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LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Actor Efrem Zimbalist Jr., star of the smash 60s and 70s TV drama “The FBI,” has died. Zimbalist was 95. The actor played unflappable Inspector Erskine in the series that ran on ABC from 1965-1974. The show dramatized real FBI cases. Zimbalist Sr. was a concert violinist, the actor’s mother was opera singer Alma Gluck. Zimbalist Jr.’s daughter, Stephanie, had her own successful acting career — most notably as the female lead in the hit “Remington Steele” (1982-87) opposite Pierce Brosnan. The actor was born in New York City on November 30, 1918. He died peacefully...

Handsome, debonair and blessed with a distinguished voice that reflected his real-life prep school upbringing, Efrem Zimbalist Jr. seemed born to play the television roles that made him famous, that of hip Hollywood detective and brilliant G-man. A prolific actor who also appeared in numerous films and stage productions, Zimbalist became a household name in 1958 as Stu Bailey, the wisecracking private investigator who was a co-partner in a swinging Hollywood detective agency located at the exclusive address of "77 Sunset Strip." When the show of the same name ended in 1964, Zimbalist became an even bigger star playing the...

Efrem Zimbalist Jr., who portrayed the indefatigable Inspector Lewis Erskine on the long-running U.S. television series "The F.B.I.", died on Friday at the age of 95, according to media reports. Zimbalist died of natural causes at his home in Solvang, California, his daughter, actress Stephanie Zimbalist, and his son Efrem Zimbalist III, said in a statement, Hollywood trade magazine Variety and other media reported. "A devout Christian, he actively enjoyed his life to the last day, showering love on his extended family, playing golf, and visiting with close friends," the statement said, according to Variety.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Efrem Zimbalist Jr. finally got his badge. The actor who portrayed cool and canny Inspector Lewis Erskine on the TV series "The F.B.I." was named an honorary special agent Monday — the FBI's highest civilian honor.