- Born
- Died
- Birth nameRobert Michael Urich
- Nickname
- Bob
- Height1.88 m
- Robert Urich grew up in Toronto, Ohio, one of four siblings of Slovak and Rusyn descent, raised Catholic by their parents, John P. Urich (died 1977) and Cecelia (née Halpate) Urich (died 2002). His athletic ability led to a four-year football scholarship at Florida State University (FSU). He earned his Bachelor's degree in Radio and Television Communications from Florida State University in 1968 and his Master's degree in Broadcast Research and Management from Michigan State University in 1971. He joined WGN radio in Chicago as a sales account representative. He then briefly appeared as a TV weatherman, and soon realized he wanted to become an actor.
Urich's big break came in 1972 when he played Burt Reynolds's younger brother in a stage production of "The Rainmaker". Reynolds and Urich were both alumni of FSU. Reynolds brought him to California and let him stay in his home until he got his acting break. He also recommended Urich to producer Aaron Spelling for the TV series Section 4 (1975). Although that series lasted only one season, Spelling remembered Urich and later cast him in Vegas (1978), which had a longer run.
He was starring in the TV series The Lazarus Man (1996) when he was diagnosed with cancer, which caused the cancellation of the series. The cancer went into remission after treatment and he resumed acting again with his role as Captain Jim Kennedy III on La croisière s'amuse, nouvelle vague (1998). The cancer would claim Urich's life on April 16, 2002 at the age of 55, survived by his wife, children, siblings, mother (who died later that same year, on October 5, 2002, aged 90) and large extended family.- IMDb mini biography by: John Sacksteder <jsack@ka.net>
- SpousesHeather Menzies-Urich(November 21, 1975 - April 16, 2002) (his death, 3 children)Barbara Rucker(1971 - 1974) (divorced)
- ChildrenEmily UrichAllison Grady Urich
- ParentsJohn Paul UrichCecilia Monica Halpate
- RelativesMichelle(Grandchild)Lana(Grandchild)Justin Urich(Niece or Nephew)Tom Urich(Sibling)
- During his series Spenser (1985), Urich had a special agreement with the executives to fly out of state (from Boston, Massachusetts to the West Coast) when needed for his older daughter's medical treatments.
- His final film, Night of the Wolf (2002), aired on Animal Planet the same day that he died.
- Spent latter years devoted to cancer research and education, and he and wife established the Heather and Robert Urich Fund for Sarcoma Research at the University of Michigan.
- Holds the record for having the most series-regular roles on television: 13. Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1973), Section 4 (1975), Soap (1977), Tabitha (1976), Vegas (1978), Gavilan (1982), Spenser (1985), American Dreamer (1990) Crossroads (1992) It Had to Be You (1993), The Lazarus Man (1996), La croisière s'amuse, nouvelle vague (1998) and Emeril (2000).
- Recipient of the Gilda Radner Courage Award from the Roswell Park Cancer Institute.
- [2001, in a speech in Wisconsin] Charge forward with hope and get the best medical advice you can. Talk to your friends, neighbors, family, and together you attack it. We can't always control what happens to us, but we can always control how we react to it.
- I know it sounds hokey but I think, ultimately, on television you can't hide who you are. It is why people are always coming up to me, not to talk about my shows but about their families, their pets. They obviously feel comfortable with me.
- I think my longevity has a lot to do with where I come from--a blue-collar town in Ohio--and how I was raised: to work hard and respect other folks.
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