Robert Urich Add to My Celebs Age 55 (passed away Apr. 16th, 2002) Birthday Dec. 19th, 1946 Born in Toronto, Ohio, USA Height 6' 2"

Robert Urich's Main TV Roles Show Character(s) S.W.A.T. Officer Jim… Lonesome Dove Jake Spoon Emeril Jerry McKen… Spenser: For Hire Spenser Tabitha Paul Thurston Invasion America Briggs Vega$ Dan Tanna American Dreamer Tom Nash The Love Boat: The Next Wave Captain Jim… Amerika Peter Bradf… Crossroads Johnny Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice Bob Sanders Gavilan Robert Gavi… It Had to Be You Mitch Quinn The Cross-Wits Robert Urich

Main Movie Roles 1985 - turk 182! 1984 - The Ice Pirates 1973 - Magnum Force

NOTE: Complete List of Works can be found at IMDB


BIOGRAPHY:

Robert grew up in Toronto, Ohio, where his athletic ability led to a four year football scholarship at Florida State University (FSU). There he earned a B.A. in Communications. He later received an M.A. at Michigan State University and then joined WGN radio in Chicago as a sales account representative. He then briefly appeared as a TV weatherman, and soon realized that he wanted to become an actor.

His big break came in 1972 when Robert played Burt Reynolds (I)'s younger brother in a stage production of "The Rainmaker". Burt and Robert were both alumni of FSU. Burt brought him to California and let him stay in his home until he got his acting break. Burt recommended him to producer Aaron Spelling for the TV series "S.W.A.T." (1975). Although that series lasted only one season, Spelling remembered Robert and later cast him in "Vega$" (1978), which had a longer run.

He was starring in the TV series "The Lazarus Man" (1996) when he was diagnosed with cancer, which caused the cancellation of the series. The cancer went into remission after treatment and he resumed acting again with his role as Captain Jim Kennedy III on "The Love Boat: The Next Wave" (1998).


TRIVIA:

• Wife 'Heather Menzies' (qv) played blonde Louisa, one of the Von Trapp children, in the film version of _The Sound of Music (1965)_ (qv).
• He sued Castle Rock Television for $1.47 million (the amount he would have received for the second season of his TV series _"The Lazarus Man" (1996)_ (qv)) on April 11, 2000, saying Castle Rock canceled the show because he had cancer. He alleged he did not receive payments from the company. Apparently Urich and his production company entered into an agreement with Castle Rock in 1995 for Urich to act in the "Lazarus Man" pilot. Under the deal he was to be paid $70,000 per episode for the first season and $73,000 an episode the second season. In July 1996 he informed Castle Rock that he had cancer and would have to undergo treatment, but the suit said at no time was Urich unable to perform his duties. Castle Rock terminated the agreement a month later. Urich underwent chemotherapy, radiation treatments and two operations in the mid-1990s to seemingly successfully fight synovial cell sarcoma, a rare cancer that attacks the joints.
• Holds the record for having the most series-regular roles on TV: 13. _"Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice" (1973)_ (qv), _"S.W.A.T." (1975)_ (qv), _"Soap" (1977)_ (qv), _"Tabitha" (1977)_ (qv), _"Vega$" (1978)_ (qv), _"Gavilan" (1982)_ (qv), _"Spenser: For Hire" (1985)_ (qv), _"American Dreamer" (1990)_ (qv) _"Crossroads" (1992)_ (qv) _"It Had to Be You" (1993)_ (qv), _"The Lazarus Man" (1996)_ (qv), _"The Love Boat: The Next Wave" (1998)_ (qv), and _"Emeril" (2001)_ (qv).
• During his "Spenser" series, Urich had a special agreement with the execs to fly out of state (from Brookline, MA to the West Coast) when needed for his older daughter's medical treatments.
• Son: Ryan 1979 Daughter: Emily 1980.
• Attended Florida State University on a four-year football scholarship where he earned his undergraduate degree in Radio and Television Communications in 1968.
• Is of Slovakian heritage.
• National spokesman for the American Cancer Society in 1998.

Robert Urich Photos

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