- Born
- Died
- Birth nameConrad Robert Norton Falk
- Nickname
- Bob
- Height5′ 8″ (1.73 m)
- Robert Conrad was a graduate of Northwestern University, spending his first few years out of school supporting himself and his family by driving a milk truck and singing in a Chicago cabaret. Conrad befriended up-and-coming actor Nick Adams during this period, and it was Adams who helped Conrad get his first Hollywood work in 1957. A few movie bit parts later, Conrad was signed for a comparative pittance by Warner Bros. studios, and in 1959 was cast as detective Tom Lopaka on the weekly adventure series Hawaiian Eye. Upon the 1963 cancellation of this series, Conrad made a handful of Spanish and American films and toured with a nightclub act in Australia and Mexico City. Cast as frontier secret agent James West in The Wild Wild West (1965) in 1965, Conrad brought home $5000 a week during the series' first season and enjoyed increasing remunerations as West remained on the air until 1969. There are those who insist that Wild Wild West would have been colorless without the co-starring presence of Ross Martin, an opinion with which Conrad has always agreed. The actor's bid to star in a 1970 series based on the venerable Nick Carter pulp stories got no further than a pilot episode, while the Jack Webb-produced 1971 Robert Conrad series The D.A. was canceled after 13 episodes. When Roy Scheider pulled out of the 1972 adventure weekly Assignment: Vienna, Conrad stepped in--and was out, along with the rest of Assignment: Vienna, by June of 1973. Conrad had better luck with 1976's Baa Baa Black Sheep, aka Black Sheep Squadron, a popular series based on the World War II exploits of Major "Pappy" Boyington. Cast as a nurse on this series was Conrad's daughter Nancy, setting a precedent for nepotism that the actor practiced as late as his tenth TV series, 1989's Jesse Hawkes, wherein Conrad co-starred with his sons Christian and Shane.
Though few of his series have survived past season one, Conrad has enjoyed success as a commercial spokesman and in the role of G. Gordon Liddy (whom the actor admired) in the 1982 TV movie Will: The Autobiography of G. Gordon Liddy (1982). As can be gathered from the Liddy assignment, Conrad's politics veered towards conservatism; in 1981, he and Charlton Heston were instrumental in toppling Ed Asner and his liberal contingent from power in the Screen Actors Guild.
As virile and athletic as ever in the 1990s, Robert Conrad continued to appear in action roles both on TV and in films; he also maintained strong ties with his hometown of Chicago, and could be counted on to show up at a moment's notice as a guest on the various all-night programs of Chicago radio personality Eddie Schwartz.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous
- SpousesLaVelda Fann(March 28, 1983 - 2010) (divorced, 3 children)Joan Kenlay(February 23, 1952 - 1977) (divorced, 5 children)
- ChildrenKaja ConradChelsea Conrad
- ParentsLeonard Henry FalkowskiJackie Smith
- RelativesJesse Erwin(Grandchild)
- Playing egotistical, arrogant or conceited characters
- His smug attitude
- Piercing blue eyes
- Diminutive stature
- He was a Deputy Sheriff for approximately eight years in the Bear Valley area of California, where he resided.
- Had an undefeated professional boxing record of 4-0-1.
- On The Wild Wild West (1965) he did most of his own stunt work, resulting in several injuries during the course of the show. During one episode's shooting he slipped while performing a stunt and fell head- first onto a concrete floor 12 feet below. Seriously injured, his recuperation delayed the series' production for nearly three months.
- During the Battle of the Network Stars (1976), Conrad and Gabe Kaplan (Welcome Back, Kotter (1975)) had an infamous showdown. Conrad was the NBC Team Captain, Kaplan was ABC Team Captain. A dispute arose over the winner of an event, and Conrad really lost his temper, pacing and saying he wouldn't accept that the other team had won. Finally he insisted that he and Kaplan, as team captains, have a race and the winner would win the event for their team. Conrad had underestimated Kaplan, however, who won easily, which made Conrad look pretty foolish.
- When Wild Wild West (1999), the 1999 theatrical remake of his TV series The Wild Wild West (1965) swept the 20th Annual Razzie Awards, "winning" five statuettes (including Worst Picture), Conrad attended the ceremony and accepted three of the awards in person as his way of expressing his low opinion of what had been done with his source material. He then delivered them in person to the actual recipients.
- [11/61, interview in Photoplay magazine] I neither condemn nor condone the morals of others. I think there are very few, really, whose conduct reflects unfavorably on the rest of us in this mythical kingdom of Hollywood. There are men who need many women in order to bolster their egos--half the time, they don't remember the girl's name afterward. But I've got a good ego to start with, and I'm too sensitive for a quick relationship with a dame and sex alone would never be enough for me. Marriage is something that goes way beyond the flesh. Each human being has his own need for security . . . It's great to have someone to lean on . . . it's great to have someone lean on you.
- [about The Wild Wild West (1965)] We always put in lot more (fighting) than we really wanted to see. (The censors) would say, "We're going to take out two punches . . . two of this . . . three of that . . . ". So when they finished,we were still left with what we really wanted anyway.
- [3/61, interview in Motion Picture magazine] Sometimes I'm so preoccupied you have to drop a bomb to communicate with me and most of the time I only average four hours sleep. I don't mind. I wanted to work this hard.
- [10/62, asked in interview in Photoplay magazine if his daughter were to marry as a teenager like he did] If some sixteen-year-old punk were to come to me and say, "Sir, I want to marry your daughter" I'd say, "Fine", and escort him to an analyst. The average boy that age isn't remotely capable--from any point of view, including the emotional--of supporting a family.
- [10/62, interview in Photoplay magazine] If one of the girls came to me before she had finished high school and announced that she had intended to marry a boy with no job and little education, I'd forbid it--just like a stern father in a melodrama.
- Death Ray 2000 (1981) - $100,000 per 1 hour episode
- The Wild Wild West (1965) - $5,000 per week
- Hawaiian Eye (1959) - $300 per week
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