Pernell Roberts (born 18 May 1928 in Waycross, Georgia, USA) is an American actor. He is also known for his activism, which included participation in the Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965.
Roberts began his acting career in Off-Broadway and Broadway theatre in New York City. He came to prominence, however, playing Adam, Ben Cartwright's firstborn, in the TV series Bonanza. Despite the show's success and his own popularity, he left the series after the sixth season in 1965 due to disagreements with the writers.
Roberts continued to act but was not highly visible again until the early 1980s when he starred in the long-running television series Trapper John, M.D. (1979-86). Guest appearances by Roberts included the role of Hezekiah Horn in the Young Riders episode "Requiem for a Hero," which won a Western Heritage Award in 1991.
He hosted FBI: The Untold Stories in 1991 and is now retired, the last surviving Cartwright.
