Person Biography:
Adam Roarke, born Richard Jordan Gerler on August 8, 1937, was a Brooklyn-born tough guy who made a name for himself in 1960s biker flicks. He was destined to become an entertainer, as his parents were a vaudeville comic and a chorus girl who met while performing in a Ziegfeld Follies show.
Growing up rough and rebellious, Adam was a former gang member who survived on the streets of New York. He eventually straightened up by enlisting in the Army, where he studied acting at the Beverly Hills Playhouse. He earned a Universal contract and made his film debut in the crimer 13 West Street (1962).
Adam played tough on TV in many 1960s and 1970s shows, including Mod Squad, the first pilot episode of Star Trek, and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. His cult films include Hells Angels on Wheels, The Savage Seven, Psych-Out, Hell's Belles, and Platinum Pussycat. He also appeared in John Wayne's western El Dorado and co-starred with Anthony Perkins, Peter Fonda, and Peter O'Toole in various films.
As parts grew scarce in the early 1980s, Adam decided to focus on teaching. He opened the Film Actor's Lab in Dallas, Texas, and settled there. One of his prized students was Lou Diamond Phillips, who would later star in La Bamba. Adam also acted in and co-directed the low-budget thriller Trespasses with Loren Bivens, and co-wrote the film with Phillips.
Adam's last film was a featured role in the low-budget film Sioux City, directed by and starring Phillips. He died suddenly of a heart attack in his sleep in the Dallas-Fort Worth suburb of Euless, Texas, at the age of 58. He was survived by his second wife, Carla Delane-Roarke, and actor/son Jordan Gerler.
