Whatever Happened to ‘Emergency!’ and ‘Wagon Train’ Star Robert Fuller?
Legendary actor Robert Fuller, who turns 92 on July 29, 2025, continues to captivate fans nearly seven decades after he first stepped onto the silver screen. Whether you loved him best as Laramie‘s rebellious Jess Harper, Wagon Train‘s steadfast scout Cooper Smith, or the progress-minded surgeon Dr. Kelly Brackett on Emergency!, there’s no denying that Fuller made his mark on a wide range of classic TV shows and films, some of which are still hits in syndication.
With his luxurious hair, rugged sideburns, flinty blue eyes and smoky voice, Fuller wowed audiences as both a tough-as-nails cowboy and a movie-star-handsome heartthrob. So where is Robert Fuller today?
Cowboy to his core
Everett Collection
Born Leonard Leroy Lee in New York, Fuller grew up in Florida and Hollywood, raised by his professional dancer mom and stepdad. Nonetheless, when Fuller completed a stint in the Army and chose acting as his full-time career, he found his passion, onscreen and off, in the American frontier.
Early on, Fuller loved playing gunslingers, ranch hands, cowboys and outlaws in series like Cimarron City, The Big Valley, and Death Valley Days. He was even considered for the role of Bonanza‘s Little Joe Cartwright, which ultimately went to Michael Landon. Fuller called his four-year run as Laramie’s Jess Harper the best role he ever had, and when that series wrapped, he seamlessly made the leap to Wagon Train, which was already a hit for NBC and became a success for ABC, too.
By the early ’70s, Westerns lost their grip on TV audiences, and Wagon Train came to an end. Still, Fuller didn’t expect his next role to come with a stethoscope instead of a spurs — and he wasn’t even sure he wanted to make the change.
Trading spurs for scrubs
Producer and Dragnet star Jack Webb wanted Fuller to star in Webb’s new NBC drama Emergency!, a medical series aimed at highlighting the life-saving work of paramedics and emergency room doctors. Webb had already cast his former wife Julie London and her current husband Bobby Troup, and hoped Fuller’s longtime friendship with the couple would lure him to play no-nonsense Dr. Kelly Brackett, Chief of Emergency Medicine at the fictional Rampart General Hospital.
Because of the show’s complexity and commitment to portraying realistic medical crises, procedures and terminology, Fuller fretted his ability to master the meaty role. He didn’t need to worry. Viewers loved both the show and Fuller’s multifaceted portrayal of Dr. Brackett. And Emergency! not only changed the medical series genre; it also bolstered the perception and expansion of paramedic services.
Fuller grew to love his time on Emergency!, but he still hoped for another chance to don a Stetson and ride the range on the big or small screen, and took those roles whenever a good opportunity came up. During Emergency!‘s run, he guest-starred on the Western-themed TV series Hec Ramsey and The Oregon Trail and the films Mustang Country and Donner Pass: The Road to Survival. After Emergency! ended, Fuller appeared in the series The Adventures of Briscoe County, Jr. and Paradise, the telefilm Bonanza: The Next Generation and the feature film Maverick.
Harper rides again
Everett Collection
Fuller’s final TV appearance before he retired in 2001 brought his wide-ranging career full circle and delighted his fans — especially those who’d been with him since he first saddled up as Laramie‘s Jess Harper.
Fuller, then 68, appeared on the series finale of the long-running Chuck Norris series Walker, Texas Ranger. He played Wade Harper, a retired Texas Ranger who teams up with Walker and his partner Trivette (Clarence Gilyard Jr.) to help thwart a killer targeting Rangers. Viewers learn that Wade Harper came by his profession honestly — he was a descendant of Jess Harper.
Three years later, in 2004, Fuller became a full-time Texan himself. In 2004, he and his wife, St. Elsewhere and JAG actress Jennifer Savidge, left Los Angeles for life on a ranch in Gainesville, Texas, an hour north of Dallas. There, he and Savidge continue to raise quarter horses and miniature donkeys, and Fuller indulges his love of riding, firing his guns, and fishing the Red River and nearby lakes.
But Fuller hasn’t completely left celebrity life behind. He may have enjoyed playing stern characters, but the beloved actor is now well-known for spending as much time as he can with his fans at nostalgia conventions and festivals, especially those with a Western theme. Fuller and Savidge even host private parties at those events for his most faithful followers, chatting for hours and sharing stories about his time in show business.
“Get plenty of the outdoor life”
Robert Fuller and Patrick Wayne in MUSTANG COUNTRY. photo: Everett Collection
But even before Fuller found his calling as a horseman, onscreen and off, he seemed to know that outdoor life was for him. Fresh off his time on Wagon Train, Fuller penned an open letter to his son Patrick, which was published by the Associated Press in 1964. In the letter, Fuller advised his son to learn from his dad and not allow an acting career to fully consume his life. “You’ll find yourself acting all day and talking about it all night,” Fuller wrote. “That makes for dull talk and a dull life.”
Instead, Fuller advised Patrick to also opt for Westerns, because it would get him outdoors instead of on a sound stage, and surround him with down-to-earth people.
“You’ll have more fun,” the elder Fuller advised. “You’ll be working with stuntmen and wranglers, and the fellows who spring into action when the sheriff calls for a posse. Salty, down-to-earth guys who think The Method has something to do with the right way to get on a horse. These fellows get around to the best places; they know where the quail are hiding and the fish are biting. If you don’t act like an actor, they might take you along.”
Even in retirement, Fuller’s unpretentious ways have only deepened his fans’ and former colleagues’ admiration. A cowboy at heart, Robert Fuller is one Hollywood legend who knows exactly how to be true to himself and live his life to the fullest.
What’s your favorite of Robert Fuller’s roles? Have you had the opportunity to meet him in person? Tell us about it in the comments below!
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