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1 | The June 11, 1969, and also Aug. 20, editions of Variety, in its Hollywood Production Pulse column, shows Robert Conrad starring with Richard Crenna and Tippi Hedren in the movie Seven Against Kansas, directed by David Friedkin, which started filming June 10, 1969, in Almeria, Spain. No evidence if the film was ever completed. |
2 | Turned down George Gaynes role in Police Academy (1984), which he later regretted. |
3 | Resides in Malibu, California. |
4 | Despite high ratings High Mountain Rangers (1987) got canceled after 1 season. |
5 | Began his career as a contract player for Warner Bros. in 1956. |
6 | Had hired fellow actor Michael Landon to direct some episodes of Black Sheep Squadron (1976), but was too busy working on Little House on the Prairie (1974), at the same network that 'Black Sheep Squadron,' was on, which was NBC. |
7 | Up until 2010, Conrad lived in Thousand Oaks, California. |
8 | His mother, Alice Jacqueline Hartman, died in 1981, at age 62. |
9 | Graduated from Hyde Park High School in Chicago, Illinois, in 1953. |
10 | His mother, Alice Jacqueline Hartman, was as a PR business, and his father, Leonard Henry Falkowski, was a construction worker. |
11 | Had a yacht. |
12 | Acting mentors and friends of Larry Manetti, Dirk Blocker and Russell Todd. |
13 | Former neighbor of Carroll O'Connor. |
14 | Long time best friend of Red West. |
15 | Met Julie London at Jack Webb's house, when he was only a young man. |
16 | Became friends with Dirk Blocker's father, Dan Blocker, years before Dirk received a co-starring role on Black Sheep Squadron (1976). |
17 | Friends with: Robert Fuller, James Drury, Doug McClure, John Smith, Adam West, Shirley Jones, Angela Lansbury, Florence Henderson, Peter Graves and his brother, James Arness, Ken Curtis, Telly Savalas, Julie London, Bobby Troup, Randolph Mantooth, John Forsythe, Linda Evans, Chuck Connors, Jane Wyman, Lorenzo Lamas, Buddy Ebsen, Donna Douglas, Dana Elcar, Betsy Palmer, Steve McQueen, Yul Brynner, Barbara Stanwyck, Harry Morgan, Alan Hale Jr., Dawn Wells, Ernest Borgnine, James Garner, Michael Landon, Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Angie Dickinson, Frankie Laine, Abby Dalton, Ruta Lee, Michele Lee, Jack Webb, Carroll O'Connor, Larry Hagman, Robert Horton, James Best, Raymond Burr, Pernell Roberts, Anthony Eisley, Connie Stevens, Larry Manetti, Dan Blocker, Stephen J. Cannell, Tom Selleck, William Schallert, Ross Martin, Mickey Rooney, Beverly Garland, Patti Page, Anna Lee and Jeanne Cooper. |
18 | Three veterans of The Wild Wild West (1965), stuntman Whitey Hughes, makeup artist Ken Chase and actor Richard Kiel, reminisce about the series and star Conrad in the book "A Sci-Fi Swarm and Horror Horde" (McFarland, 2010) by Tom Weaver. |
19 | His idols are Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney and John Garfield. |
20 | Grandfather of actor Jesse Erwin. |
21 | Once was a bandsinger and made the rounds of Chicago's major hotels with bandleaders Johnny Gilbert, Jim Redd, and a jazz trio. |
22 | Interviewed in Tom Weaver's book "I Talked with a Zombie" (McFarland & Co., 2008). |
23 | Was offered the role of Hannibal Smith on The A-Team (1983), but turned it down because he preferred to produce his own projects. |
24 | As the star of the original TV series The Wild Wild West (1965), Conrad attended The 20th Annual Razzie Awards, snidely accepting several of the tacky statuettes on behalf of the Barry Sonnenfeld movie remake (Wild Wild West (1999)). The film swept that year's dis-honors with 5 awards, including Worst Picture of 1999. |
25 | He was seriously injured in a head-on car crash in 2003 in which he sustained head injuries and neuro damage that left his right hand and arm paralyzed, and slowed his speech. Convicted of DUI, he was sentenced to six months of house arrest, five years probation and alcohol counseling. He also lost his driver's license for one year. |
26 | 18-year-old daughter Chelsea is a jazz-pop singer. Recording artist Richard Marx is set to produce her debut album. |
27 | Inducted into the Stuntman's Hall of Fame for his work on The Wild Wild West (1965). |
28 | Best remembered by the public for his starring role as James West in The Wild Wild West (1965). |
29 | At the time of his former co-star Ross Martin's death in 1981, he and Conrad were in the planning stages of another "Wild, Wild West" TV series. |
30 | Addressed the Republican National Convention in 2004. |
31 | His daughter Nancy was born on his 19th birthday (March 1, 1954). |
32 | Tested for the role of Maj. Anthony Nelson on I Dream of Jeannie (1965). |
33 | Was born in Canaryville, a section of Chicago populated mainly by Irish immigrants. |
34 | His paternal grandfather, Stanley Falkowski, was a Polish immigrant, and his paternal grandmother, Stella Skarsecki, was born in Chicago, to Polish parents. His mother, who was the daughter of Conrad Edward Hartman and Hazel Helen Downs, had German and English ancestry. |
35 | Had an undefeated professional boxing record of 4-0-1. |
36 | As Bob Conrad he defeated Ed Hickman on points on March 15, 1962 in San Diego, California in a 6 round professional boxing match. |
37 | He was a Deputy Sheriff for approximately 8 years in the Bear Valley area of California where he still resides. |
38 | During the Battle of the Network Stars (1976), Conrad and Gabe Kaplan (Welcome Back, Kotter (1975)) had an infamous showdown. Conrad was the NBC Team Captain, Kaplan was ABC Team Captain. A dispute arose over the winner of an event, and Conrad really lost his temper, pacing and saying he wouldn't accept that the other team had won. Finally, he insisted that he and Kaplan, as team captains, have a race and the winner would win the event for their team. But Conrad had underestimated Kaplan, and Kaplan won easily, which made Conrad look pretty foolish. |
39 | Father-in-law of Timothy 'Toes' Erwin. |
40 | Played the drums and the trumpet |
41 | Speaks Spanish. |
42 | When the 1999 movie remake of The Wild Wild West (1965) swept the 20th Annual Razzie Awards, "winning" 5 statuettes (including Worst Picture) Conrad, who played James West in the original 1960s TV series, accepted 3 of the awards in person as his way of expressing his low opinion of what had been done with his source material. |
43 | Lived with his grandmother when his mother remarried. |
44 | Worked as a milkman in Chicago. |
45 | Got fired from his job at the docks in December of 1953 for handing out a petition to get his union steward fired. His wife was six months pregnant with their second child at the time. |
46 | When he eloped, he and his wife lived under the assumed name "Robert Conrad" so their parents wouldn't find them. They only told their parents where they were in May of 1952 when his wife found out she was having a baby. They were thrilled because they figured it would be too late for their parents to annul the marriage. |
47 | Lied to get a job when he was seventeen. He had eloped with a lawyer's daughter,who was attending a religious boarding school. The only place he could think of where a kid his age could get decent wage was the loading docks in Chicago. He told them he was 21 and made $1.87 an hour -- $74.40 a week. |
48 | Was a star football and basketball player in middle school and high school. |
49 | On The Wild Wild West (1965), did most of his own stunt work, resulting in several injuries during the course of the show. During one episode's shooting, he slipped while performing a stunt and fell head first onto a concrete floor 12 feet below. Seriously injured, his recuperation delayed the series' production for nearly three months. |
50 | Attended Northwestern University (Evanston, IL). |
51 | Father of actors Christian Conrad, Nancy Conrad, Shane Conrad and producer Joan Conrad. |
52 | Lives in Bear Valley, California, a ski resort village in the High Sierra; has three young daughters, (Kaja Conrad, Camille Conrad, Chelsea Conrad), with LaVelda Fann and five other children from a previous marriage. |
53 | Born at 3:34pm-CST. |
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