‘Wild, Wild West’ actor dead at 84

Robert Conrad became an overnight star after 1959 debut of “Hawaiian Eye.”

Robert Conrad, the rugged, contentious actor who starred in the hugely popular 1960s television series “Hawaiian Eye” and “The Wild, Wild West,” has died. He was 84.

Family spokesman Jeff Ballard said Conrad died of heart failure Saturday morning in Malibu. A service is planned for March 1, which would have been Conrad’s 85th birthday.

“He lived a wonderfully long life, and while the family is saddened by his passing, he will live forever in their hearts,” Ballard said.

With his good looks and strong physique, Conrad was a rising young actor in the late 1950s and was chosen for the lead in “Hawaiian Eye.” He became an overnight star after the show premiered in 1959.

Conrad played Tom Lopaka, a daring private investigator whose partner was Tracy Steele, played by Anthony Eisley. They operated out of a fancy office overlooking the pool at a popular Waikiki hotel.

The two private eyes alternated on investigations with help from the island’s colorful characters, including a singer named Cricket Blake (Connie Stevens) and a ukulele-strumming taxi driver named Kazuo (Poncie Ponce).

After five seasons, Conrad went on to embrace the television craze of the time, period Westerns, but with a decidedly different twist.

In “The Wild, Wild West,” which premiered in 1965, he was James T. West, a James Bond-like agent who used innovative tactics and futuristic gadgets (futuristic for the 1800s anyway) to battle bizarre villains. He was ably assisted by Ross Martin’s Artemus Gordon, a master of disguise. The show aired until 1970.

The series “Baa Baa Black Sheep” followed in 1976 and was roughly based on an autobiography by Marine Corps ace and Medal of Honor recipient Gregory “Pappy” Boyington, who wrote of the raucous f liers he commanded during World War II.

The CBS series was dropped after its first season. It was revived in December 1977 as “Black Sheep Squadron,” after the network’s new shows failed to find audiences. It continued on for another season.

Conrad, meanwhile, interspersed his long, successful TV career with numerous roles in films. After a couple of small parts, his TV fame elevated him to stardom, starting in 1965 with “Young Dillinger,” in which he played Pretty Boy Floyd. Other films included “Murph the Surf,” “The Bandits” (which he also directed), “The Lady in Red” (this time as John Dillinger) and “Wrong Is Right.”

At the same time, he found plenty of time for arguments.

Throughout Hollywood, Conrad had a reputation as a tough customer and was sued more than half a dozen times as a result of fistfights. He was also featured in 1970s commercials for Eveready Batteries, with a battery on his shoulder, a menacing stare and a popular catchphrase, “I dare you to knock this off.”

Conrad is survived by eight children and 18 grandchildren.