RIP: Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. (1918-2014)
Efrem Zimbalist Jr. dies at 95; starred in '77 Sunset Strip'
http://www.latimes.com/obituaries/la-me-efrem-zimbalist-20140503,0,6697404.story#ixzz30pGboMyp
Efrem Zimbalist Jr., the elegant actor with the mellifluous baritone who costarred as the suave private eye Stuart Bailey on TV's "77 Sunset Strip" beginning in the late 1950s and later starred as the buttoned-down Inspector Lewis Erskine on "The F.B.I.," died Friday at his home in Solvang. He was 95.
Zimbalist, the father of actress Stephanie Zimbalist, died of natural causes, according to his daughter and his son, Efrem Zimbalist III.
The handsome, dark-haired son of prominent concert violinist Efrem Zimbalist Sr. and acclaimed soprano Alma Gluck, Zimbalist made his debut on Broadway shortly after World War II.
Placed under a seven-year contract at Warner Bros. in 1956, he appeared in several films, including "Bombers B-52," "Band of Angels" and "Too Much, Too Soon" before the studio cast in him "77 Sunset Strip."
"When I was under contract at Warners, I didn't want to do television," Zimbalist said in a 1993 Associated Press interview. "They told me I was going to make a pilot, and they showed me in my contract where it said I had to."
Despite his resistance to the little screen, "77 Sunset Strip," which made its debut on ABC in the fall of 1958, made him a star.
The hourlong, Los Angeles-set show costarred Roger Smith as Bailey's partner, Jeff Spencer, and Edd Byrnes as "Kookie," the hip-talking, hair-combing young parking lot attendant at Dino's, the restaurant next door to Bailey and Spencer's detective agency on Sunset Boulevard.
A top-10 hit in its second season, "77 Sunset Strip" ran until 1964.
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Despite his complaints about doing a television series, Zimbalist returned to TV in 1965 to star as Inspector Erskine on "The F.B.I." The hour-long drama, which received the full cooperation of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, ran on ABC for nine seasons.
Zimbalist said in an interview four decades later that fans of the show occasionally approached him to say they had joined the FBI or had become police officers because of his portrayal of the calm and authoritative government agent on the series.
"I get more joy from that than anything in my life," he said. "When you learn that you inspired someone, it's a huge honor."
In 2009, Zimbalist was named an honorary special agent, the FBI's highest civilian honor. The badge was presented by FBI Director Robert Mueller, who praised Zimbalist as an icon who inspired a generation of FBI agents.
Efrem Zimbalist Jr. dies at 95; starred in '77 Sunset Strip'
http://www.latimes.com/obituaries/la-me-efrem-zimbalist-20140503,0,6697404.story#ixzz30pGboMyp
Efrem Zimbalist Jr., the elegant actor with the mellifluous baritone who costarred as the suave private eye Stuart Bailey on TV's "77 Sunset Strip" beginning in the late 1950s and later starred as the buttoned-down Inspector Lewis Erskine on "The F.B.I.," died Friday at his home in Solvang. He was 95.
Zimbalist, the father of actress Stephanie Zimbalist, died of natural causes, according to his daughter and his son, Efrem Zimbalist III.
The handsome, dark-haired son of prominent concert violinist Efrem Zimbalist Sr. and acclaimed soprano Alma Gluck, Zimbalist made his debut on Broadway shortly after World War II.
Placed under a seven-year contract at Warner Bros. in 1956, he appeared in several films, including "Bombers B-52," "Band of Angels" and "Too Much, Too Soon" before the studio cast in him "77 Sunset Strip."
"When I was under contract at Warners, I didn't want to do television," Zimbalist said in a 1993 Associated Press interview. "They told me I was going to make a pilot, and they showed me in my contract where it said I had to."
Despite his resistance to the little screen, "77 Sunset Strip," which made its debut on ABC in the fall of 1958, made him a star.
The hourlong, Los Angeles-set show costarred Roger Smith as Bailey's partner, Jeff Spencer, and Edd Byrnes as "Kookie," the hip-talking, hair-combing young parking lot attendant at Dino's, the restaurant next door to Bailey and Spencer's detective agency on Sunset Boulevard.
A top-10 hit in its second season, "77 Sunset Strip" ran until 1964.
---
Despite his complaints about doing a television series, Zimbalist returned to TV in 1965 to star as Inspector Erskine on "The F.B.I." The hour-long drama, which received the full cooperation of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, ran on ABC for nine seasons.
Zimbalist said in an interview four decades later that fans of the show occasionally approached him to say they had joined the FBI or had become police officers because of his portrayal of the calm and authoritative government agent on the series.
"I get more joy from that than anything in my life," he said. "When you learn that you inspired someone, it's a huge honor."
In 2009, Zimbalist was named an honorary special agent, the FBI's highest civilian honor. The badge was presented by FBI Director Robert Mueller, who praised Zimbalist as an icon who inspired a generation of FBI agents.
