Pernell Roberts

Infobox actor
name = Pernell Roberts


birthname = Pernell Elvin Roberts
birthdate = birth date and age|1928|5|18|mf=y
birthplace = Waycross, Georgia
U.S.
yearsactive = 1958-1997
spouse = Vera Mowry (1951-),
Judith Anna LeBreque (1962–1971),
Kara Knack (1972–1996)
children = 1 Son

Pernell Elvin Roberts (born May 18, 1928 in Waycross, Georgia) is an American television actor and singer. He is best known for his roles as Ben Cartwright's eldest son, Adam Cartwright, on "Bonanza" (a role he played from 1959 to 1965), and as chief surgeon, Dr. Trapper John MacIntyre, the title character on "Trapper John, M.D." He is also known for his activism, which included participation in the Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965, and pressuring NBC to refrain from hiring Caucasians to portray minority characters.

Early Life

During his high school years he sang in local USO shows. He flunked out of Georgia Tech then served for 2 years in the United States Marine Corps. Then he attended the University of Maryland and also flunked out there. He began his acting career in off-Broadway and Broadway theatre in New York City. He then worked with the Arena Stage Company in Washington, D.C.

Bonanza

He came to prominence playing Adam, Ben Cartwright's urbane eldest son, in the TV series "Bonanza." Despite the show’s success and his own popularity, he left the series after the sixth season in 1965 due to disagreements with the writers and a desire to return to the stage to perform legitimate theatre. Among other complaints, Roberts argued that a 34-year-old educated, Eastern-born Adam would not be calling his father "Pa." The writers tacitly agreed not to exceed three "Pa" references per episode. According to producer David Dortort in the February 2006 "Bonanza Gold" issue, Roberts wanted to quit wearing his toupee. Since, in real life, there were fewer than thirteen years of age between Roberts and Lorne Greene, the bald Adam would not translate well on screen. "Bonanza" continued without Roberts for another eight seasons.

After Bonanza

Roberts continued to do guest shots on TV shows such as, "The Big Valley", "," "The Wild Wild West," "Gunsmoke," "Mannix," "The Odd Couple," "Hawaii Five-O," and "The Hardy Boys." Roberts' rich baritone voice was displayed when he played Jigger in the ABC Television presentation of "Carousel" and Rhett Butler in the Los Angeles production of "Scarlett." He regained star status in the early 1980s when he starred in the long-running television series "Trapper John, M.D." (1979-86). Roberts played the character almost twice as long as Wayne Rogers played him on the CBS "M*A*S*H" series (1972–1975). In 1988, he co-starred with Milla Jovovich in the TV movie, "The Night Train to Kathmandu." A guest appearance by Roberts as Hezekiah Horn in the "Young Riders" episode "Requiem for a Hero," won a Western Heritage Award in 1991. [ [http://www.nationalcowboymuseum.org/e_awar_winn_ficdr.html#factualtvdrama Western Heritage Award] ]

He hosted "" in 1991 and is now retired, the lone surviving original cast member of "Bonanza." Roberts made his last TV appearance (to date) on a 2001 "Diagnosis Murder," updating a "Mannix" character he had performed decades before.

In the 1980s and '90s, playing off his "Trapper John M.D." persona, Roberts was a TV spokesman for Ecotrin, a brand of analgesic tablets.

Personal life

Roberts married three times. His first marriage was to Vera Mowry, a professor at Washington State University, in 1951 with whom he had his only child (Jonathan Christopher Roberts); they later separated and divorced. [ [http://www.geocities.com/Athens/3611/faq.htm Pernell Roberts FAQ] ] He later married Judith Anna LeBreque on October 15 1962 [ [http://bonanzaworld.net/article7.php Johnson, Milt. TV Radio Mirror 1963] ] ; they divorced in 1971. His last marriage was to Kara Knack, whom he married in 1972; they divorced in 1996.

Roberts' only child, Jonathan Christopher Roberts, died in a motorcycle accident at 38 years of age. (b.1951 - d.1989)

References

External links

*
* [http://www.ibdb.com/person.php?id=57997 Pernell Roberts at the Internet Broadway Database]
*
* [http://www.pernellrobertsaroundtheworld.com Pernell Roberts Around the World]
* At Bonanza World, [http://bonanzaworld.net/article7.php/ a 1963 article on Pernell Roberts secretly marrying during a lunch break]
* [http://www.bonanzaboomers.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=22 Articles and pictures of Pernell Roberts] at BonanzaBoomers.com