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Pernell Elven Roberts, Jr. (born May 18, 1928) is a famous American stage actor, television personality, and musician. He is best known for his role in the eponymous western television series “Bonanza”. He played the character Adam Cartwright, the son of Ben Cartwright, in the show, and he played the role very well.
He is also a very accomplished actor on stage and has appeared in a few feature films.
He also made headlines for his activism, such as his participation in the 1965 “March from Selma to Montgomery,” in which marchers demanded that “NBC stop casting white actors in roles of African-American and Latino minorities.”
Pernell Roberts, an artist with a long and illustrious career, has died at the age of 81 from pancreatic cancer.
American stage actor
Purnell Roberts |
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 Pernell Roberts: History, Biography, Photos |
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| Wiki facts and figures | |
| Name: | Pernell Elvin Roberts Jr. |
| stage name: | Purnell Roberts |
| Date of Birth: | May 18, 1928 (81 years old) |
| place of birth: | Waycross, Georgia, U.S. |
| die: | January 24, 2010, Malibu, California, USA |
| Country of Citizenship: | American |
| high: | 1.83 m |
| parents: | Pernell Elven Roberts Sr., Minnie Myrtle Morgan Roberts |
| Brothers and sisters: | not applicable |
| Wife • Spouse: | Eleanor Criswell (m. 1997-2010), Carla Nack (m. 1972-1996), Judith Roberts (m. 1962-1971), Vera Murray Roberts (m. 1951-1959) |
| Girlfriend • Partner: | not applicable |
| Children: | Jonathan Christopher Roberts |
| Profession: | Actor • Musician |
| net worth: | $10 million |
early life
Pernell Roberts was the only child and the youngest of four children of Minnie Myrtle Morgan Roberts and Pernell Irvin Roberts. He was born on May 18, 1928 in Waycross, Georgia, USA.
The American actor’s father was a “Dr. Pepper” salesman. In high school, Pernell Roberts participated in school and church plays and discovered his love for acting.
While attending college, he realized his musical talent and pursued it. He participated in the local “USO Show” and learned to play the trumpet. “Georgia Institute of Technology” (commonly known as “Georgia Tech”) was his school, but he did not complete his studies there.
He then served in the United States Marine Corps for two years and then in the Army from 1946 to 1948.
Even while serving his country, he remained close to his artistic talents. Pernell Roberts was a member of the “Marine Corps Band” where he played the trumpet and tuba.
Pernell Roberts also had a thorough knowledge of the sousaphone and other percussion instruments of the time.
Personal life
In 1951, Pernell Roberts married Vera Murray, then a professor of theater history at Washington State University. A few years later, their marriage ended.
Their only son, Jonathan Christopher Roberts, was born in 1989 but tragically died in a motorcycle accident.
Pernell Roberts married Judith Anna Roberts in 1962. Their marriage lasted for more than a decade and ended in 1971.
The following year, he married Kara Knack, but the marriage ended in 1996.
In his last years, Pernell Roberts was married to Dr. Eleanor Criswell, to whom he remained until his death. He died on January 24, 2010, in Malibu, California, from pancreatic cancer.
educate
Pernell Roberts first encountered classical drama as an undergraduate at the University of Maryland, although he did not complete his studies there.
Nonetheless, his time at school brought him closer to fulfilling his dream of becoming an actor. During his student years, he acted in four shows, two of which were in Othello and Antigone.
Career and filmography
Purnell Roberts made his debut in the play The Man Who Came to Dinner, starring in 1949. He then became a member of the Arena Stage Theatre while working as a substitute teacher and doing other odd jobs.
It wasn’t until a few years later, after Desire Under the Elms (1958), that he played a shepherd in The Shepherd (1959) opposite Shirley MacLaine. The Silent Gun, Ride Lonely and The Messenger Boy were among the actor’s film roles in the late 1960s.
Gold Diggers was a western television series that ran for more than a decade and was one of the most important TV series in Pernell Roberts’ career.
Awards
The 1955 Off-Broadway production of Macbeth won Pernell Roberts the Drama Desk Award for Best Actor for his performance as Banquo.
In 1981, he was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his performance in the television series Trapper John, MD.
net worth
Pernell Roberts’ net worth is estimated to be around $10 million. He built this fortune through his acting career before his death.
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