Spartan Profiles: Robert Urich
LOVE BOAT CAPTAIN
Few actors can boast as dramatic a comeback as Robert Urich, M.A. '70, now starring as Capt. Kennedy in The Love Boat: The Next Wave. Having enjoyed 25 years of success on TV (Vegas, Spenser For Hire, Lonesome Dove) and won Emmy and Cable Ace Awards, Urich was diagnosed in 1996 with a rare form of cancer. His series, Lazarus Man, was canceled by TNT. But the 1996 show's name was prophetic, as Urich has worked hard to recover his health and his career.
He endured what he calls 'nine months of sheer hell'--chemotherapy cycles and medicine intakes via a surgically implanted port in his chest. 'With a loving family, lots of support from my friends, I just chose to take charge of what was happening to me, not to be a victim, not to feel sorry for myself,' he explained to Midwest Today.
More than 50,000 letters poured from fans. He has gotten much better, although is not 100 percent out of the woods. In 1998, the American Cancer Society picked him to be the National Spokesperson. Today, besides acting, he gives talks about the positive approach to survivorship. He's also involved with a new company, Computer Sentry Software, that makes 'Cyber Angel,' a security device for computers.
His passions include fly fishing, golf and restoring old wooden boats. In the summers, he and wife Heather Menzies (Louisa in The Sound Of Music) and two teenage sons vacation in Canada. 'We don't live a glamorous Hollywood life-style,' he notes. 'There's nothing I'd rather do than pal around with my wife, just shop and have lunch and do fun things like that.'