Is Robert Conrad 75 Today? Who Knows?

Did he have a stroke or something?  Well, no.  Turns out he had an accident while driving drunk in 2003, one that left him a) on probation for 5 years, and 2) partly paralyzed. Hence the off-kilter look.

Which brings us back to the original question.  Buried at the bottom of that 2003 Associated Press story is this line:

Lavelda Conrad said her husband is 68, but court records indicate he is 73.

"Court records," eh?  We're inclined to take the AP's word for it, but we haven't been able (yet) to find any proof beyond that.  Wikipedia claims he was born in 1930 but offers no citation. The IMDB claims 1929. 

On the other hand, here's an (also unsourced) claim that Robert Conrad really was born in 1935, but lied about his age to join the Marines at age 15 during the Korean War.  The Korean War started in 1950, so that checks out.

Conrad also has often said that he eloped with his first wife at age 17 in 1952, which matches a 1935 birth -- although any actor worth his salt would be perfectly capable of lying about such a thing.  But he does claim 1935 consistently, as in this martial arts interview where he says he was 29 when he tried out for The Wild Wild West, which went on the air in 1965.

(We're not sure whether marrying *another* 17-year-old in 1977 makes his 1952 story more likely or less likely.  But somewhere President Tyler is smiling.)

The Library of Congress also has Robert Conrad born in 1935, and they're often a reliable source.

So, bottom line: We're intrigued by the AP's "court records" claim, but we're sticking with 1935 until we find sturdy proof one way or the other.  We'll keep looking.

And happy birthday, Mr. Conrad, however old you are!