Born in Waycross, Georgia, Pernell Roberts, who like his Bonanza co-star Michael Landon died of pancreatic cancer, might have been thought throughout much of his life as something other than an easy man. In 1965, he walked away from a dream role on a successful series, Bonanza, at the height of its run in order to follow his own star. He held high principles and fought racism and sexism on screen and off at a time when doing so was thought by many to be exceedingly liberal. He was there with Dr. King marching in Selma.
His words speak volumes. He once said, "I was teaching a Sunday school class at one of the churches in Waycross, Georgia, where I grew up. And the lesson dealt with equality and all of us being one under the eyes of God. All of a sudden it hit me!! This isn't true! The church was - is- the most segregated place one day a week there is in our country. And it's so ironical and so tragic that here's a philosophy which preaches and teaches human understanding and brotherly love and practices, in essence, the most vicious form of human relationship there is."
Of his role as Adam Cartwright, Roberts said, "I had six seasons of playing the eldest son on that show. Six seasons of feeling like a damned idiot, going around -- me, like a middle-aged teenager, saying, 'Yes, Pa,' 'No, Pa' on cue. It was downright disgusting -- such dialogue for a grown man. I felt I wasn't being taken seriously as an actor, and that's like death to one's talent...Stuck as Adam Cartwright, I was only able to use about one-tenth of my ability."
While confident of his acting ability, Roberts was upfront about his shortcomings having flunked out of Georgia Tech and later the University of Maryland. He served two years in the United States Marines and worked as a forest ranger, railroad worker, and butcher as he was honing his acting abilities.
Following his dreams did not lead to immediate success. It was not until 1979 that he landed another major television role, this time as the lead of Trapper John, M.D., a series that ran through 1986.
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