Their characters are legend: Woodward. Austin. Tanna. Little Joe. But the importance of the fictional pales in comparison to that of the near-mythical actors and actresses who breathed life into the roles. Their shows seldom were Emmy-winning, but their work was seen in your household if you owned a set at the time, their names known to you. We salute TV’s true stalwarts — those with the constitution to make it to the set year after year, show after show. Here we celebrate the great Robert Urich.
Notable contributions:
Love Boat: The Next Wave, The Lazarus Man, Crossroads, Spenser: for Hire, Vega$, Soap, Tabitha, S.W.A.T.
Memorable traits:
A commanding presence, whether handing out punches as a private eye or orders as a ship’s captain. Plus, he stepped up to the material with a stellar performance in Lonesome Dove.
Staying power:
The titan’s titan on numbers alone. In addition to those noted, Urich also collected paychecks for such shows as Gavilan, American Dreamer and Invasion America. Urich combined fortitude with what is by all accounts one of the most professional and nicest guys in the business. Urich sadly died of cancer in 2002.
