Robert Conrad, Of The Wild Wild West And Baa Baa Black Sheep, Dead At 84

Veteran TV actor Robert Conrad has died, at age 84.

"He lived a wonderfully long life and while the family is saddened by his passing, he will live forever in their hearts," family spokesman Jeff Ballard said in a statement to People.com. No other details were immediately available.

Conrad's long TV career began with one-shots on series such as Bat Masterson, Maverick and Lawman, before he co-starred opposite Anthony Eisley in the ABC detective series Hawaiian Eye, which ran for four seasons (from 1959-63). A few years later, he headed up The Wild Wild West, science fiction/Western series that ran on CBS for four seasons (and a long while later was turned into a big-budget feature flop by Will Smith).[pmc_inline_gallery]

Next up, Conrad played Major Greg "Pappy" Boyington on Baa Baa Black Sheep, while also costarring in NBC's Centennial miniseries. His other of many TV credits included A Man Called Sloane, High Mountain Rangers, Jesse Hawkes and High Sierra Search and Rescue. Most recently, he guested on a 1999 episode of Just Shoot Me, though it appears (per IMDb) he has in the can a guest spot on the upcoming Nash Bridges reboot.

Conrad was also, quite famously, a fixture on the Battle of the Network Stars internetwork competition series, often serving as a most intimidating team captain, building off of his reputation as a pitchman for Eveready, where in a series of commercials he dared ya to knock the battery off his shoulder.