R.I.P. Efrem Zimbalist Jr.
 

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Efrem Zimbalist Jr., an actor whose mellifluous voice and air of European sophistication left a distinctive stamp on two popular television crime series, died Friday at his ranch in Solvang, Calif. He was 95.

His son, Efrem Zimbalist III, confirmed the death, saying that his father had been outside watering his lawn when a handyman found him lying in the grass.

“He was healthy, playing golf three days a week, and always in his garden,” his son said.

Mr. Zimbalist personified the suave and unflappable leading man as an Ivy League-educated private eye on the lighthearted “77 Sunset Strip” and as a stalwart agent who always got his man on “The F.B.I.,” which ran for nine seasons and made him a household name. “The F.B.I.” was unquestioning in its support of the agency it depicted, and both on screen and off, Mr. Zimbalist became its unofficial symbol.

His life imitated his art. Politically conservative, he was a strong defender of J. Edgar Hoover, the F.B.I.’s director, and a close friend of Ronald Reagan.

Go HERE for a lot more about Mr. Zimbalist....

Mr. Zimbalist was also a WW II vet serving 5 years in the Army.

He also received a Purple heart for a leg wound.

I grew up watching the FBI. He was involved in many local events. He narrated the annual Christmas story.

Solvang's Nativity Pageant - 27th Year

A class act man. Never any scandal, drugs, booze or publicity craving like the current batch we have today. As a kid in the late 50s, I thought he was pretty darn cool on 77 Sunset Strip.

When I worked in Beverly Hills, I happened to sat next to his daughter Stephanie at Cafe Figaro for lunch one day. I told her how much I liked her Dad. She was super nice and we had a great chat.

RIP

His daughter Stephanie announced the news saying "He was 95 years old, a devout Christian. Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.