the hospital after he dove from the top of a saloon staircase, lost his grip on a chandelier, fell 12 feet, and landed on his head.{{cite web |url=https://www.metv.com/lists/11-whopping-facts-about-the-wild-wild-west |title=11 whopping facts about 'The Wild Wild West' |date=September 12, 2016 |publisher=MeTV |access-date=March 5, 2019}}
In addition to starring in The Wild Wild West, Conrad found time to work on other projects. He went to Mexico in 1967 to appear in Ven a cantar conmigo (Come, sing with me), a musical. He also formed his own company, Robert Conrad Productions, and under its auspices he wrote, starred in, and directed the Western film The Bandits (also 1967).Martin, B. (April 29, 1966). [https://www.proquest.com/docview/155464351 "Tony Curtis joins 'Waves'"], Los Angeles Times
=Paul Ryan and Jake Webster=
Conrad appeared in episodes of Mannix and Mission: Impossible. In 1969, he signed a three-picture deal with Bob Hope's Doan Productions. The first two films were slated to be Keene then No Beer in Heaven, but only the first movie was ever produced.Martin, B. (March 22, 1969) [https://www.proquest.com/docview/156198397 "MOVIE CALL SHEET"], ''Los Angeles Times'
In 1969, he debuted as prosecutor Paul Ryan in the TV movie D.A.: Murder One (1969). He reprised the movie in D.A.: Conspiracy to Kill (1971) and the short-lived 1971 series The D.A..Walker, J. (September 25, 1971) [https://www.proquest.com/docview/169969575 "Robert Conrad: Law and order with a briefcase"], Chicago Tribune In 1971, He also played Deputy D.A. Paul Ryan on Adam-12, (Episode: The Radical) and in a compilation of several of the 1/2 hour "The D.A" episodes into a TV movie syndicated as "Confessions of a D.A. Man." He was also in such made-for-television movies as Weekend of Terror (1970) and Five Desperate Women (1971). He tried another TV series as American spy Jake Webster in Assignment Vienna (1972), which lasted only eight episodes.[https://www.proquest.com/docview/148350271 "Robert Conrad takes 'assignment: Vienna'"], June 18, 1972, The Washington Post and Times-Herald He was a murderous fitness franchise promoter in a fourth season episode of Columbo ("An Exercise in Fatality", 1974). Conrad starred in the feature films Murph the Surf (1975) and Sudden Death (1977).
=''Baa Baa Black Sheep''=
Conrad briefly returned to series TV from 1976 to 1978 as legendary tough-guy World War II fighter ace Pappy Boyington in Baa Baa Black Sheep, retitled for its second season and in later syndication as Black Sheep Squadron in a re-tooling that failed to keep the series on the air. He directed three episodes.Daniels, M. (January 8, 1978), [https://www.proquest.com/docview/169674502 "Robert Conrad is flying high as 'Pappy' Boyington"], Chicago Tribune
Despite the show's struggles in the ratings, Conrad went on to win a People's Choice Award for Favorite Male Actor and a Golden Globe nomination for his performance.{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/38062%7C131499/robert-conrad#biography|title=Robert Conrad biography|publisher=Turner Classic Movies|date=March 1, 1935|access-date=October 5, 2016}} He followed it with a lead part in the television miniseries Centennial (1978).{{cite news |last=Stanley |first=John |date=September 7, 2008 |title=Conrad revisits 'Wild West,' 'Centennial' |url=https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Conrad-revisits-Wild-West-Centennial-3196238.php |work=SFGate |access-date=March 5, 2019}}
=''The Duke'' and ''A Man Called Sloane''=
In 1978, Conrad starred in the short-lived TV series The Duke as Duke Ramsey, a boxer turned private eye. Conrad directed some episodes. In the late 1970s, he served as the captain of the NBC team for six editions of Battle of the Network Stars. Around this time he reprised the role of West in a pair of made-for-TV films which reunited him with his West co-star, Ross Martin, The Wild Wild West Revisited (1979) and More Wild Wild West (1980).
Conrad was identified in the late 1970s with his television commercials for Eveready batteries, particularly his placing of the battery on his shoulder and prompting the viewer to challenge its long-lasting power: "Come on, I dare ya".{{cite news |last=Lycan |first=Gary |date=September 29, 2011 |title=Robert Conrad celebrates 4 years as weekly radio host |url=https://www.ocregister.com/2011/09/29/robert-conrad-celebrates-4-years-as-weekly-radio-host/ |work=Orange County Register |access-date=March 5, 2019}} The commercial was parodied frequently on American television comedies such as Johnny Carson's The Tonight Show and The Carol Burnett Show.
Conrad made the occasional feature such as The Lady in Red (1979) for Roger Corman's New World Pictures, where he played John Dillinger from a script by John Sayles. Conrad later played a modern-day variation of James West in the short-lived series A Man Called Sloane in 1979.{{cite web |url=https://www.metv.com/stories/do-you-remember-the-show-a-man-called-sloane |title=Do you remember the show 'A Man Called Sloane'? |date=September 23, 2016 |publisher=MeTV |access-date=March 5, 2019}} Conrad directed some episodes.
= 1980s: Producer =
Conrad spent most of the 1980s starring in television movies. He played a paraplegic coach in Coach of the Year (1980), and the title role in Will: G. Gordon Liddy (1982). Both were for his own company, A Shane Productions.{{cite news |last=Lawler |first=Sylvia |date=March 21, 1993 |title=CONRAD PROMOTES NEW MOVIE WITH A VENGEANCE |url=https://www.mcall.com/news/mc-xpm-1993-03-21-2896632-story.html |work=The Morning Call |access-date=March 5, 2019}}
In 1984 Conrad and his production company produced the film, Hard Knox, an unsold pilot for a proposed TV series. He played the lead role of retired U.S. Marine Colonel Joseph Knox, who returns to his childhood home of Mount Carroll, Illinois, to teach at his alma mater, a local military prep academy. The film was shot in Mount Carroll at the former Shimer College.
Conrad played a Police Chief in the theatrically released comedy film Moving Violations (1985), and appeared in the TV movies The Fifth Missile (1986), Assassin (1986) and Charley Hannah's War (1986).Blake, J.P. (April 4, 1986), [https://www.proquest.com/docview/1829457641 "ROBERT CONRAD/'LITTLE NICKY' SCARFO"], Philadelphia Daily News
In 1986, Conrad served as special guest referee for the main event of WrestleMania 2 between Hulk Hogan and King Kong Bundy in a Steel Cage Match for the WWF Championship.
In 1987, he starred as Jesse Hawkes in the short-lived TV series High Mountain Rangers with his sons Shane Conrad and Christian Conrad, about a family of wilderness rescue and law enforcement officers in Lake Tahoe. The series was canceled after 13 episodes, but was reworked for the 1989 series Jesse Hawkes, which saw Hawkes and his sons becoming bounty hunters in San Francisco. The series was canceled after 6 episodes.
= 1990s =
Conrad appeared in the music video for Richard Marx's "Hazard", which was a No. 1 hit in 13 countries including the United States. He had a supporting role in Jingle All the Way (1996) with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Conrad's later credits include an episode of Nash Bridges and the film Dead Above Ground (2002).
Conrad appeared in the movie Samurai Cowboy in 1994. The following year, he essentially rebooted High Mountain Rangers, reteaming with his sons Shane and Christian, and his second wife LaVelda Fann, in the TV movie pilot High Sierra Search and Rescue, which led to a short-lived TV series that was canceled after only eight episodes. [https://www.proquest.com/docview/904883983 "Robert Conrad's high sierra search and rescue filming a series in the back yard"], June 18, 1995, The Washington Post
= 2000s–2010s =
In 2005, he ran for President of the Screen Actors Guild.{{cite web |url=https://www.tvweek.com/in-depth/2005/08/robert-conrad-takes-his-slings/ |title=Robert Conrad Takes His Slingshot to SAG |date=August 1, 2005}} In 2006, Conrad recorded audio introductions for every episode of the first season of The Wild Wild West for its North American DVD release on June 6. The DVD set also included one of Conrad's Eveready battery commercials; in his introduction, Conrad stated he was flattered to be parodied by Carson. He was inducted into the Hollywood Stuntmen's Hall of Fame{{cite web|url=http://www.stuntmen.org/members.html|title=Stuntmen's Hall of Fame (listed as Bob Conrad)|publisher=Stuntmen.org|access-date=April 26, 2010}} for his work on The Wild Wild West series.{{cite web|url=http://www.nctc.net/hazard/conrad/shadoe|title=Shadoe Steele's Interview with Actor Robert Conrad|publisher=Nctc.net|access-date=October 5, 2016|archive-date=September 19, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919065352/http://www.nctc.net/hazard/conrad/shadoe/|url-status=dead}}
Beginning in 2008, he hosted a weekly two-hour national radio show (The PM Show with Robert Conrad) on CRN Digital Talk Radio. He appeared in the documentary film Pappy Boyington Field (released in July 2010 on DVD) where he recounted his personal insights about the legendary Marine Corps aviator he portrayed in the television series.{{cite web |url=https://www.museumofflight.org/News/2264/documentary-of-wwii-ace-pappy-boyington-screens-jan-10-and-11 |title=Documentary of World War II Ace Pappy Boyington Screens Jan. 10 and 11 |date=January 10, 2009 |publisher=Museum of Flight |access-date=March 5, 2019}}{{cite news |title='Pappy Boyington Field' Documentary Film Examines Historic Marine Aviator |url=http://www.salem-news.com/articles/march072010/pappy-honor.php |work=Salem-News.com |date=March 7, 2010 |access-date=March 5, 2019}} His last appearance on the radio show was July 18, 2019, and Mike Garey was his co-host.
Personal life and death
Conrad and his first wife Joan were married for 25 years and had five children. They divorced amicably in 1977.{{cite news |last=Winslow |first=Harriet |date=June 18, 1995 |title=NEED 911? DIAL C-O-N-R-A-D |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/tv/1995/06/18/need-911-dial-c-o-n-r-a-d/0e408c95-64cd-4707-b0a5-fa147273b82e/?noredirect=on |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=March 5, 2019}} That same year he met his second wife LaVelda Ione Fann. He was 43 when he emceed the Miss National Teenager Pageant, which she won. Their marriage produced three children before their divorce in 2010. His two families were said to "get along famously".{{Cite web|title=Tough Guy Robert Conrad, with His Offspring in Tow, Heads for the Hills and High Mountain Rangers|url=https://people.com/archive/tough-guy-robert-conrad-with-his-offspring-in-tow-heads-for-the-hills-and-high-mountain-rangers-vol-29-no-12/|access-date=October 15, 2020|website=People|language=EN}} Conrad was joined on some television shows by his sons, Shane and Christian, and his daughter, Nancy. Another daughter, Joan, became a television producer.{{cite news |last=Hutchings |first=David |date=March 28, 1988 |title=Tough Guy Robert Conrad, with His Offspring in Tow, Heads for the Hills and High Mountain Rangers |url=https://people.com/archive/tough-guy-robert-conrad-with-his-offspring-in-tow-heads-for-the-hills-and-high-mountain-rangers-vol-29-no-12/ |work=People |access-date=March 5, 2019}}
In a 2008 interview, Conrad described Chicago Outfit associate and burglar Michael Spilotro as his "best friend". Spilotro's murder was featured in the movie Casino.{{cite web|url=http://www.tonymedley.com/Articles/One_on_One_With_Robert_Conrad.htm|title=One on One with Robert Conrad|publisher=TonyMedley.com|date=August 17, 1957|access-date=April 26, 2010}} In 1984, Conrad was awarded a star on the Walk of Western Stars in Newhall, California (now a part of Santa Clarita).{{cite web|url=http://scvhistory.com/scvhistory/lw2102.htm|title=Downtown Newhall Walk of Western Stars|publisher=Scvhistory.com|date=April 16, 2013|access-date=October 5, 2016}}
Conrad was involved with a volunteer organization in Bear Valley, California, known as Bear Valley Search and Rescue, which later formed the basis for High Mountain Rangers.{{Cite news|title=Robert Conrad involved with Bear Valley Search and Rescue|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/tv/1995/06/18/need-911-dial-c-o-n-r-a-d/0e408c95-64cd-4707-b0a5-fa147273b82e|date=June 18, 1995|access-date=March 1, 2016|first=Harriet|last=Winslow|newspaper=The Washington Post}}
On March 31, 2003, while on Highway 4 in California's Sierra Nevada foothills near his Alpine County home, Conrad drove his Jaguar over the center median and slammed head-on into a Subaru driven by 26-year-old Kevin Burnett. Both men suffered serious injuries.{{cite web|url=http://media.www.thebatt.com/media/storage/paper657/news/2003/11/20/PeopleInTheNews/Actor.Robert.Conrad.To.Be.Tried.On.Felony.Dui.Charges-563550.shtml|title=Actor Robert Conrad to be tried on felony DUI charges|access-date=December 3, 2008|date=November 20, 2003|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080914181912/http://media.www.thebatt.com/media/storage/paper657/news/2003/11/20/PeopleInTheNews/Actor.Robert.Conrad.To.Be.Tried.On.Felony.Dui.Charges-563550.shtml|archive-date=September 14, 2008}} As a result, Conrad faced felony charges to which he pleaded no contest. His plea was accepted,{{cite news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna6576577|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111123045802/http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/6576577/ns/today-entertainment/t/robert-conrad-sentenced-dui-accident|url-status=live|archive-date=November 23, 2011|title=Robert Conrad sentenced for DUI accident|work=MSNBC.com|agency=Associated Press|date=November 24, 2004|access-date=February 23, 2011}} and he was convicted of drunk driving.{{cite news |title=Conrad gets off probation in drunken driving case |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/conrad-gets-probation-drunken-driving-138580 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=June 13, 2007 |access-date=March 5, 2019}}
He was sentenced to six months of house confinement, alcohol counseling, and five years' probation. A civil suit filed by Kevin Burnett against Conrad was settled the following year for an undisclosed amount. In 2005, Burnett died at age 28 from perforated ulcers; his family attributed them to his difficult recovery from the crash.{{Cite news|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=MS&p_theme=ms&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=10C1AE5A40E9CF78&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|title=Newsbank info re 2003 car crash|publisher=Nl.newsbank.com|date=August 19, 2005|access-date=April 26, 2010}}{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=gjFZAAAAIBAJ&pg=6969,1267594&dq=kevin+burnett+robert+conrad&hl=en|title=Man injured in Conrad accident dies from perforated ulcers at 28|date=August 9, 2005|access-date=October 5, 2016}} Conrad suffered severe nerve injuries from the crash, leaving his right side partially paralyzed.{{Cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/robert-conrad-takes-wrong-turn/|title=Robert Conrad Takes Wrong Turn|work=CBS News|date=April 15, 2003|access-date=April 26, 2010}}
Conrad died of heart failure in Malibu, California, on February 8, 2020, at age 84.{{cite news|url = https://deadline.com/2020/02/robert-conrad-dies-star-of-the-wild-wild-west-was-84-1202854756/|title = Robert Conrad Dies: Star Of 'The Wild Wild West' Was 84|last = Haring|first = Bruce|date = February 8, 2020 | access-date=February 8, 2020 | work = Deadline Hollywood}}
Filmography
=Film=
class="wikitable sortable" |
Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
---|
rowspan=2 | 1958
| Minor Role | Uncredited |
Thundering Jets
| Lt. Robert 'Tiger Bob' Kiley | |
1959
| Art | Uncredited |
1962
| Pete | Short film shot in 1957 |
1963
| Eric Dean | |
1964
| La nueva Cenicienta | Bob Conrad | |
1965
| |
rowspan=2 | 1967
| Ven a cantar conmigo | Roberto | |
The Bandits
| Chris Barrett | Also director and writer |
1969
| Keene | | Credited as Bob Conrad |
1975
| Allan Kuhn | |
1977
| Duke Smith | |
1979
| |
1982
| Gen. Wombat | |
1985
| Chief Rowe | Uncredited |
1994
| Gabe McBride | |
1996
| Officer Hummell | |
rowspan=2 | 1999
| New Jersey Turnpikes | | |
Garbage Day
| Garbage Thrower | Short |
2002
| Dead Above Ground | Reed Wilson | Final film role |
=Television=
class="wikitable sortable" |
Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
---|
rowspan="8" | 1959
| Juanito | Episode: "One Bullet from Broken Bow" |
Maverick
| Davie Barrows | Episode: "Yellow River" |
Sea Hunt
| Hal Peters / The Boat Captain | 2 episodes |
Highway Patrol
| Tommy Chugg | Episode: "Revenge" |
Lawman
| Davey Catterton | Episode: "Battle Scar" |
Colt .45
| Episode: "Amnesty" |
The Man and the Challenge
| Bill Howard | Episode: "Maximum Capacity" |
Lock-Up
| Harry Connors | Episode: "The Harry Connors Story" |
1959–1962
| rowspan="2" | Tom Lopaka | 4 episodes |
1959–1963
| 104 episodes |
1962
| Sgt. Griff Benedict | Episode: "And Cain Cried Out" |
1964
| Martin Purcell | Episode: "The Town That Trespassed" |
1965
| Gary Kemp | Episode: "Four into Zero" |
1965–1969
| Jim West | 104 episodes |
1968–1972
| Bobby / Press Allen / Eddie Lorca | 4 episodes |
rowspan="2" | 1969
| Mannix | Mitch Cantrell | Episode: "The Playground" |
The D.A.: Murder One
| Paul Ryan | rowspan="4" | Television film |
1970
| Eddie |
rowspan="3" | 1971
| The D.A.: Conspiracy to Kill | Deputy D.A. Paul Ryan |
Five Desperate Women
| Michael Wylie |
Adam-12
| rowspan="2" | Deputy D.A. Paul Ryan | Episode: "The Radical" |
1971–1972
| The D.A. | 15 episodes |
1972
| Adventures of Nick Carter | Television film |
1972–1973
| Jake Webster | 8 episodes |
1974
| Columbo | Milo Janus | Episode: "An Exercise in Fatality" |
1975
| The Last Day | Bob Dalton | rowspan="2" | Television film |
1976
| Sergeant Sam Marcum |
1976–1978
| Maj. Greg 'Pappy' Boyington | 36 episodes |
1977
| Laugh-In | Guest Performer | Episode: #1.4 |
1978
| Paul Ryan | Television film |
1978–1979
| Pasquinel | rowspan="2" | Television miniseries |
rowspan="4" | 1979
| The Duke | Oscar 'Duke' Ramsey |
The Wild Wild West Revisited
| Jim West | rowspan="2" | Television film |
Breaking Up Is Hard to Do
| Frank Scapa |
A Man Called Sloane
| Thomas R. Sloane | 12 episodes |
rowspan="2" | 1980
| Jim West | rowspan="10" | Television film |
Coach of the Year
| Jim Brandon |
1982 |
1983
| Confessions of a Married Man | |
1984
| Hard Knox | Col. Joe Knox |
1985
| Bill Stackhouse |
rowspan="4" | 1986
| Cmdr. Mark Van Meer |
Assassin
| Henry Stanton |
Charley Hannah
| Capt. Charley Hannah |
One Police Plaza
| Lt. Daniel B. Malone |
1987
| Corbett Cook | Episode: "A Killing in the Market" |
1987–1988
| Jesse Hawkes | 13 episodes |
rowspan="2" | 1988
| Police Story: Gladiator School | Officer Charles 'Chick' Stacy | rowspan="2" | Television film |
Glory Days
| Mike Moran |
1989
| Jesse Hawkes | 6 episodes |
1990
| Eddie Barton | rowspan="5" | Television film |
1992
| Mario and the Mob | Mario Dante |
1993
| Sworn to Vengeance | Sergeant Stewart |
rowspan="2" | 1994
| Two Fathers: Justice for the Innocent | Stackhouse |
Search and Rescue
| Tooter |
1995
| High Sierra Search and Rescue | Griffin 'Tooter' Campbell | 6 episodes |
1999
| Himself | Episode: "Jack Gets Tough" |
2000
| CalTrans Guy | Episode: "Heist" |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- {{IMDb name|1066}}
- {{The Interviews name|robert-conrad|Robert Conrad}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Conrad, Robert}}
Category:20th-century American male actors
Category:21st-century American male actors
Category:American male film actors
Category:American male television actors
Category:American people of German descent
Category:American stunt performers
Category:Male actors from California
Category:Male actors from Chicago
Category:Male actors from Malibu, California
Category:Male Western (genre) film actors