Robert Rodan (January 30, 1939 – March 25, 2021), born Robert Berger, was an American

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

and real estate broker best known for playing the created monster Adam on the TV

soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...

Dark Shadows ''Dark Shadows'' is an American Gothic fiction, Gothic soap opera that aired weekdays on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network from June 27, 1966, to April 2, 1971. The show depicted the lives, loves, trials, and tribulatio ...

''.

Career

Robert Rodan was born Robert Michael Berger on January 30, 1939, in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

. He later changed his name to Robert Trimas, to take his stepfather's last name. After graduating from high school, he enrolled at the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private university, private research university in Coral Gables, Florida, United States. , the university enrolled 19,852 students in two colleges and ten schools across over ...

and majored in art. After college, he enlisted in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

, where he was assigned to a special services unit that produced skits, plays, and other forms of live entertainment for troops. Leaving the army, Rodan intended to find work as a commercial artist. Dark, handsome, and tall, so many people approached him on the street to ask if he was an actor that he decided to try his hand at it. He acted in a few plays on the West Coast and had a small role in the 1964 film ''

Goodbye Charlie ''Goodbye Charlie'' is a 1964 American comedy film directed by Vincente Minnelli and starring Tony Curtis, Debbie Reynolds and Pat Boone. The CinemaScope film is about a callous womanizer who gets his just reward after a jealous husband kills hi ...

''. Under the stage name Robert Rodan, he made his debut on ''

'' on May 3, 1968. His role as Adam lasted only until the end of 1968, and he left the series rather than play other characters. He made only one more acting appearance, in the 1969 film ''The Minx''. After leaving acting, Rodan became a

real estate broker Real estate agents and real estate brokers are people who represent sellers or buyers of real estate or real property. While a broker may work independently, an agent usually works under a licensed broker to represent clients. Brokers and age ...

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

. Rodan was an avid painter, sculptor, sailor, and swimmer. Rodan returned to acting and ''Dark Shadows'' in 2007, providing the voice of the new character Oswald Gravenor in the

Big Finish Productions Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and radio drama, audio plays (released straight to compact disc and for download in MP3 and m4b format) based, primarily, on science fiction properties. These include ''Doctor Who'' ...

audio drama '' Dark Shadows: The Rage Beneath''.

Death

Rodan died of heart failure on March 25, 2021, at his home in

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

Citations

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rodan, Robert 1938 births 2021 deaths Male actors from Newark, New Jersey American male television actors