Robert Culp, I Spy's Other Secret Agent Man, Dies

Actor who played Bill Cosby's partner on the 1960s series and the U.S. president in the Pelican Brief was 79

By Natalie Finn Mar 24, 2010 10:40 PMTags

Long before Phylicia Rashad came into the picture, it was Robert Culp who played Bill Cosby's other half.

Culp, who teamed with Cosby in the 1965-68 secret-agent series I Spy, died Wednesday after falling down and hitting his head while on a walk near his Hollywood home. He was 79.

After finishing his run as tennis-playing lawman Kelly Robinson, the veteran character actor then starred in the adultery-run-amok dramedy Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice in 1969.

Though he's known to younger audiences today as Patricia Heaton's dad on Everybody Loves Raymond, he made his mark on the small screen in a number of cop- and crime-themed series, from I Spy to The Man From U.N.C.L.E. to Columbo to The Greatest American Hero, racking up four Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe nod along the way.

Culp is also a member of the club of actors who have played the president of the United States on the silver screen, having occupied the Oval Office in The Pelican Brief.

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Pay tribute to other talent who has left us this year in our 2010 Fallen Stars gallery.