Before He Died, Pernell Roberts Finally Named the 5 Actors He Hated Most — And The Reasons Shock Hollywood

There are secrets so deeply buried in Hollywood’s past that even time hesitates to touch them. And then there are the truths a man chooses to reveal only when the world can no longer punish him.
Before his death in 2010, legendary actor Pernell Roberts—the fierce, uncompromising star who played Adam Cartwright on Bonanza—released one final confession. He named, without hesitation, the five actors he hated most, the men who betrayed him, disappointed him, or clashed so violently with his values that the wounds never healed.

It was not a list of petty disagreements.
It was a map of his heartbreaks.
A mirror held up to the darker, quieter corners of his long Hollywood journey.

And what he revealed stunned even those who knew him best.

This is the inside story—cinematic, emotional, and explosive—of the feuds Pernell Roberts carried to his grave… and why he never forgave these five men.

The Rebel Actor Who Refused to Behave

Before the feuds, before Bonanza, before the fame, there was a young man from Waycross, Georgia—a shy artist shaped by hardship and the Great Depression. Born in 1928, Pernell Roberts grew up surrounded by the smell of pine trees, poverty, and the stubborn determination of Southern resilience.

He loved music before he loved acting.
He learned discipline in the Marine Corps before he learned fame.
And he discovered purpose on the stage long before the cameras of NBC ever found him.

From Shakespeare festivals in New York to gritty theater roles that paid little but demanded everything, Roberts carved out a reputation as something rare in Hollywood:

A man who refused to follow the script—on camera or off.

It was this refusal—this radical rebellion—that shaped every friendship, feud, and fracture in his life.

But nothing defined him more than the moment he joined Bonanza in 1959… and the storm that followed.

When Fame Became a Cage

Bonanza turned Pernell Roberts into an American icon.
It also turned him into a prisoner.

The show exploded into a massive hit, broadcast into millions of homes. Adam Cartwright became the intelligent, moral backbone of the Cartwright family. Fans adored him. Producers depended on him. Executives trusted him.

But Roberts? He hated how shallow the writing was.

He hated how the scripts ignored racial issues.
He hated how Native American characters were mishandled.
He hated how the show refused to grow—even as America was burning through the 1960s.

And worst of all, he hated how his own role was being diminished behind the scenes… by people he once trusted.

That was when the feuds began.

THE LIST: The 5 Actors Pernell Roberts Hated Most

1. Michael Landon — The Golden Boy Who Turned into a Rival

Their feud was the most notorious, the most painful, and the most permanent.

Michael Landon, who played Little Joe, entered the show as a charming, young, ambitious star. Fans loved him instantly. And as his fame grew, so did his influence behind the camera.

Soon, Landon was writing scripts.
Then he was directing episodes.
Then he was reshaping entire storylines.

And Roberts saw through it.

Landon wasn’t trying to improve the show, Roberts believed—he was trying to elevate himself.

“You’re not trying to make the show better. You’re trying to make yourself bigger.”
—Pernell Roberts, confronting Landon

The feud became personal.

Scenes were rewritten to feature Little Joe more prominently. Adam Cartwright—the thoughtful, brooding elder brother—began fading from view. Landon didn’t acknowledge Roberts when he left the show in 1965. No handshake. No phone call. Nothing.

Years later, when Landon created Little House on the Prairie, Roberts delivered a brutal line:

“It’s more of the same. He’s still playing cowboy. Still playing saint.”

Their relationship never recovered. Not even close.

2. Dan Blocker — The Brother Who Chose Silence

This feud wasn’t loud. It wasn’t explosive.
It was worse: it was heartbreaking.

Dan Blocker—America’s beloved Hoss Cartwright—started as Roberts’ friend. Both were serious actors, both cared deeply about the craft, and both entered Hollywood from the world of theater.

But when Roberts began clashing with the producers over racial representation and weak storytelling, Blocker didn’t stand beside him.

He stood back.

He stayed neutral. Calm. Peaceful.

To Roberts, it felt like betrayal.

“Dan had the heart but not the spine. He chose comfort over conscience.”

The breaking point came during an episode Roberts considered racist. He walked off the set in protest. Blocker kept acting.

Roberts never forgave him for it.

Their friendship dissolved into a cold, aching silence.

3. Chuck Connors — “All Hat, No Soul.”

This feud began outside Bonanza, but it shook Roberts just as deeply.

At a charity event celebrating Western legends, Chuck Connors—the towering star of The Rifleman—was behaving like Hollywood royalty. Smiling for cameras, signing autographs, charming the crowd.

Until Roberts witnessed something that changed everything.

Connors berated a young assistant for a small mistake. Humiliated him publicly. Treated him like he didn’t matter.

Roberts was furious.

Backstage, he confronted Connors.
The argument turned volcanic.

Connors accused him of jealousy.
Roberts accused Connors of cruelty.
Security stepped in.

Roberts walked away, disgusted.

From that day on, he referred to Connors as:

“All hat, no soul.”

To Roberts, how a man treated the powerless revealed everything.

4. Lorne Greene — The Father Figure Turned Oppressor

This was the feud nobody wanted to believe, because audiences adored their on-screen bond.

But off-screen? It was complicated, tense, and emotionally suffocating.

Lorne Greene, who played Ben Cartwright, was warm, diplomatic, and beloved by cast and crew. Roberts admired his professionalism. But he hated Greene’s willingness to protect the Bonanza brand at all costs.

Roberts wanted the show to evolve. To address real issues.
Greene wanted harmony. Stability. Ratings.

To Roberts, that made him a symbol of cowardice.

“I didn’t want to spend my life taking my hat off and saying ‘Yes, Pa.’”

Greene’s influence over the younger cast members annoyed Roberts. He felt smothered. Controlled. Overruled.

By the time Roberts quit Bonanza, the relationship was shattered.

They never repaired it.

5. James Drury — The Ideological Enemy

James Drury, star of The Virginian, never clashed with Roberts over acting.

Their war was about values.

Roberts was a progressive firebrand—marching for civil rights, opposing the Vietnam War, fighting for diversity on set.

Drury was a staunch conservative.
He wanted Westerns to stay “clean” and apolitical.

Their clash exploded during a TV panel in the 1970s.

Roberts argued that Western dramas should address racial injustice and social change.
Drury dismissed him:

“The public doesn’t want sermons. They want escape.”

Roberts refused to shake his hand afterward.

He told a friend:

“Silence is never neutral. Silence supports the oppressor.”

Their feud lasted decades.

The Private Pain Behind the Public Anger

Roberts’ career was filled with battles, but his personal life was even stormier.

He was married four times.
He struggled with emotional intimacy.
He pushed people away even when he loved them.

His life was marked by constant motion—new roles, new cities, new relationships—yet he always carried a profound loneliness he refused to show the world.

And then the worst tragedy struck.

In 1989, his only son, Jonathan, died in a motorcycle accident at age 38.

It broke Roberts completely.

Friends said he never laughed the same way afterward.
Never spoke with the same fire.
Never fully recovered.

Behind every feud was grief.
Behind every anger was loss.
Behind every silence was pain.

The Final Years: A Quiet Retreat and One Last Confession

By the 2000s, Pernell Roberts was done with Hollywood.

He refused conventions.
He avoided interviews.
He lived quietly with his fourth wife, Eleanor, playing music, reading, and giving his life to causes he believed mattered.

And then the diagnosis came: pancreatic cancer.

He fought it silently. Bravely. Privately.
But as death approached, Roberts allowed one final truth to rise.

He shared the list.
Not with spite.
Not with vengeance.

But with heartbreak.

He revealed the men who shaped his life—not through friendship, but through disappointment, betrayal, and ideological war.

It wasn’t a hit list.
It was a confession.

A reminder that even the strongest voices carry wounds the world never sees.

Legacy of a Hollywood Maverick

When Pernell Roberts died on January 24, 2010, he left behind:

A $10 million estate
A body of work filled with integrity
A history of refusing to bow to Hollywood
A legacy of activism, courage, and unflinching truth-telling

He was the last surviving member of the original Bonanza cast.
He was the only one who walked away at the height of fame.
He was the actor who demanded depth when others demanded silence.

And he was the man who left this world unmasked.

His final message—his list of five enemies—wasn’t about revenge.

It was about clarity.

About revealing who he was, and who he refused to become.