Post #519687 by VampiressRN on Wed, Mar 24, 2010 5:12 PM

Robert Culp, who shot to fame as an actor thanks to his Kelly Robinson role in 'I Spy' in the 1960s, died on Wednesday after the 79-year-old actor hit his head during a fall near his Hollywood home.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Culp hit his head after falling while walking on Wednesday morning and was found by a jogger who then called 911 shortly after 11 a.m. Culp was pronounced dead shortly after at Queen of Angels hospital, Los Angeles Police Department Bob Binder told the LA Times that the actor's death "is accidental and there appears to be no sign of foul play."

From 1965 to 1968, Culp's Robinson character on 'I Spy' brought him to the top of Hollywood, as Robinson's globe-trotting detective prowess took viewers on trips around the world. It was also a socially important show, as it became the first dramatic TV series to feature an African American actor. That actor... Bill Cosby.

"He's the brightest man I ever knew, and God knows he has the fastest mind of anyone I've ever come across," Culp said of Cosby during an interview with the Archive of American Television in 2007.

He went on to describe the social significance of 'I Spy, saying that "when it came to race relations... that there were stations in the South that wouldn't carry us," and that he said to Cosby: 'Do you want to do anything about that?'" Culp continued, saying that Cosby told him "'Our statement is a non-statement. That's what it is, and that's where it lies and that's what's going to make it funny.'

Culp's response? "'Dead-on, partner."

During the 1980s, Culp also logged 44 episodes as Bill Maxwell in 'The Greatest American Hero.' In recent years, he acted sporadically, including a role as Warren in 11 episodes of 'Everybody Loves Raymond' during the show's tenure. Culp also had a role in 1994's hit movie 'The Pelican Brief.'

[ Edited by: VampiressRN 2010-03-24 17:16 ]