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Pernell Roberts

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Biography

Pernell Roberts began his career on the Broadway stage, but soon became famous for his portrayal of Adam Cartwright on the long-running series Bonanza.…more

Born

5/18/1928, Waycross, Georgia

Died

1/24/2010

Birth Name

Pernell Elvin Roberts

Gender

Male

Credits

Star (6)

Role
- Trapper John, M.D.
  John Francis Xavier McIntyre
  - S 7: Ep 19 The Elusive Butterfly
    9/4/86
  - S 7: Ep 18 Strange Bedfellows
    8/28/86
  - S 7: Ep 17 Research and Destroy
    8/21/86
  - S 7: Ep 16 Self-Diagnosis
    8/14/86
  - S 7: Ep 15 The Curmudgeon
    3/18/86
  - + 146 More Credits
- Centennial
  General Asher
- Jigsaw
  Sgt. Gustafson
- San Francisco International Airport
  Jim Conrad (pilot episode)
- FBI: The Untold Stories
  Host/Himself
  - S 1: Ep 2 Killer Patrol
  - S 1: Ep 5 Dapper Drew
  - S 1: Ep 1 Kill for Love
  - S 1: Ep 3 Kiritsis
  - S 1: Ep 4 Operation Headache
- Bonanza
  Adam Cartwright (1959-1965)
  - S 6: Ep 29 To Own the World
    4/18/65
  - S 6: Ep 28 A Good Night's Rest
    4/11/65
  - S 6: Ep 27 Dead and Gone
    4/4/65
  - S 6: Ep 26 The Trap
    3/28/65
  - S 6: Ep 25 Hound Dog
    3/21/65
  - + 159 More Credits
Guest Star (95)

Role
- Diagnosis Murder
  Dr. Elliott Valin
  - S 2: Ep 9 The Last Laugh Part One
    11/11/94
- The Young Riders
  Hezekiah Horn
  - S 2: Ep 8 Requiem for a Hero
    11/17/90
- Perry Mason
  Thatcher Horton
  - S 11: Ep 3 The Case of the All-Star Assassin
    11/19/89
- Circus of the Stars
  Performer
  - S 1: Ep 10 SPECIAL #10
    12/8/85
- Hotel
  Charles Stanton
  - S 1: Ep 1 Hotel
    8/21/82
- Battle of the Network Stars
  CBS Team Captain
  - S 6: Ep 2 Special #12
    5/7/82
  - S 6: Ep 1 Special #11
    11/20/81
- The Love Boat
  Brian Mallory
  - S 4: Ep 6 The Mallory Quest/The Offer/Julie, the Vamp (2)
    11/15/80
  - S 4: Ep 5 The Mallory Quest/The Offer/Julie, the Vamp (1)
    11/15/80
- Vegas
  Mr. Logan
  - S 3: Ep 2 Aloha, You're Dead (2)
    11/5/80
  - S 3: Ep 1 Aloha, You're Dead (1)
    11/5/80
- Vegas
  Pete Sedgewick
  - S 1: Ep 7 Milliken's Stash
    11/8/78
- Quincy, M.E.
  Unknown
  - S 4: Ep 4 Death by Good Intention
    10/26/78
  - S 2: Ep 4 Visitors in Paradise
    2/18/77
- The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries
  Detective Superintendant Molly
  - S 3: Ep 3 Assault on the Tower
    10/15/78
- Centennial
  General Laban Asher
- The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries
  Chief Madison
  - S 2: Ep 21 Arson & Old Lace
    4/1/78
- The Rockford Files
  B.J. Anderson
  - S 4: Ep 22 The House on Willis Avenue (2)
    2/24/78
- The Man From Atlantis
  Clint Hollister
  - S 2: Ep 6 Shoot Out at Land's End
    11/8/77
- Westside Medical
  Guest Star
  - S 1: Ep 6 Risks
    6/30/77
- The Feather And Father Gang
  Guest Star
  - S 1: Ep 7 The Golden Fleece
    5/21/77
- The Streets of San Francisco (1972)
  Charlie Finn
  - S 5: Ep 21 Breakup
    5/12/77
- Police Woman (1978)
  Wagner
  - S 3: Ep 23 Deadline: Death
    3/22/77
  - S 3: Ep 24 Deadline: Death
    3/22/77
- Most Wanted
  Guest Star
  - S 1: Ep 17 The Driver
    3/14/77
- Baretta
  Johnny Hillman
  - S 3: Ep 16 The Reunion
    2/2/77
- Switch
  Barnes
  - S 2: Ep 16 Camera Angles
    1/30/77
- Barnaby Jones
  Matthews
  - S 5: Ep 13 Testament of Power
    1/20/77
- Spencer's Pilots
  Pete/Marshall Dunnell
  - S 1: Ep 8 The Sailplane
    11/19/76
- Jigsaw John
  Roger
  - S 1: Ep 8 Death Of The Party
    3/22/76
- The Six Million Dollar Man
  Mark Wharton*
  - S 3: Ep 16 Hocus-Pocus
    1/18/76
- Cannon
  Phil Denton
  - S 5: Ep 18 The House of Cards
    1/14/76
- Bronk
  Collicos
  - S 1: Ep 12 Deception
    12/7/75
- Ellery Queen
  Rosh Kaleel/Barney Groves/Major George Pearson
  - S 1: Ep 8 The Adventure of Colonel Nivin's Memoirs
    10/23/75
- Medical Story
  Guest Star
  - S 1: Ep 4 Test Case
    9/25/75
- Police Story
  Sal Grosser
  - S 2: Ep 16 To Steal A Million
    2/4/75
- Nakia
  Matt Waywood
  - S 1: Ep 10 Roots of Anger
    11/30/74
- The Odd Couple
  Billy Joe
  - S 5: Ep 6 Strike Up the Band or Else
    10/17/74
- Police Story
  Charlie Rivas
  - S 1: Ep 22 Chief
    3/19/74
- Hawkins
  Guest Star
  - S 1: Ep 8 Candidate for Murder
    3/5/74
- Mannix
  George
  - S 7: Ep 4 Little Girl Lost
    10/7/73
- Mission: Impossible
  Boomer
  - S 7: Ep 22 Imitation
    3/30/73
- Marcus Welby, M.D.
  Tom Boyd
  - S 4: Ep 23 The Day After Forever
    2/27/73
- Banacek
  Matthew Donniger
  - S 1: Ep 5 To Steal a King
    11/15/72
- The Sixth Sense
  Paul Pettigrew
  - S 2: Ep 7 I Did Not Mean to Slay Thee
    11/11/72
- Owen Marshall, Counselor At Law
  character name
  - S 2: Ep 6 The Trouble with Ralph
    10/19/72
- Assignment Vienna
  C.C. Boyan
  - — Assignment—Munich
    4/30/72
- The David Frost Show
  Himself
  - S 4: Ep 124 March 10, 1972
    3/10/72
- Alias Smith and Jones
  Terence Tynan
  - S 2: Ep 15 21 Days to Tenstrike
    1/6/72
- Night Gallery
  Joe Bellman
  - S 2: Ep 45 The Tune in Dan's Cafe
    1/5/72
- The Virginian
  The Stranger
  - S 9: Ep 23 Wolf Track
    3/17/71
- Hawaii Five-O
  Lon Phillips
  - S 3: Ep 24 The Grandstand Play (2)
    3/10/71
  - S 3: Ep 23 The Grandstand Play (1)
    3/3/71
- The Name of the Game
  Ernie Subich
  - S 3: Ep 22 Beware of the Watchdog
    3/5/71
- Alias Smith and Jones
  Sam Finrock
  - S 1: Ep 3 Exit from Wickenburg
    1/28/71
- Mission: Impossible
  Chief Manuel Corba
  - S 4: Ep 24 Death Squad
    3/15/70
- Whirlybirds
  Matt Reynolds
  - S 2: Ep 6 Search For The Unknown Man
- The Quest
  Guest Star
  - S 1: Ep 12 The Last Of The Mountain Men
- Ironside
  Harry Blocker
  - S 8: Ep 17 The Organizer
- Lancer
  Theodore Banning
  - S 2: Ep 8 Welcome to Genesis
    11/18/69
- The Name of the Game
  Hank
  - S 2: Ep 5 Chains of Command
    10/17/69
- The Bold Ones: The New Doctors
  Guest Star
- Mission: Impossible
  Colonel Hans Krim
  - S 3: Ep 4 The Mercenaries
    10/27/68
- The Big Valley
  Ed Tanner
  - S 4: Ep 4 Run of the Cat
    10/21/68
- The Joey Bishop Show
  Himself
  - S 2: Ep 211 July 12, 1968
    7/12/68
- Ironside
  Frank Vincent
  - S 1: Ep 20 To Kill a Cop
    1/25/68
- CBS Playhouse
  Lenny Marshall
  - S 1: Ep 3 Dear Friends
    12/6/67
- Gunsmoke
  Dave Reeves
  - S 13: Ep 11 Stranger in Town
    11/20/67
- Mission: Impossible
  President Beyron Rurich
  - S 2: Ep 7 Operation "Heart"
    10/22/67
- The Wild Wild West (1969)
  Sean O'Reilley
  - S 3: Ep 2 The Night of the Firebrand
    9/15/67
- The Big Valley
  Patrick Madigan
  - S 2: Ep 30 Cage of Eagles
    4/24/67
- The Virginian
  Jim Boyer, Sr
  - S 5: Ep 13 The Long Way Home
    12/14/66
- The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.
  Joey Celeste
  - S 1: Ep 13 The Little John Doe Affair
    12/13/66
- The Mike Douglas Show
  Himself
  - S 4: Ep 105 January 28, 1966
    1/28/66
  - S 4: Ep 86 Week of January 3, 1966
    1/3/66
  - S 4: Ep 44 November 4, 1965
    11/4/65
- The Merv Griffin Show
  Himself
  - S 3: Ep 38 October 27, 1965
    10/27/65
  - S 2: Ep 23 June 9, 1965
    6/9/65
- The Mike Douglas Show
  Himself/Co-host
  - S 3: Ep 199 June 11, 1965
    6/11/65
  - S 3: Ep 198 June 10, 1965
    6/10/65
  - S 3: Ep 197 June 9, 1965
    6/9/65
  - S 3: Ep 196 June 8, 1965
    6/8/65
  - S 3: Ep 195 Week of June 7, 1965
    6/7/65
- The Ed Sullivan Show
  Himself
  - S 18: Ep 34 May 23, 1965: Liza Minnelli, Pernell Roberts, Kathy Kirby, Rudolf Nureyev & Margot Fonteyn
    5/23/65
- The Match Game
  Himself
  - S 2: Ep 35 Betty White & Pernell Roberts
    4/27/64
- The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor
  Rod Halleck
  - S 1: Ep 16 House Call
    1/29/60
- 77 Sunset Strip
  Tony Gray
  - S 1: Ep 28 Abra-Cadaver
    4/17/59
- One Step Beyond
  Sergeant Vy
  - S 1: Ep 10 The Vision
    3/24/59
- Bronco
  Reverend David Clayton
  - S 1: Ep 14 The Belles of Silver Flat
    3/24/59
- Cimarron City
  O'Hara
  - S 1: Ep 23 Have Sword, Will Duel
    3/14/59
- Lawman (1958)
  Fent Harley
  - S 1: Ep 23 The Posse
    3/8/59
- Zane Grey Theater
  Lew Banning
  - S 3: Ep 9 Pressure Point
    12/4/58
- Shirley Temple's Storybook
  Count DeSpard
  - S 1: Ep 15 The Emperor's New Clothes
    11/25/58
- Northwest Passage
  Captain Jacques Chavez
  - S 1: Ep 10 The Assassin
    11/16/58
- Shirley Temple's Storybook
  Pau-Puk-Keewis
  - S 1: Ep 12 Hiawatha
    10/5/58
- Shirley Temple's Storybook
  Thorabore
  - S 1: Ep 8 The Sleeping Beauty
    6/8/58
- Zane Grey Theater
  Jet Mason
  - S 2: Ep 29 Utopia, Wyoming
    6/6/58
- Matinee Theatre
  Don John
  - S 3: Ep 147 Much Ado About Nothing (2)
    5/21/58
  - S 3: Ep 146 Much Ado About Nothing (1)
    5/20/58
- Tombstone Territory
  Johnny Coster
  - S 1: Ep 31 Pick Up the Gun
    5/14/58
- Have Gun - Will Travel
  Maury Travis
  - S 1: Ep 31 Hey Boy's Revenge
    4/12/58
- General Electric Theater
  Phil
  - S 6: Ep 27 No Hiding Place
    4/6/58
- Sugarfoot
  Deuce Brade
  - S 1: Ep 12 Man Wanted
    2/18/58
- Shirley Temple's Storybook
  Count Schoenfeld
  - S 1: Ep 2 Rumpelstiltskin
    2/2/58
- Trackdown
  Bannion
  - S 1: Ep 13 The Reward
    1/3/58
- Sugarfoot
  Salt River Smith
  - S 1: Ep 7 Misfire
    12/10/57
- Gunsmoke
  Nat Pilcher
  - S 3: Ep 12 How to Kill a Woman
    11/30/57
- Matinee Theatre
  Hassan
  - S 2: Ep 179 The Heart's Desire
    6/19/57
- Kraft Television Theatre
  Guest Star
  - S 10: Ep 8 Shadow of Suspicion
    11/7/56
Special Guest Star (2)

Role
- Diagnosis Murder
  George Fallon
  - S 4: Ep 17 Hard-Boiled Murder
    2/13/97
- The Bold Ones: The New Doctors
  Dr. Frank Bartell
  - S 2: Ep 6 A Matter Of Priorities
    1/3/71

Pernell Roberts News

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3

Bonanza star Pernell Roberts dies

By Press Association, Jan 27, 2010

read more

Trivia and Quotes

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Trivia
ADD TRIVIA
- Pernell thought a lot of the writing and characterization in Bonanza was racist and sexist.
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- Pernell wore a hair piece for his part as Adam on Bonanza.
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- Pernell bought a guitar and learned to play at 32.
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Quotes
ADD QUOTES
- Pernell: I had six seasons of playing the eldest son on (Bonanza). Six seasons of feeling like a damned idiot, going around -- me, like a middle-aged teenager, saying, "Yes, Pa," "No, Pa" on cue. It was downright disgusting -- such dialogue for a grown man. I felt I wasn't being taken seriously as an actor, and that's like death to one's talent...Stuck as Adam Cartwright, I was only able to use about one-tenth of my ability.
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- Pernell: I distinguished myself by flunking out of college three times.
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- Pernell: I'm never satisfied with my own work.
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