Anecdotes

He was a Deputy Sheriff for approximately eight years in the Bear Valley area of California, where he resided.

On Les mystères de l'Ouest (1965) he 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.

Had an undefeated professional boxing record of 4-0-1.

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. Conrad had underestimated Kaplan, however, who won easily, which made Conrad look pretty foolish.

When Wild Wild West (1999), the 1999 theatrical remake of his TV series Les mystères de l'Ouest (1965) swept the 20th Annual Razzie Awards, "winning" five statuettes (including Worst Picture), Conrad attended the ceremony and accepted three of the awards in person as his way of expressing his low opinion of what had been done with his source material. He then delivered them in person to the actual recipients.

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.

Inducted into the Stuntman's Hall of Fame for his work on Les mystères de l'Ouest (1965).

Lived in Bear Valley, CA, 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.

Was a star football and basketball player in middle school and high school.

Played the drums and the trumpet

After 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 after 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.

His mother gave birth to him when she was only 15.

Lied to get a job when he was 17. 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 wages was the loading docks in Chicago. He told them he was 21 and made $1.87 an hour--$74.40 a week.

Retired from acting in 2002.

Was at one time a singer and made the rounds of Chicago's major hotels with bandleaders Johnny Gilbert, Jim Redd and a jazz trio.

As the star of the original TV series Les mystères de l'Ouest (1965), he attended The 20th Annual Razzie Awards, snidely accepting several of the statuettes on behalf of the Barry Sonnenfeld movie remake (Wild Wild West (1999)). The film swept that year's dis-honors with five awards, including Worst Picture of 1999.

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.

18-year-old daughter Chelsea is a jazz-pop singer. Recording artist Richard Marx is set to produce her debut album.

Was seriously injured in a head-on car crash in 2003 in which he sustained head injuries and neurological 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.

Worked as a milkman in Chicago.

As Bob Conrad, he defeated Ed Hickman on points on March 15, 1962, in San Diego, CA, in a six-round professional boxing match.

His idols are Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney and John Garfield.

Began his career as a contract player for Warner Bros. in 1956.

Tested for the role of Maj. Anthony Nelson on Jeannie de mes rêves (1965).

Was offered the role of Hannibal Smith on L'agence tous risques (1983), but turned it down because he preferred to produce his own projects.

Turned down George Gaynes' role in Police Academy (1984), which he later regretted.

Was born in Canaryville, a section of Chicago populated mainly by Irish immigrants.

Attended Northwestern University (Evanston, IL) majoring in theater arts.

Had hired Michael Landon to direct some episodes of Les têtes brûlées (1976), but was too busy working on La petite maison dans la prairie (1974), at the same network that "Black Sheep Squadron"' was on, which was NBC.

Lived with his grandmother after his mother remarried.

Appeared in 104 episodes of Hawaiian Eye (1959) and 104 episodes of Les mystères de l'Ouest (1965).

Conrad was cremated at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. His ashes were sprinkled into the Pacific Ocean.

Best remembered by the public for his starring role as James West in Les mystères de l'Ouest (1965).

His mother, Alice Jacqueline Hartman, had a PR business, and his father, Leonard Henry Falk, was a construction worker.

The 6/11/69 and 8/20/69 editions of "Variety", in its Hollywood Production Pulse column, shows Conrad starring with Richard Crenna and Tippi Hedren in a film called "Seven Against Kansas", directed by David Friedkin, which started filming June 10, 1969, in Almeria, Spain. There's no evidence that the film was ever completed.

His paternal grandparents, Emil Henry Falk and Wilhelmina Augusta "Minnie" Wenslaff, were born in Illinois, both of them to German parents. His mother, who was the daughter of Conrad Edward Hartman and Hazel Helen Downs, had German and Irish ancestry.

Addressed the Republican National Convention in 2004.

Three veterans of Les mystères de l'Ouest (1965), stuntman Whitey Hughes, makeup artist Ken Chase and actor Richard Kiel, reminisce about the series and Conrad in the book "A Sci-Fi Swarm and Horror Horde" (McFarland, 2010) by Tom Weaver.

Former neighbor of Carroll O'Connor.

Graduated from Hyde Park High School in Chicago, IL, in 1953.

Despite debuting to strong ratings, High Mountain Rangers (1987) got canceled after one season as ratings fell sharply.

Father-in-law of Timothy 'Toes' Erwin.

His mother, Alice Jacqueline Hartman, died in 1981, at age 62.

Although his real last name is Falk, he is no relation to Peter Falk of Columbo (1971) fame.

Interviewed in Tom Weaver's book "I Talked with a Zombie" (McFarland & Co., 2008).

Some sources list his birth year as 1928, which makes more sense when reading about some of the key events in his life before he became an actor.