Everything about Robert Conrad totally explained
» For the U.S. judge, see Robert J. Conrad
Robert Conrad (born
March 1,
1935) is an
American film and TV
actor and
director. He is primarily known for the
1965-1969 CBS television series The Wild Wild West, in which he played the sophisticated
Secret Service agent
James West.
Biography
Early life
Conrad was born as
Conrad Robert Falk in
Chicago, Illinois. During his early career one of Conrad's best friends was actor
Nick Adams, who by many accounts helped him get work in Hollywood.
Career
Before
The Wild Wild West, Conrad played Tom Lopaka in
ABC's
Hawaiian Eye opposite
Anthony Eisley and
Connie Stevens. In the mid-
1970s he played
World War II fighter ace Pappy Boyington in
Baa Baa Black Sheep on
NBC. His half-brother,
Larry Manetti, also appeared in this series, as well as the CBS series
Magnum, P.I.. In the late 1970s, Conrad served as the captain of the
NBC team for six editions of
Battle of the Network Stars. He also played a modern day variation of James West in the short-lived secret agent series
A Man Called Sloane in 1979, about the same time he reprised the role of West in a pair of made-for-TV films. He also starred in the 1978 TV miniseries
Centennial on NBC.
Conrad was widely identified in the late 1970s for his
television commercials for
Eveready batteries, particularly his challenge to the viewer to "knock the battery off my shoulder". The commercial was frequently parodied on
Johnny Carson's
The Tonight Show and
The Carol Burnett Show. In 1988, Conrad starred in a short lived TV series called
High Mountain Rangers with two of his sons. He also starred in that show's one season spin-off
Jesse Hawkes. In 1992, Conrad played the role of the
sheriff in Richard Marx's
Hazard video.
Conrad took over hosting
The History Channel's
Weapons At War (later
Tech Force) in
2000 following
George C. Scott's 1999 death. In
2006, Conrad recorded special 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 that he was flattered to be parodied by Carson.
He was inducted into the Stuntman's Hall of Fame for his work on
The Wild, Wild West series.
Personal life
Conrad is the father of eight children by two marriages. He lived in
Bear Valley, California in the
High Sierras until
2006, and now lives in Southern California with his current wife, LaVelda Fann, who is originally from
Gadsden, Alabama, and their children.
Conrad was good friends with
Michael Spilotro, whom the FBI identified as an associate of the
Chicago mafia (a/k/a "The Outfit") and a suspected murderer and professional burglar. The friendship came to an abrupt end when Spilotro was beaten to death with baseball bats and buried in an
Indiana cornfield in a famous mafia slaying. The slaying of Conrad's mafia friend is portrayed in the movie
Casino.
Conrad has been out of the public eye since
2003, when he was involved in a devastating car accident. Conrad was driving his
Jaguar while drunk on Highway 4 in the California Sierra foothills near his
Calaveras County home, when he crossed over the center median and slammed head-on into a
Subaru being driven by 26-year-old Kevin Burnett. Both men suffered serious injuries. Conrad was convicted of drunk driving (his blood-alcohol level was 0.22 percent, nearly three times the legal limit) and was sentenced to six months of house arrest, five years probation and alcohol counseling, and is banned from bars. He also lost his driver's license for one year.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Robert Conrad'.
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