How Ross Martin Went From Law School Graduate to ‘Wild Wild West’ Legend

THE WILD WILD WEST, Ross Martin, 1965-1970 — Everett Collection

What To Know

Ross Martin, a Polish immigrant and law school graduate, became famous for his role as Artemus Gordon on The Wild Wild West.
Martin credited his success to hard work, seizing opportunities, and never letting others discourage his dreams.
Known for his compassion and philanthropy, Martin supported numerous charities.

For four seasons, Robert Conrad and Ross Martin played out what it would’ve been like if James Bond had actually been a government spy in the wild and woolly old West in the classic TV show The Wild Wild West. While one would never, ever want to take anything away from Conrad’s wonderful portrayal of government agent Jim West, it must be said: Artemus Gordon was just as cool, if not more so. Sure, he didn’t get the ladies the way that West did, but Gordon truly was the better spy due to being a master of disguise.

Watching those two very talented actors, one could easily assume that they had probably been famous, or mostly famous, all of their lives. That is, however, not correct. In the case of Ross Martin, his parents were Polish immigrants. Martin came to the U.S. when he was very young and did not, upon arrival, even know how to speak English. He was, however, incredibly bright and picked up the language without any difficulty. Over the years, Martin would end up speaking multiple languages. He would also become a classically trained concert musician, as well as a law school graduate.

Zinn Arthur/TV Guide/courtesy Everett Collection

Yep, Martin had plans to become a lawyer. However, his heart and mind were moving down separate tracks. While studying to be an attorney, Martin fell in love with the entertainment business and, quite frankly, never looked back.

In the late ’60s, shortly after learning that The Wild Wild West would not be returning for a fifth season, Martin made an interview appearance on a TV show called Happening. A clip of that interview can be found on YouTube, and it’s well worth watching. Aside from bashing on miniskirts, Martin told the interviewer not to let anyone discourage your dreams. He also said that another key ingredient to his success was hard work, along with looking for every opportunity to hone your craft.

It is evident by Martin’s work before and after The Wild Wild West that he truly believed what he was saying. Because of that, Martin can be found on TV shows like The Twilight Zone, The Love Boat, and as a villain on the original Hawaii Five-0. He also looked for other opportunities where some actors would not.

MORE WILD WILD WEST, from left: Robert Conrad, Ross Martin, (aired October 7, 1980).

CBS/courtesy Everett Collection

Martin was often a guest on television game shows, as well as a voice actor on Saturday morning cartoons such as Jana of the Jungle. Without a doubt, this guy really practiced what he preached. And of course, there were a couple of opportunities for him to return to the role that he was most famous for. Both TV reunion movies, The Wild Wild West Revisited, as well as More Wild Wild West, were big successes.

According to this MeTV article, Martin told The Vancouver Sun that he truly believed that acting helped him become a better human being. Here’s what he said, “I think that acting teaches almost everyone who’s in it compassion for his fellow man.”

When he wasn’t working, Martin was well known for generously donating both his time and talents to a large number of charities. While doing research on asthma for his role in the movie Experiment in Terror, he became affiliated with the Children’s Asthma Research Institute and Hospital located in Denver, Colorado, and served as chairman of their theater arts department for many years. Additionally, Martin would host a celebrity tennis tournament with the proceeds earmarked for the hospital.

It was while playing tennis in 1981 that Martin suffered a heart attack. It wasn’t his first, and this time it was fatal. Like so many great actors, he was gone too soon, at just 61 years of age. To honor Martin’s work, both on-screen and off, a plaque with his name on it can now be found in the hospital on their Golden Breath of Hope wall.