Robert Conrad, of The Wild Wild West and Baa Baa Black Sheep, Dead at 84
Veteran TV actor Robert Conrad has died, at age 84.
“He lived a wonderfully long life and while the family is saddened by his passing, he will live forever in their hearts,” family spokesman Jeff Ballard said in a statement to People.com. No other details were immediately available.
Conrad’s long TV career began with one-shots on series such as Bat Masterson, Maverick and Lawman, before he co-starred opposite Anthony Eisley in the ABC detective series Hawaiian Eye, which ran for four seasons (from 1959-63). A few years later, he headed up The Wild Wild West, science fiction/Western series that ran on CBS for four seasons (and a long while later was turned into a big-budget feature flop by Will Smith).
Next up, Conrad played Major Greg “Pappy” Boyington on Baa Baa Black Sheep, while also costarring in NBC’s Centennial miniseries. His other of many TV credits included A Man Called Sloane, High Mountain Rangers, Jesse Hawkes and High Sierra Search and Rescue. Most recently, he guested on a 1999 episode of Just Shoot Me, though it appears (per IMDb) he has in the can a guest spot on the upcoming Nash Bridges reboot.
Conrad was also, quite famously, a fixture on the Battle of the Network Stars internetwork competition series, often serving as a most intimidating team captain, building off of his reputation as a pitchman for Eveready, where in a series of commercials he dared ya to knock the battery off his shoulder.
