Pernell Roberts, best known for his roles on “Bonanza” and “Trapper John, M.D.,” died Jan. 24 in his Malibu home after a battle with cancer, his wife, Eleanor Criswell, told the Los Angeles Times . He was 81.
The Georgia-born Roberts, who served in the Marines, began his career on the stage, winning a Drama Desk award in 1955 for his performance in a production of “MacBeth.” He would find television fame in 1959 as the responsible Adam Cartwright-the eldest of the Cartwright sons-on the hit Western “Bonanza.” Leaving the show after the sixth season-after feuding with the show’s producers-Roberts returned to the stage, acted in films, and guest-starred on a variety of television series including “Mission: Impossible,” “Marcus Welby, M.D.,” and “Hawaii Five-O.”
In 1979, he appeared on the popular medical drama “Trapper John, M.D.,” in which he played the role of Dr. “Trapper” John McIntyre, a character spun off from M*A*S*H. The show lasted seven seasons.