Pernell Roberts facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pernell Roberts
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Roberts in 1965
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| Born |
Pernell Elven Roberts Jr.
May 18, 1928 Waycross, Georgia, U.S.
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| Died | January 24, 2010 (aged 81) Malibu, California, U.S.
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| Occupation | Actor, singer, activist |
| Years active | 1949–2001 |
| Spouse(s) |
Vera Mowry
(m. 1951; div. 1959)Judith LeBrecque
(m. 1962; div. 1971)Kara Knack
(m. 1972; div. 1996)Eleanor Criswell
(m. 1997) |
| Children | 1 |
Pernell Elven Roberts Jr. (born May 18, 1928 – died January 24, 2010) was an American actor, singer, and activist. He was famous for his roles in TV shows like Bonanza and Trapper John, M.D..
Beyond acting, Roberts was also known for fighting for social justice throughout his life. For example, he took part in the Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965. He also pushed NBC to hire more diverse actors instead of having White people play characters from minority groups.
Contents
Early Life and First Steps in Acting
Pernell Roberts was born in 1928 in Waycross, Georgia. He was the only child of Pernell Elven Roberts Sr. and Minnie Myrtle Morgan Roberts. In high school, Pernell played the horn, acted in school plays, and sang in local shows for soldiers.
He went to Georgia Tech and the University of Maryland, but he didn't finish college. In 1946, he joined the United States Marine Corps and served for two years. He played the tuba and horn in the Marine Corps Band. He also knew how to play the sousaphone and other percussion instruments.
While at the University of Maryland, he started acting in classical plays like Othello. He left school to act in summer plays, which are shows performed during the summer.
In 1949, Roberts made his first professional stage appearance in a play called The Man Who Came to Dinner. He later performed in other plays like Night Must Fall and Pygmalion.
Moving to New York and Broadway
In 1952, Roberts moved to New York City. There, he acted in many off-Broadway shows, which are plays performed in smaller theaters. He also appeared on Broadway, which is the highest level of theater in the U.S. He won an award in 1955 for his role in Macbeth. He also played Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet.
Roberts also acted in other famous plays such as Twelfth Night, The Merchant of Venice, and The Taming of the Shrew.
Early TV and Film Roles
In 1956, Roberts started acting on television. His first TV appearance was in an episode of Kraft Television Theater. He then had guest roles in many Western TV shows like Gunsmoke and Cheyenne.
In 1957, he signed a contract with Columbia Pictures. He made his film debut in 1958 in Desire Under the Elms. He also appeared in The Sheepman with Glenn Ford and Shirley MacLaine. He continued to guest-star in TV shows like Shirley Temple Storybook Theater.
In 1959, Roberts appeared in more TV shows and co-starred in the film Ride Lonesome. This film was a Western where he played an interesting outlaw named Sam Boone. Later that year, he was cast in the famous TV show Bonanza.
His Time on Bonanza
Pernell Roberts played Adam Cartwright, the oldest son of Ben Cartwright, in the Western TV series Bonanza. Adam was different from his brothers because he had gone to college and was an architectural engineer.
Roberts was mostly a stage actor before Bonanza. He was used to playing many different characters. So, playing the same character on a TV series for a long time was hard for him. He left Bonanza after the 1964–65 season. He felt the show's stories were too simple and that it didn't have enough actors from minority groups.
He also didn't like that his character, an adult man, always had to ask his father for permission. He called the show "junk" TV. Roberts was very critical of his own work and felt that being on Bonanza was like a famous classical musician playing with a simple band.
Later, Roberts said he didn't enjoy Bonanza anymore, but he denied saying some of the harsh things people claimed he said. He did admit that he thought it was "a bit silly for three adult males to have to ask father's permission for everything they do." He wanted Bonanza to have more grown-up stories and deal with important social issues.
Roberts had hoped to contribute more to Bonanza. He was disappointed that his character was limited and that he couldn't act in other projects while under contract. After disagreements about the scripts and his character, Roberts decided to leave the show. He wanted to go back to acting in plays.
Roberts finished his six-year contract but did not renew it. When he left, his character, Adam, was written out of the show. The story said Adam had "moved away" or was running the family business on the East Coast. The last episode Roberts worked on aired on April 4, 1965.
The producer of Bonanza, David Dortort, said Roberts was "rebellious" but also that he "could make any scene he was in better." Dortort later regretted not trying harder to keep Roberts on the show.
Pernell Roberts was the only main actor on Bonanza who was also a skilled singer. During his time on the show, he recorded a folk music album called Come All Ye Fair and Tender Ladies. He also sang several songs on the Bonanza box-set albums.
Career After Bonanza
After leaving Bonanza, Roberts acted in many different roles. He performed in summer stock theatre and regional theaters. He also appeared in many TV shows, which allowed him to play a wide range of characters. He toured with famous musicals like The King and I and The Music Man. He also acted in dramas.
In 1972, Roberts returned to Broadway and toured with famous actress Ingrid Bergman in a play called Captain Brassbound's Conversion. He received good reviews for his performance. In 1973, he was nominated for an award for his role in Welcome Home in Chicago.
That same year, Roberts played Rhett Butler in a big production of Gone with the Wind in Los Angeles. He continued to get good reviews for his acting. He also appeared in other plays like One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and The Sound of Music.
Roberts guest-starred in many TV shows, including Mission: Impossible, The Rockford Files, Hawaii Five-O, and The Love Boat. He also appeared in TV movies and miniseries like Centennial. He starred in the films Four Rode Out (1971) and The Magic of Lassie (1978).
Becoming a TV Star Again
In 1979, Roberts became a big TV star again as the lead in Trapper John, M.D. (1979–1986). He played the character for seven years and was nominated for an Emmy Award in 1981. Roberts said he returned to weekly TV because he realized he needed financial security as he got older. The show allowed him to use his acting skills and discuss important issues.
Between his TV series, Roberts enjoyed traveling and playing different characters. He also visited university campuses to give talks about acting and plays.
In 1980, Roberts reunited with his former Bonanza co-star Lorne Greene for two episodes of the show Vega$.
In 1988, Roberts co-starred with Milla Jovovich in the TV movie The Night Train to Kathmandu. He also won an award in 1991 for his role in an episode of Young Riders.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Roberts became a TV spokesman for Ecotrin, a brand of pain relief tablets, using his doctor persona from Trapper John, M.D.. He also narrated documentaries for channels like National Geographic and the History Channel.
From 1991 to 1993, Roberts hosted and narrated the TV series FBI: The Untold Stories. His last TV appearance was in 1997 on an episode of Diagnosis: Murder.
In his later life, after all his Bonanza co-stars had passed away, Roberts jokingly called himself "Pernell, the last one, Roberts." He enjoyed reading Bonanza Gold Magazine and watching reruns of Bonanza to remember his old friends.
Personal Life and Passing
Pernell Roberts was married four times. His first marriage was in 1951 to Vera Mowry, a theater history professor. They had one child, Jonathan Christopher "Chris" Roberts. Pernell and Vera later divorced. Sadly, Chris Roberts died in a motorcycle accident in 1989.
Pernell Roberts married Judith Anna LeBrecque in 1962, and they divorced in 1971. He then married Kara Knack in 1972, and they divorced in 1996.
At the time of his death on January 24, 2010, Pernell Roberts was married to Eleanor Criswell. He passed away from pancreatic cancer.
Selected Filmography
Film Roles
- Desire Under the Elms (1958) - Peter Cabot
- The Sheepman (1958) - Chocktaw Neal
- Ride Lonesome (1959) - Sam Boone
- Four Rode Out (1970) - U.S. Marshal Ross
- The Magic of Lassie (1978) - Jamison
- High Noon, Part II: The Return of Will Kane (1980, TV Movie) - Marshal J. D. Ward
- Donor (1990, TV Movie) - Dr. Martingale
- Checkered Flag (1990) - Andrew Valiant
Partial Television Roles
- Bonanza (1959–1965) - Adam Cartwright
- Gunsmoke (1967) - Stranger in Town
- The Big Valley - 2 episodes
- Hawaii Five-O (1971) - Lon Phillips
- Mission: Impossible (four episodes)
- The Rockford Files (1975)
- Trapper John, M.D. (1979–1986) - Trapper John McIntyre
- The Love Boat (1980) - The Mallory Quest
- Diagnosis: Murder (1994–1997) - George Fallon / Dr. Elliott Valin (final appearance)
See also
In Spanish: Pernell Roberts para niños
