Michael Conrad (October 16, 1925November 22, 1983) was an American actor perhaps best known for his portrayal of veteran cop Sgt. Phil Esterhaus on ''

Hill Street Blues ''Hill Street Blues'' is an American serial police procedural television series that aired on NBC in prime-time from January 15, 1981, to May 12, 1987, for 146 episodes. The show chronicles the lives of the staff of a single police station loca ...

'', in which he ended the introductory roll call to each week's show with "Let's be careful out there". He won two

Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for ''Hill Street Blues'' in 1981 and 1982.

Life and career

Conrad served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. Conrad had a long acting career in television from the 1950s to the 1980s. In 1962 he appeared in the television series ''

Car 54, Where Are You? ''Car 54, Where Are You?'' is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 1961 to April 1963. Filmed in black and white, the series starred Joe E. Ross as Gunther Toody and Fred Gwynne as Francis Muldoon, two mismatched New York City p ...

'' in an uncredited part as a construction worker. He played Felton Grimes, the title character and murder victim, in the 1963 ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a cli ...

'' episode "The Case of the Bigamous Spouse", and in 1965 played the role of a villain named AC in ''

My Favorite Martian ''My Favorite Martian'' is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from September 29, 1963, to May 1, 1966, for 107 episodes. The show stars Ray Walston as "Uncle Martin" (the Martian) and Bill Bixby as Tim O'Hara. The first two seasons, totaling ...

'', "Martin's Revoltin' Development", and played the role of Paul in '' The FBI'' (season 1, episode 24), "The Man Who Went Mad by Mistake". In 1972, Conrad played Michael Stivic's conventional Polish-American Uncle Casimir on two episodes of ''

All in the Family ''All in the Family'' is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS for nine seasons, from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. Afterwards, it was continued with the spin-off series '' Archie Bunker's Place'', which picked up where ''All in ...

''. The same year, he appeared, together with

Richard Crenna Richard Donald Crenna (November 30, 1926 – January 17, 2003) was an American film, television and radio actor. Crenna starred in such motion pictures as '' The Sand Pebbles'', '' Wait Until Dark'', '' Un Flic'', ''Body Heat'', the first thre ...

and Alain Delon, in the French-language film '' Un flic'', directed by

Jean-Pierre Melville Jean-Pierre Melville (; born Jean-Pierre Grumbach; 20 October 1917 – 2 August 1973) was a French filmmaker and actor. Among his films are '' Le Silence de la mer'' (1949), '' Bob le flambeur'' (1956), ''Le Doulos'' (1962), '' Le Samouraï'' (1 ...

. He also had a memorable role in the

1974 film The year 1974 in film involved some significant events. Highest-grossing films (U.S.) The top ten 1974 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows: Events *February 7 – ''Blazing Saddles'' is released in the United ...

'' The Longest Yard'', playing Nate Scarboro, a retired NFL tight end (

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisio ...

) who was also the head coach for "the Mean Machine", the team of prisoners put together by

Burt Reynolds Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. (February 11, 1936 – September 6, 2018) was an American actor, considered a sex symbol and icon of 1970s American popular culture. Reynolds first rose to prominence when he starred in television series such as '' ...

' character Paul Crewe to play the team of guards. During the 1976–77 season of '' Delvecchio'', Conrad was a regular as Lt. Macavan. Conrad is perhaps best known for his role as Sgt. Philip Freemason Esterhaus on the 1981-1987 police drama ''

'', a role he played for 71 episodes, always uttering his famous end of police roll call with the expression “let’s be careful out there”, until his death.

Death

Conrad died from urethral cancer in November 1983 during the fourth season of ''Hill Street Blues''. The show's writers wrote his death into the show, although they credited the character's death to a different reason.

Spouses

* Denise McCluggage (1953–54; divorced) * Emilie Demille (October 30, 1963 - February 1967; divorced) * Sima Goldberg (January 27, 1974 - November 22, 1983; his death)

Television and filmography

* ''

Demetrius and the Gladiators ''Demetrius and the Gladiators'' is a 1954 American biblical drama film and a sequel to ''The Robe''. The picture was made by 20th Century Fox, directed by Delmer Daves and produced by Frank Ross. The screenplay was written by Philip Dunne b ...

'' (1954) as Gladiator (uncredited) * ''

Harbormaster A harbourmaster (or harbormaster, see spelling differences) is an official responsible for enforcing the regulations of a particular harbour or port, in order to ensure the safety of navigation, the security of the harbour and the correct opera ...

'' (1957, TV Series) * '' The Mugger'' (1958) as Guy Throwing Craps * ''Requiem for a Heavyweight'' (1962) as Ma Greeny's Thug * ''

The Naked City ''The Naked City'' (aka ''Naked City'') is a 1948 American film noir directed by Jules Dassin, starring Barry Fitzgerald, Howard Duff, Dorothy Hart and Don Taylor. The film, shot almost entirely on location in New York City, depicts the polic ...

'' (1959, TV Series) as Hartog (episode "

Fire Island Fire Island is the large center island of the outer barrier islands parallel to the South Shore of Long Island, in the U.S. state of New York. Occasionally, the name is used to refer collectively to not only the central island, but also L ...

") * ''

The Edge of Night ''The Edge of Night'' is an American television mystery crime drama series and soap opera, created by Irving Vendig and produced by Procter & Gamble Productions. It debuted on CBS on April 2, 1956, and ran as a live broadcast on that networ ...

'' (1959–60, TV Series) as "Big" Frank Dubeck * ''

'' (1962, TV Series) as Construction Foreman / Smasher (uncredited) * '' Route 66'' (1960-1963, TV Series) as Deputy Sam Harris / Al Jenkins * ''

'' (1963, TV Series) as Felton Grimes * ''

Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings ...

'' (1963, TV Series) as Luke Moss * ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology series, anthology television program, television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dysto ...

'' (TV Series, episode "

Black Leather Jackets "Black Leather Jackets" is episode 138 of the American television anthology series '' The Twilight Zone''. In this episode, three aliens disguised as young men in leather jackets encounter a kink in their plan to exterminate humankind when one of t ...

") as Deputy Sheriff Harper * '' Brenner'' (1959-1964, TV Series) as Chick Arnel * '' Flipper'' (1964, TV Series) as Conlon * '' Rawhide'' (1965, TV Series) as Jerry Munson * ''

Daniel Boone Daniel Boone (September 26, 1820) was an American pioneer and frontiersman whose exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. He became famous for his exploration and settlement of Kentucky, which was then beyond the w ...

'' (1965, TV Series) as Sharben * '' The War Lord'' (1965) as Rainault * ''

The Dick Van Dyke Show ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' is an American television sitcom created by Carl Reiner that initially aired on CBS from October 3, 1961 to June 1, 1966, with a total of 158 half-hour episodes spanning five seasons. It was produced by Calvada Prod ...

'' (1965, TV Series) as Bernie Stern / Mr. Mack * '' Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.'' (1966, TV Series) as Sergeant Arthur Henchley * ''

'' (1966, TV Series) as A.C. * '' Laredo'' (1966, TV Series) as Willie G. Tinney * ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 13, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 432 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running western, the second-longest-running western series on ...

'' (1966, TV Series) as Hank Kelly * ''

I Spy I spy is a guessing game where one player (the ''spy'' or ''it'') chooses an object within sight and announces to the other players that "I spy with my little eye something beginning with...", naming the first letter of the object. Other players ...

'' (1965-1966, TV Series) as Dinat / Morton * ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central chara ...

'' (1964-1966, TV Series) as Cash McLean / Paul Douglas / Dick Corwin * ''

That Girl ''That Girl'' is an American sitcom that ran on ABC from September 8, 1966 to March 19, 1971. It starred Marlo Thomas as the title character Ann Marie, an aspiring (but only sporadically employed) actress, who moves from her hometown of Brews ...

'' (1966, TV Series) as Mr. Johnson * '' The Fugitive'' (1966, TV Series) as Hogan * ''

Felony Squad ''The Felony Squad'' is a half-hour television crime drama originally broadcast on the ABC network from September 12, 1966, to January 31, 1969, a span encompassing seventy-three episodes. Overview The program starred Howard Duff (as Sergeant S ...

'' (1966-1967, TV Series) as Zackary / Steve * ''

Blackbeard's Ghost ''Blackbeard's Ghost'' is a 1968 American fantasy comedy film directed by Robert Stevenson and starring Peter Ustinov, Dean Jones, and Suzanne Pleshette. It was produced by Walt Disney Productions and Bill Walsh. It is based upon the 1965 nove ...

'' (1968) as Pinetop Purvis * ''

Lost in Space ''Lost in Space'' is an American science fiction television series, created and produced by Irwin Allen, which originally aired between 1965 and 1968 on CBS. The series was inspired by the 1812 novel '' The Swiss Family Robinson.'' The series ...

'' (1968, TV Series) as Creech * ''

Sol Madrid ''Sol Madrid'' is a 1968 film directed by Brian G. Hutton and filmed in Acapulco. It was released in the UK as ''The Heroin Gang''. The MGM film starred David McCallum, Stella Stevens, Telly Savalas and Ricardo Montalban with John Cassavetes bei ...

'' (1968) as Scarpi * ''Three Guns for Texas'' (1968) as Ranger Willy G. Tinney * '' It Takes a Thief'' (1968, TV Series) as Anton * '' Castle Keep'' (1969) as Sgt. DeVaca * '' They Shoot Horses, Don't They?'' (1969) as Rollo * '' The Virginian'' (1969-1970, TV Series) as John White / Sam Marish * '' Monte Walsh'' (1970) as Dally Johnson * ''

The Silent Force ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

'' (episode "Cry in Concrete") (1970, TV Series) as Max Fredericks * ''Head On'' (1971) as Mike * '' The Todd Killings'' (1971) as Detective Shaw * '' Ironside'' (1970-1971, TV Series) as Tracy / Frank O'Neill * ''

Thumb Tripping ''Thumb Tripping'' is an American 1972 drama film directed by Quentin Masters, written by Don Mitchell, and starring Michael Burns, Meg Foster, Marianna Hill, Burke Byrnes, Michael Conrad and Bruce Dern. It was released in October 1972, by AVCO ...

'' (1972) as Diesel * '' Mission: Impossible'' (1970, TV Series) as Ralph Davies * ''

Alias Smith and Jones ''Alias Smith and Jones'' is an American Western series that originally aired on ABC from January 1971 to January 1973. The show initially starred Pete Duel as Hannibal Heyes and Ben Murphy as Jedediah "Kid" Curry, outlaw cousins who are tr ...

'' (1972, TV Series) as Mike McCloskey * '' Un Flic'' (1972) as Louis Costa * ''

'' (1972, TV Series) as Uncle Casimir Stivic * ''

Scream Blacula Scream ''Scream Blacula Scream'' is a 1973 American blaxploitation vampire horror film. It is a sequel to the 1972 film '' Blacula''. The film was produced by American International Pictures (AIP) and Power Productions. This was the acting debut of R ...

'' (1973) as Sheriff Harley Dunlop * ''

Love, American Style ''Love, American Style'' is an anthology comedy television series that aired on ABC from 1969 to 1974. The series was produced by Paramount Television. During the 1971–72 and 1972–73 seasons, it was a part of ABC's Friday primetime lineup ...

'' (1973, TV Series) as Rossi (segment "Love and the See-Through Mind") * ''

Mannix ''Mannix'' is an American detective television series that ran from 1967 to 1975 on CBS. It was created by Richard Levinson and William Link, and developed by executive producer Bruce Geller. The title character, Joe Mannix, is a private in ...

'' (1970-1973, TV Series) as Dave Tremble / Rick * '' The F.B.I.'' (1966-1973, TV Series) as Roger Tetlow / Paul Hogan * ''

The Bob Newhart Show ''The Bob Newhart Show'' is an American sitcom television series produced by MTM Enterprises that aired on CBS from September 16, 1972, to April 1, 1978, with a total of 142 half-hour episodes over six seasons. Comedian Bob Newhart portrays a ...

'' (1973-1974, TV Series) as Mr. Trevesco * '' W'' (1974) as Lt. Whitfield * '' The Longest Yard'' (1974) as Nate Scarboro * ''

Lucas Tanner ''Lucas Tanner'' is an American drama series that aired on NBC during the 1974–75 season. The title character, played by David Hartman, was a former baseball player and sportswriter who becomes an English teacher at the fictional Harry S Trum ...

'' (1974, TV Series) as Mr. Farnsworth * ''

Planet of the Apes ''Planet of the Apes'' is an American science fiction media franchise consisting of films, books, television series, comics, and other media about a world in which humans and intelligent apes clash for control. The franchise is based on Frenc ...

'' (1974, TV Series) as Janor * '' Satan's Triangle'' (1975, TV Movie) as Lt. Cmdr. Pagnolini * ''

Emergency! ''Emergency!'' is an American action-adventure medical drama A medical drama is a television show or film in which events center upon a hospital, an ambulance staff, or any medical environment. Most recent medical drama (film and television) ...

'' (1973-1975, TV Series) - Bob Stecker / Bob Hurley * ''

S.W.A.T. In the United States, a SWAT team (special weapons and tactics, originally special weapons assault team) is a police tactical unit that uses specialized or military equipment and tactics. Although they were first created in the 1960s to ...

'' (1975, TV Series) as Vince * '' Gone with the West'' (1975) as Smithy * ''

The Rockford Files ''The Rockford Files'' is an American detective drama television series starring James Garner that aired on the NBC network from September 13, 1974 to January 10, 1980, and remains in syndication. Garner portrays Los Angeles private investigat ...

'' (1975, TV Series) as George Macklan * '' Baby Blue Marine'' (1976) as Drill Instructor * '' Harry and Walter Go to New York'' (1976) as Billy Gallagher * ''

Starsky and Hutch ''Starsky & Hutch'' is an American action television series, which consisted of a 72-minute pilot movie (originally aired as a '' Movie of the Week'' entry) and 92 episodes of 50 minutes each. The show was created by William Blinn (inspired by ...

'' (1975-1976, TV Series) as Capt. Mike Ferguson / Cannell * ''

The Six Million Dollar Man ''The Six Million Dollar Man'' is an American science fiction and action television series, running from 1973 to 1978, about a former astronaut, USAF Colonel Steve Austin, portrayed by Lee Majors. After a NASA test flight accident, Austin is r ...

'' (1975-1977, TV Series) as Boris Retsky / Jimbo * ''

Little House on the Prairie The ''Little House on the Prairie'' books is a series of American children's novels written by Laura Ingalls Wilder (b. Laura Elizabeth Ingalls). The stories are based on her childhood and adolescence in the Midwestern United States, American M ...

'' (1977, TV Series) as Broder * '' Hawaii Five-O'' (1972-1978, TV Series) as Arthur / Kira Johnson * '' How the West Was Won'' (1978, TV Series) as Marshal Russell * ''

Charlie's Angels ''Charlie's Angels'' is an American crime drama television series that aired on ABC from September 22, 1976, to June 24, 1981, producing five seasons and 115 episodes. The series was created by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts and was produced by ...

'' (1978, TV Series) as Ed Slocum * ''

The Waltons ''The Waltons'' is an American historical drama television series about a family in rural Virginia during the Great Depression and World War II. It was created by Earl Hamner Jr., based on his 1961 book '' Spencer's Mountain'' and the 1963 fil ...

'' (1978, TV Series) as Matt Sarver * ''

Soap Soap is a salt of a fatty acid used in a variety of cleansing and lubricating products. In a domestic setting, soaps are surfactants usually used for washing, bathing, and other types of housekeeping. In industrial settings, soaps are used ...

'' (1978, TV Series) as 'Boomer' David * ''

Vega$ ''Vegas'' (stylized as ''Vega$'') is an American crime drama television series that aired on ABC from September 20, 1978, to June 3, 1981, with the pilot episode airing April 25, 1978. ''Vegas'' was produced by Aaron Spelling and created by Mic ...

'' (1979, TV Series) as Albert Brown * ''

Barney Miller ''Barney Miller'' is an American sitcom television series set in a New York City Police Department police station on East 6th St in Greenwich Village. The series was broadcast on ABC Network from January 23, 1975, to May 20, 1982. It was created ...

'' (1979, TV Series) as Col. Charles Dundee * ''

CHiPs ''CHiPs'' is an American crime drama television series created by Rick Rosner and originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to May 1, 1983. It follows the lives of two motorcycle officers of the California Highway Patrol (CHP). The seri ...

'' (1979, TV Series) as Mr. Chambers / Karl Maddox * ''Las mujeres de Jeremías'' (1980) as Spencer * ''

Cattle Annie and Little Britches ''Cattle Annie and Little Britches'' is a 1981 Western film starring Burt Lancaster, John Savage, Rod Steiger, Diane Lane, and Amanda Plummer, based on the lives of two adolescent girls in late 19th-century Oklahoma Territory, who became inf ...

'' (1981) as Engineer * ''

The Incredible Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of '' The Incredible Hulk'' (May 1962). In his comic book ...

'' (1981, TV Series) as Emerson Fletcher * ''

'' (1981-1984, TV Series) (65 episodes) as Sgt. Phil Esterhaus (final appearance)

References

External links

* * *
Michael Conrad
at the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...

'
Actors Studio audio collection
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Conrad, Michael 1925 births 1983 deaths Male actors from New York City American male television actors Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Primetime Emmy Award winners Deaths from cancer in California 20th-century American male actors