Robert Conrad Raised Eight Children, And Details About His Old-School Parenting Have Come To Light

And Robert wasn’t exactly the most laid-back of fathers, either. In an interview with People magazine during the late 1980s, his kids revealed that the tough guy you saw on screen definitely wasn’t an act. And the Hollywood star’s parenting techniques definitely had an impact on his offspring.

That’s right: all of Robert’s eight children appear to be thriving in their respective careers. Some have followed in his showbiz footsteps, while others have carved out their own paths. And no doubt they all learned a lot from their famous father’s strong work ethic. In fact, Robert was often a double threat.

For example, in his early years Robert performed in a Chicago-based cabaret while also earning a living as a milk truck driver. His path to Hollywood began in 1957 when he struck up a friendship with a fellow actor. Nick Adams helped the aspiring star to bag several minor roles, which ultimately led to a Warner Bros. contract.

In 1959 Robert bagged the role of private investigator Tom Lopaka on Hawaiian Eye, an adventure drama that stayed on air for four years. He went on to add to his resume with appearances in Palm Springs Weekend, 77 Sunset Strip, and Young Dillinger. Robert’s career-defining part, though, came in 1965 when he was cast in The Wild Wild West as James West, a secret agent.

Robert, who also carried out his own stunts, earned a relatively lucrative sum of $5,000 per week for the western’s first season. This figure rose, of course, as both he and the show grew in popularity. But an on-set accident suggested that Robert should’ve been paid quite a bit of danger money as well.

Yes, Robert was told by medics that he was lucky to escape with his life when he tumbled onto a floor of cement from a height of 14 feet during filming. The star suffered both a temporal concussion and fractured skull after falling on his head. Thankfully, though, Robert made a full recovery and was able to see the show through until its cancelation in 1969.

And even after that, Robert continued to pull double duty on the show. CBS had wanted the actor to allow a stuntman to take on the more dangerous parts of the job. But after just a few weeks, Robert insisted on once again carrying them out himself. The actor would later receive the honor of a Stuntmen’s Hall of Fame induction.

Robert suffered another setback when a pilot he filmed derived from the Nick Carter detective novels wasn’t picked up. Another show he landed a leading role in, The D.A., did manage to make it to air — but only for one season. And Robert’s run of bad luck continued when his adventure series Assignment: Vienna was given the chop, too.

But Robert’s career finally got back on track in 1976, when he was cast as Major ‘Pappy’ Bovington in hit World War II drama Black Sheep Squadron. And not for the last time, the actor also used his status to secure a part for one of his kids. Yes, that’s Nancy Conrad who plays Lieutenant Nancy Gilmore.

Nancy, who went on to appear in the likes of A Man Called Sloane and Sudden Death, is the second eldest of Robert’s eight kids. His first-born is Joan, who also followed her father into the entertainment industry. In fact, she produced one of his most cherished shows: High Mountain Rangers.

Robert first welcomed a son into the world in 1964 with the birth of Christian. And then seven years later, his fourth child Shane arrived. Both pursued careers as actors, too, with the latter appearing in the likes of zombie horror The Crazies, revival The Brady Bunch Movie, and comedy Wanderlust.

Unlike her older siblings, Robert’s third daughter — and Pepperdine University graduate — Christy gave Hollywood the wide berth. And that appeared to set a new trend. Chelsea Conrad works as an environmentally friendly interior designer, while you’re more likely to see her sister Camille at the Winter Olympics than on the big screen.

That’s right: Camille’s pretty nifty on the ski slopes and has emerged triumphant in several major tournaments. She’s also employed by Atomic Ski, a firm based in Austria. We know next to nothing, though, about Robert’s youngest child, Kaja, with her Instagram account only accessible to those she’s approved.

And the Conrad showbiz lineage looks to be extending. Jesse Erwin, the son of Timothy Erwin and Robert’s eldest daughter Joan, is also an actor. He’s appeared in 2006 drama Alpha Dog, the 2009 first installment of The Hangover franchise, and 2014 comedy Walk of Shame, to name just a few of his movies.

Joan Kenlay, Robert’s first wife, was the mother of those five kids. The pair walked down the aisle way back in 1952, but sadly they headed for the divorce courts in the same year they were due to celebrate their silver wedding anniversary. Robert didn’t stay single for too long, though.

In fact, Robert met his second wife, and mother of his youngest three kids, in 1978. The actor was actually presiding over the annual pageant dubbed Miss National Teenager when he was introduced to the previous year’s winner LaVelda Fann. After striking up a connection the couple married in 1983.

Unfortunately, Robert and LaVelda also ended up going their separate ways. But they at least did manage to pass the 25-year mark. Yes, it was towards the end of the 2000s that things started to turn sour, a decade that hadn’t exactly been kind to The Wild Wild West star.

In 2003, for example, Robert faced a DUI charge after he collided with an automobile, hurting both its driver and himself in the process. Robert was put under house arrest for half a year as a result. The star also suffered paralysis to his hand and arm following the accident.

This wasn’t the first time that Robert had gotten into legal trouble, either. You might be surprised to learn that he was sued on no fewer than seven occasions because of his apparent fondness for fighting. And one of those brawls was with a man impersonating none other than Father Christmas!

Robert’s children certainly knew all about their father’s temperament. It was a topic that came up in a 1988 family interview with People. Nancy tried her best to justify her pop’s behavior, arguing, “Dad is a hard worker. If people drag their feet he gets impatient.” And an example of that occurred during the reporter’s visit to High Sierra in California.

Robert was nearby filming an episode of High Mountain Rangers, of which his daughter Joan was the producer. Referring to a shriek that’d reverberated around the snow-capped scenery, Joan revealed, “We had a chopper in the scene, and there was a storm. But the skiers on the back side of the mountain could still hear [my father’s scream].” Robert’s eldest added that the cause of the outburst was that an actor had missed their mark.

Unlike sister Nancy, though, Joan wasn’t so indulgent towards her father’s blustery nature. She said, “It takes a while to patiently take him aside and show him why things might not be going well. I hope I’ve inherited his creative ability. But I hope I haven’t taken too much of his personality.”

It was the kind of no-nonsense sentiment that Robert would no doubt have been proud of. The one-time pop singer told the same publication, “My [first] wife and I tried to see that our children were honest, hardworking, basically moral people.” And the star was more than happy to have his nearest and dearest on set with him, too.

As we’ve heard, the Conrads were shooting High Mountain Rangers at the time, a show based on a search and rescue team that Robert had proudly pitched as a close-knit affair. He said, “I wanted a family-oriented show with schmaltz. I’d used my children in other films. It’s fun to work with family.”

It's fair to say that CBS wasn’t initially as enthusiastic about the concept. But Robert managed to convince the network that his sons Chris and Shane were talented enough to appear onscreen. Joan also came on board as producer, having already served a similar role on a half-dozen television movies.

Robert took on the role of the series’ enigmatic leading man, while Chris and Shane played his two sons. The star was so determined to get High Mountain Rangers green-lit that he agreed to help fund the series personally. And Robert was apparently just as keen to ensure that the set was an equal opportunities workplace.

In his interview with People, Robert admitted, “I’m glad I’m not producing this. I’ll lead into combat, but I can’t fire people. I have this machismo image, but you won’t find a larger percentage of women on TV crews than here.” And it wasn’t just at work that Robert proved he was more open-minded than you may have thought.

Referring to her time growing up in the Conrad family, Joan recalled, “The boys were taught how to iron and sew. And I remember Dad taking me to work out at Gold’s Gym.” But the producer also recalled how her father had been much stricter with his daughters when it came to punishments.

Yes, Robert ensured that both Nancy and Joan had a strict Catholic education. He also forbade them to go out on dates until they’d reached their 16th birthdays. And woe betide them if they left their bedrooms in a mess! So perhaps unsurprisingly, the girls initially decided they didn’t want to join their father at work, too.

Robert’s sons, on the other hand, couldn’t wait to try their hands at acting. Chris told People, “I was raised on the set of The Wild Wild West. I got to play all these fantasies on the backlots of studios.” Meanwhile, the younger of the two, Shane, was inspired by his time on the set of 1970s World War II drama Black Sheep Squadron.

And all of those involved on High Mountain Rangers seemed happy to be adding to the Conrad showbiz legacy. Shane stated, “I’m glad I started with the support of my family. If you do talk shows, it’s a lot easier having your brother or your dad next to you than being all alone.”

And it was appeared that the family got along, judging by the on-set camaraderie. At one point Chris and Shane started gently teasing each other about their appearances in various teen magazines. A boastful Robert then chimed in, “I was better looking than both of you when I was young.”

Joan also revealed that she’d never dreamed that the Conrads would make such a good TV team. But the critics didn’t exactly agree that this was the case. High Mountain Rangers received pretty dismal reviews, with one writer describing it as “Chippendales on Ice.” Thankfully, Robert took all the negativity in his stride.

A philosophical Robert explained, “There are three cycles in showbiz. They don’t know you, then they love you, and then you’ve been around so long they hate you. Now I’m starting all over again.” Unfortunately, though, this new start didn’t last too long. High Mountain Rangers was taken off air after just a single season.

By this point, Conrad had been living in the remote town of Bear Valley in California for half a decade with LaVelda. And the star appreciated how much of a commitment his second wife had made by relocating to such an isolated area. He admitted, “You’ve really got to be into a guy to want to move with him and live this kind of life.”

But Robert actually spent his final years in a much more populated area: the city of Malibu. And he even tried to find romance as an octogenarian with a vacation to Spain. The TV veteran told newspaper The Olive Press in 2014, “I’d love to fall in love again! I love women.”

Robert continued, “I’ve been divorced now for four years, and I’m not happy about it. I’d love to have a good woman in my life right now. I’d like to have one last love before I go.” Sadly, though, Robert didn’t manage to find another long-term partner before his death.

In 2020 Robert passed away age 84 from cardiac issues at his Californian home. Jeff Ballard, a spokesman for the Conrad family, said to the Associated Press, “He lived a wonderfully long life. And while the family is saddened by his passing, he will live forever in their hearts.”