Robert Conrad (1929-)

biography

Born Conrad Robert Falk (some sources cite his name as Konrad Robert Falkowski) in Chicago on March 1, 1929 (some sources cite 1935), Robert Conrad majored in theater at Northwestern University. He married his first wife, Joan, in 1951; the couple eventually had five children together. In order to support his family, he was employed as a dock worker and a milkman for a period. In addition to acting, Conrad also had a great interest in music, appearing on several local Chicago programs as a singer in the 1950s. In the early 1960s, Conrad released a few singles, and Warner Bros. released a soundtrack album from his TV series Hawaiian Eye that featured songs by Connie Stevens, Robert Conrad, and Poncie Ponce.

By the late 1950s, Robert Conrad's acting career was underway, thanks to a helping hand from his friend, actor Nick Adams. Conrad's first film appearance came in the 1958 20th-Century Fox release Thundering Jets starring Rex Reason. In 1959, Conrad signed with Warner Bros., and the studio gave him a plum role in its popular series Hawaiian Eye, which also featured Anthony Eisley, Connie Stevens, Troy Donahue, and Grant Williams. This 1959-1963 TV series was a spin-off of the 1958-1964 series 77 Sunset Strip. Filmed in Burbank, Hawaiian Eye proved to be a popular show, lasting four seasons on ABC. Conrad portrayed Tom Lopaka, a detective with a office by the pool of the Hawaiian Village Hotel. His partner was Tracy Steele (Anthony Eisley), and in later seasons detectives Greg MacKenzie (Grant Williams) and Philip Barton (Troy Donahue) were added to the cast.

While under contract to Warner Bros., Robert Conrad acted in two films made by the studio: The Commies Are Coming, the Commies Are Coming (1962), directed by Jack Webb; and Palm Springs Weekend (1963; with Troy Donahue, Connie Stevens, and Ty Hardin). When Conrad's contract with Warner Bros. lapsed, the actor then took few roles in B movies, including The New Cinderella (1964) and Young Dillinger (1965). But his next role would be the one for which he is best remembered---as Jim West in the cutting-edge action/western CBS-TV series The Wild, Wild West. This role proved difficult for Robert Conrad to nail down. Originally, Rory Calhoun was to portray Jim West but backed out of the role. Also, John Derek auditioned and nearly got the part, but producers chose Robert Conrad, in part because he most often did his own stunts. As a result he was injured several times on the set. During the shooting of one episode, he slipped while performing a stunt and fell head first onto a concrete floor twelve feet below. Conrad was seriously injured, delaying production on the series for nearly three months.

the films of robert conrad

Hawaiian Eye (1959-1963 ABC TV Series)

Palm Springs Weekend (1963)

Young Dillinger (1965)

The Wild, Wild West (1965-1969 CBS TV Series)

Murph the Surf, aka Live a Little, Steal a Lot (1975)

Baa Baa Black Sheep (1976-1978 NBC TV Series)

Wrong Is Right (1982)

Jesse Hawkes (1989 TV Series)

robert conrad today

Robert Conrad's series Baa Baa Black Sheep premiered on NBC in September 1976. While the series had many fans, it was in a difficult time slot, and NBC cancelled the series in 1977. However, NBC revived the series that same year after many of the network's new programs were pulled due to poor ratings. In 1978, Conrad was nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance on Baa Baa Black Sheep, but NBC decided once again to cancel the series. Conrad also starred in the TV series Jesse Hawkes, High Mountain Rangers, and A Man Called Sloane.

Robert Conrad is likely now retired from acting. He was badly injured in a debilitating car accident in March 2003 and has undergone grueling physical therapy and several surgeries. Conrad's most recent media appearance was on the special CBS at 75, which aired in November 2003.

robert conrad films available from movies unlimited

The Wild Wild West: The Complete First Season [DVD](1965) DVD
All 28 episodes from the first season--including "The Night of the Inferno," "The Night of Sudden Death," "The Night of the Glowing Corpse," "The Night of the Red-Eyed Madmen," and "The of the Fatal Trap"--are collected in a seven-disc set. Standard; Soundtrack: English; audio commentary; more.
The Wild Wild West: The Complete Second Season [DVD](1966) DVD
All 28 episodes from season two (the first in color)--including "The Night of the Eccentrics," "The Night of the Raven," "The Night of the Poisonous Posey," "The Night of the Brain," and "The Night of the Bogus Bandits"--are collected in a seven-disc set. 24 1/4 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono.
The Wild Wild West: The Third Season [DVD](1967) DVD
All 24 episodes from season three--including "The Night of the Bubbling Death," "The Night of the Samurai," "The Night of the Falcon," "The Night of the Simian Terror," and "The Night of the Death-Maker"--are collected in a six-disc set. 20 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono.
The Wild Wild West: The Fourth Season [DVD](1968) DVD
All 24 episodes from season four--including "The Night of the Big Blackmail," "The Night of the Kraken," "The Night of Fire and Brimstone," "The Night of the Pistoleros," and "The Night of the Plague"--are collected in a six-disc set. 20 1/4 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono.
The Wild Wild West: The Complete TV Series [DVD] DVD
Includes all four seasons of "The Wild Wild West," plus a bonus disc of special features, including the made-for-TV movies "The Wild Wild West Revisited" (1979) and "More Wild Wild West" (1980).
Baa Baa Black Sheep, Vol. 1 [DVD](1976) DVD
The first 11 episodes of season one--including the feature-length pilot "Flying Misfits," "High Jinx," "The Meatball Circus," "Anyone for Suicide?," and "The Cat's Whiskers"--are collected in a two-disc set. 9 3/4 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; interviews.
Baa Baa Black Sheep, Vol. 2 [DVD](1977) DVD
The final 12 episodes of season one--including "Love and War," "Devil in the Slot," "The Last Mission Over Sengai," "W*A*S*P*S," and "The Fastest Gun"--are collected in a three-disc set. 9 3/4 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English (SDH). **12 episodes on 3 discs. 9 3/4 hrs.**
Warner Bros. Romance Classics Collection [DVD] DVD
First, "Parrish" (1961) stars Troy Donahue as a young man frustrated with his attempts to fit in with New England's rich tobacco growers. When his mother marries one of them, his attempts to climb the social ladder are thwarted by his stepdad. With Claudette Colbert, Karl Malden. Next, Connie Stevens shines as "Susan Slade" (1961), a naive teen who falls for a mountain climber during an Alaskan vacation. But when the ensuing affair results in the birth of a child, tragedy soon follows. With Donahue, Dorothy McGuire, Grant Williams. Then, in "Rome Adventure" (1962), Suzanne Pleshette plays an American librarian who travels to the Eternal City to find romance. After a relationship with a native, she falls for an art student from the United States. Donahue, Rossano Brazzi, Angie Dickinson co-star. AKA: "Lovers Must Learn." Lastly, in "Palm Springs Weekend" (1963), college jocks and pretty young gals experience plenty of romance, jealousy, and fights at the California resort. Donahue, Stevens, Stefanie Powers, Ty Hardin star. 7 3/4 hrs. total. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English (SDH), French; theatrical trailers. Four-disc set.
Coach Of The Year [DVD](1980) DVD
Fine drama starring Robert Conrad as a former pro football player who returns home from Vietnam in a wheelchair. He attempts to put his life back together by serving as coach for his former team, but when they turn him down, he takes a job with a juvenile reformatory. Erin Gray, Red West co-star. 90 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English; bonus short; trivia; more.
Assassin [DVD](1986) DVD
An unfeeling, unstoppable cyborg killing machine has been set loose upon America's key policymakers by its demented creator...and retired intelligence man Robert Conrad is the only hope to halt this juggernaut of destruction! With Karen Austin, Jonathan Banks. 94 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; filmographies; scene access; more.
Sworn To Vengeance [DVD](1993) DVD
A lack of evidence while investigating the horrific murders of three teenagers forces a veteran police sergeant to reluctantly accept help from a woman who claims to have had a psychic vision that could lead to the killer. Compelling whodunit, based on a true story, stars Robert Conrad, Sharon Farrell, William McNamara, and Tom Atkins. 93 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English.
Two Fathers: Justice For The Innocent [DVD](1994) DVD
Eight years after they took down the drug dealer who murdered their children, a blue collar widower from Chicago (Robert Conrad) and an upscale Boston businessman (George Hamilton) must team up once again when they learn the killer has escaped from prison. Danny Goldring, Mary Mulligan co-star. 94 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English.
High Sierra Search And Rescue [DVD](1995) DVD
Robert Conrad starred in this short-lived NBC adventure series about a group of ordinary small-town folks who put their lives on the line as volunteers for a mountain search and rescue team. Dee Wallace-Stone, Ramon Franco, Jason Lewis, Brittany Powell co-star. All seven episodes of the series--"Tooter and His Gang," "Mozart and Stone," "If You Have to Ask the Price," "Shifting Winds," the two-part "Lilith," and "Past, Present"--are included on this disc. 5 1/4 hrs. total.
Jingle All The Way (Family Fun Edition) [DVD](1996) DVD
When harried dad Arnold Schwarzenegger promises his son he'll get the season's most popular item, a Turbo-Man action figure, on December 25th and then forgets to buy it, his Christmas Eve becomes a comical store-to-store quest to find the sold-out toy that pits him against another Turbo-seeker, maniacal mailman Sinbad, in this wild holiday comedy for the whole family. Phil Hartman, Rita Wilson also star. Director's cut; 122 min. Widescreen; Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital Surround, Spanish Dolby Digital stereo; Subtitles: English, Spanish; audio commentary by Schwarzenegger, Wilson, Sinbad; "making of" documentary; games.
Dead Above Ground [DVD](2002) DVD
In the spine-tingling spirit of "The Ring" comes this thrilling horror tale. A year after the death of a tortured teen, his former tormentors begin dying in ways eerily similar to those depicted in a video he made for a class project. When a new student moves into the dead high schooler's old house, he becomes determined to stop the otherworldly reign of terror. Antonio Sabato, Jr., Lisa Ann Hadley, Charlie Weber star. 90 min. Widescreen; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital stereo.

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filmography

FILM
Dead Above Ground (2002) with Antonio Sabato Jr.
New Jersey Turnpikes (1999) with Kelsey Grammer, Susan Anton, and Jim Brown
Jingle All the Way (1996) with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sinbad, Phil Hartman, and Martin Mull
Search and Rescue (1994) with Dee Wallace-Stone, Chad McQueen, and Wil Shriner
Two Fathers: Justice for the Innocent (1994) with George Hamilton and Bo Kaprall
Samurai Cowboy (1993) with Catherine Mary Stewart and Conchata Ferrell
Sworn to Vengeance (1993) with William McNamara, Sharon Farrell, and Peter Breck
Mario and the Mob (1992) with Ann Jillian and Bo Kaprall
Anything to Survive (1990) with Matt LeBlanc
Glory Days (1988)
Police Story: Gladiator School (1988) with Ed O'Neill and Benjamin Bratt
High Mountain Rangers (1987) with Christian Conrad and Shane Conrad
One Police Plaza (1986)
Charley Hannah (1986) with Christian Conrad and Shane Conrad
Assassin (1986)
The Fifth Missile (1986) with Sam Waterston, Richard Roundtree, Yvette Mimieux, and David Soul
Two Fathers' Justice (1985) with George Hamilton and Bo Kaprall
Moving Violations (1985) with John Murray, Jennifer Tilly, James Keach, Wendie Jo Sperber, Fred Willard, and Sally Kellerman
Hard Knox (1984) with Reb Brown
Confessions of a Married Man (1983)
Wrong Is Right (1982) with Sean Connery, George Grizzard, Katharine Ross, and John Saxon
Will: The Autobiography of G. Gordon Liddy (1982)
Coach of the Year (1980) with Erin Gray
More Wild Wild West (1980) with Ross Martin, Jonathan Winters, Harry Morgan, Rene Auberjonois, and Victor Buono
Breaking Up Is Hard to Do (1979) with Ted Bessell, Jeff Conaway, Billy Crystal, Bonnie Franklin, and Bridget Hanley
The Lady in Red (1979) with Pamela Sue Martin, Louise Fletcher, Christopher Lloyd, Dick Miller, and Nancy Parsons
The Wild Wild West Revisited (1979) with Ross Martin, Paul Williams, Harry Morgan, and Rene Auberjonois
Baa Baa, Black Sheep (1976) with Simon Oakland, Dana Elcar, Robert Ginty, Dirk Blocker, John Larroquette, and Sharon Gless
Smash-Up on Interstate 5 (1976) with Buddy Ebsen, Terry Moore, Herb Edelman, Harriet Nelson, Tommy Lee Jones, Vera Miles, and Donna Mills
Murph the Surf (1975) with Don Stroud and Donna Mills
Sudden Death (1975) with John Ashley and Don Stroud
The Last Day (1975) with Richard Widmark, Barbara Rush, Richard Jaeckel, and Tim Matheson
Adventures of Nick Carter (1972) with Shelley Winters, Pernell Roberts, and Jaye P. Morgan
Five Desperate Women (1971) with Bradford Dillman and Stefanie Powers
D.A.: Conspiracy to Kill (1970) with William Conrad, Leslie Parrish, and Don Stroud
Weekend of Terror (1970) with Carol Lynley and Lee Majors
D.A.: Murder One (1969) with Diane Baker and Scott Brady
The Bandits (1967) with Jan Michael Vincent; directed by Robert Conrad
Ven a cantar conmigo (1966)
Young Dillinger (1965) with Nick Adams, John Ashley, Joy Harmon, and Beverly Hills
The New Cinderella (1964) with Fernando Rey
Palm Springs Weekend (1963) with Troy Donahue, Connie Stevens, and Ty Hardin
The Commies Are Coming, the Commies Are Coming (1962) with Peter Brown, Jack Webb, Jack Kelly, Jeanne Cooper, and Peter Breck
Thundering Jets (1958) with Rex Reason, Dick Foran, Audrey Dalton, Barry Coe, Sid Melton, and Gregg Palmer

TELEVISION SERIES
High Sierra Search and Rescue, 1995 NBC TV series. Conrad portrayed Tooter Campbell
Jesse Hawkes, series aired 1989
High Mountain Rangers, series aired 1988
A Man Called Sloane, 1979-1980 NBC TV series. Conrad portrayed Thomas Remington Sloane
The Duke, 1979 NBC TV series. Conrad portrayed Duke Ramsey
Centennial, 1978 NBC miniseries. Conrad portrayed Pasquinel
Baa Baa Black Sheep, 1976-1978 NBC TV series. Conrad portrayed Major Greg 'Pappy' Boyington
Assignment Vienna, 1972 ABC TV series. Conrad portrayed Jake Webster
The D.A., 1971-1972 NBC TV series
The Wild, Wild West, 1965-1969 CBS TV series. Conrad portrayed James T. West
Hawaiian Eye, 1959-1963 ABC TV series. Conrad portrayed Tom Lopaka