Pernell Roberts
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| Pernell Roberts | |
| Birth name | Pernell Roberts |
| Born | May 18, 1928 (age 78) Waycross, Georgia, USA |
| Spouse(s) | Vera Mowry (1950- ), Judith Anna Roberts (October 15, 1962-1971), Kara Knack (1972-1996) |
| Notable roles | Adam in TV series Bonanza, Trapper John, M.D. in TV series Trapper John, M.D. |
Pernell Roberts (b. 18 May 1928, Waycross, Georgia) is an American television actor. 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.
He began his acting career in off-Broadway and Broadway theatre in New York City.
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[edit] 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. "Bonanza" continued without him for another eight seasons.
[edit] After Bonanza
Roberts continued to do guest shots on TV shows such as, The Big Valley, Mission Impossible, Gunsmoke, Mannix, and Hawaii 5-0. Roberts' rich baritone voice was displayed when he played Jigger in the CBS 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). A guest appearance by Roberts as Hezekiah Horn in the Young Riders episode "Requiem for a Hero", which won a Western Heritage Award in 1991.
He hosted FBI: The Untold Stories in 1991 and is now retired, the last surviving "Cartwright."
[edit] Personal Life
Roberts married three times. First to Vera Mowry in 1950 with whom he had his only child(Jonathan Christopher Roberts); they later divorced. He later married Judith Anna Roberts on October 15, 1962; they divorced in 1971. His last marriage was to Kara Knack, whom he married in 1972; they divorced in 1996.
[edit] Trivia
- While co-star Dan Blocker was a car enthusiast (Chevrolet sponsored "Bonanza" and the stars were sometimes given new cars), Roberts loved motorcycles and often rode some around the western lots in between takes.
- Roberts' only child, Jonathan Christopher Roberts died in a motorcycle accident at 38 years of age. (b.1951 - d.1989)
[edit] External links
- Pernell Roberts at the Internet Movie Database
- At Bonanza World, a 1963 article on Pernell Roberts secretly marrying during a lunch break
- Pernell Roberts at TV.com
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