The reason why Robert Conrad was happy to get older
Is aging a curse or a blessing? We attach so much promise to today's youth, never realizing that you can achieve greatness at any age. In fact, the older you get, the more comfortable you become in your own skin.
As an actor, Robert Conrad was frequently asked to step into the shoes of various characters. His success as a young man in television earned him the reputation of a heartthrob, but it also forced him to take on a small collection of immature roles.
"When I was in the Hawaiian Eye series, I was labeled as a member of the so-called Young Troy Donahue Category," Conrad said during an interview with The State. "I often heard that I was a boy trying to play a man's part."
As he got older, Conrad saw the world open up at his feet. "Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with this teen-oriented market, but it is limited," said the actor. "But I'm 30 years old, and I'm now playing a 30-year-old part. I've got crow's feet around my eyes, indentations in my cheeks, and I don't look like a Boy Scout anymore."
As an older man, Conrad finally achieved the sort of success he had been searching for. "I've waited all my professional life to do exactly what I’m doing now," said the actor.
Conrad is perhaps best known for his roles as agent James West of The Wild Wild West and Major Greg "Pappy" Boyington in Black Sheep Squadron. "You might say I'm James Bond's Great-Great-Grandfather," said the actor of his character. "We've two elements here: one, the traditional American heritage of the Old West; two, the super spy in the modern Ian Fleming tradition. I just hope the public stays with us for the next four or five years."