Pernell Roberts Jr, who played the introspective eldest son of wealthy rancher Ben Cartwright on the hit TV western “Bonanza” and went on to star in medical drama “Trapper John, M.D.,” has died. He was 81.
Roberts was known for his activism, which included participation in the Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965 with Martin Luther King Jr in a campaign for voting rights for blacks; and pressuring NBC to refrain from hiring whites to portray minority characters.
Articles:
‘Bonanza’ Star Pernell Roberts Dies at 81
Pernell Roberts, last star of TV’s ‘Bonanza,’ dies
Pernell Roberts, 1928 – 2010
