Efrem Zimbalist Jr.

One of the most sophisticated and professional actors of the small screen, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. rose to fame in the late 1950s and early 1960s on the strength of two popular television series: "77 Sunset Strip" (ABC, 1958-1964) and "The FBI" (ABC, 1965-1974). Tall, well spoken and always impeccable in dress and manner, Zimbalist was the epitome of the confident, competent professional man of the period, who viewed each challenge with determination and the occasional wry quip. Both shows would represent the high points of his acting career, but their success would allow him to work at an astonishing rate for the next four decades in television, including a lengthy stint as a voiceover artist in his eighth and ninth decades. A highly admired holdover from the Golden Age of American television, Zimbalist's carriage and talent kept him both active and appreciated, a legacy that most actors would have considered the perfect final act of their careers. Efrem Zimbalist Jr. died at the age of 95, staying active until the very end; his obituaries mentioned that he was watering the lawn at home at the time he died.