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

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

best known for playing the created monster Adam on the TV

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

Dark Shadows ''Dark Shadows'' is an American gothic soap opera that aired weekdays on the ABC television network, from June 27, 1966, to April 2, 1971. The show depicted the lives, loves, trials, and tribulations of the wealthy Collins family of Collinsport ...

''.

Career

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

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...

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

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

, where he was assigned to a special services unit that produced skits, plays, and other forms of live entertainment for troops. Leaving the army, he 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 West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

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 film is about a callous womanizer who gets his just reward. It was adapted from George Axelrod's 1959 p ...

''. Under the stage name Robert Rodan, he made his debut on ''Dark Shadows'' on May 3, 1968. His role 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 ''The Minx'' is a 2007 film written and directed by independent filmmaker Michael Smith. It was written in collaboration with Vincent Francone and shot on location in Chicago and Hong Kong in late 2005 and early 2006. It was distributed by Eche ...

''. After leaving acting, Rodan became a real estate broker in Southern California. Rodan was an avid painter, sculptor, sailor, and swimmer. Rodan returned to ''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 audio plays (released straight to compact disc and for download in MP3 and m4b format) based, primarily, on cult science fiction properties. These include ''Doctor Who'', the ...

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 Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

Citations

External links

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