Logo

Last Surviving Cast Member of No. 1 1960s Show Has Died

Jan 26, 2010  •  Post A Comment

He was a true rebel, the actor who shocked the nation by quitting the No. 1 show on TV in 1965. The last surviving member of the Western series “Bonanza,” Paernell Roberts, died in Malibu at age 81, the Associated Press reports.

Pernell Roberts, who played Adam Cartwright, the eldest of three sons in the series’ Nevada ranching family, was instantly made famous by the role, but unhappy at the show’s premise; he didn’t like that the brothers had to defer to strong-handed patriarch Ben Cartwright, played by Lorne Greene. He quit in 1965 when his contract was up. The show continued on until 1973.

After more than a decade doing TV show appearances and theatrical touring, he hit it big again, in 1979, as the star of "Trapper John, M.D," which ran until 1986.

–Elizabeth Jensen and Chuck Ross

2 Comments

  1. This article should have stated or been headlined that the last “original” cast member died.
    David Canary, who joined the series after Roberts left, is still alive and acting.

  2. Probably also would have been helpful and appropriate to spell Pernell Roberts name correctly.

Leave a Reply to Jamie Cancel Reply

Email (will not be published)