Pernell Roberts | Pernell Roberts Death

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Pernell Roberts born on 18th May 1928, was an American television actor and singer. He was best known for his roles as Ben Cartwright’s eldest son, Adam Cartwright, on the western series Bonanza (a role he played from 1959 to 1965), and as chief surgeon, Dr. John MacIntyre, the title character on Trapper John, M.D. (1979-1986).

He was known for his activism, which included participation in the Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965, and pressuring NBC to refrain from hiring whites to portray minority characters.

Roberts married three times. His first marriage was in 1951 to Vera Mowry, a professor at Washington State University, with whom he had his only child (Jonathan Christopher Roberts); they later divorced. He married Judith Anna LeBreque on October 15, 1962, they divorced in 1971. His last marriage was to Kara Knack, whom he married in 1972; they divorced in 1996. Jonathan Roberts died in a motorcycle accident in 1989 at age 38.

Roberts died of cancer at his home in Malibu, California on January 24, 2010, aged 81