Legend of Bonanza and Trapper John, M.D. Actor and activist Pernell Roberts is turning 94 years old in the next few days.
Pernell Roberts’ life was successful and complicated. Despite his position on Bonanza, he is famous as the man who left the giant west. Furthermore, his work on civil rights beyond the screen has added a layer of depth to his legacy that cannot be ignored.
But, right from the start, Roberts was born in Waycross, Georgia in 1928. He performed early and often, learning several instruments during his childhood before college. At the age of 18, he joined the Marines in 1946, where he continued his music.
Although he didn’t graduate from Maryland or Georgia Tech after studying there, he continued to pursue art. This brought him to New York, where he gradually worked his way up the acting ladder, and finally made his screen debut in 1956. Three years later in film and television, he became Adam Cartwright. in Bonanza.
Pernell Roberts’ Journey Through Bonanza
Adam Cartwright partly reflects Roberts’ education and intelligence. The character Bonanza studied and became an architect. Furthermore, eldest brother Cartwright was always more calculating than the rest of the family.
However, while Roberts and Bonanza rose to fame fairly quickly, his love of television acting did not. The actor did not like the direction of Adam Cartwright and made famous statements against the premise of the film. He told the Washington Post even before he left.
“Isn’t it a little silly for three grown men to ask Father’s permission for everything they do?” Roberts said. “I have a helpless role. Everywhere I go, I see a father figure.”
By 1965, Roberts completed his first contract and in turn left the show. Roberts always eloquently explained his departure from Bonanza to the Washington Post.
“I was very upset as soon as I got to work. That’s not the way to live,” Roberts said. “I don’t have the psychological stamina to endure artistic compromises for a long time. I get hostility and revenge. It broke me down.”
Roberts becomes Trapper John, M.D.
Leaving Bonanza gave Roberts what he wanted: a variety of roles. The actor proved his prowess in acting on the New York stage and on the legendary show, earning him appearances on major shows like The Virginian, Mission: Impossible, and The Rockford Files.
All of this made up his role as John McIntyre in Trapper John, M.D. As McIntyre, Roberts is portrayed as Chief of Surgery at San Francisco Memorial Hospital, 28 years from the character’s time in M*A*S*H. After that period of time, he was a lot less fussy, but still ignored the formalities to do what he thought was best.
The show was a huge success and brought Pernell Roberts back into the mainstream. After seven seasons, the story ended, as did his last major television role.
Roberts went on to make numerous and guest appearances, but never took on a recurring television role. In the end, he became the last surviving Cartwright from Bonanza, and has had an extensive career that matches decades of activism.
Sadly, Roberts passed away on January 24, 2010.