- Born
- Died
- Birth nameMartin Baum
- Height5′ 10″ (1.78 m)
- Martin E. Brooks was a celebrated actor best known for his portrayal of Dr. Rudy Wells on the iconic 1970s ABC series The Six Million Dollar Man and its spin off, The Bionic Woman. Born Martin Baum in the Bronx, he moved to Wilkes-Barre, PA, at the age of 10, where his father ran the Blue Bell Dress Factory. Following high school, Brooks served honorably as a paratrooper in the U.S. Army, during which he was awarded a Purple Heart.
He later studied at Penn State University and attended Erwin Piscator's Dramatic Workshop, where he garnered an off-Broadway best actor award for his role in Wolfgang Borchert's Outside the Door. It was at this point in his career that he took on the stage name Martin Brooks, following a suggestion from one of his producers, Richard Rodgers. Brooks's Broadway career included roles in notable productions such as John Steinbeck's Burning Bright and Arthur Miller's Enemy of the People, earning him a Theatre World Award. He also made memorable appearances on television shows like Knots Landing, Hunter, McMillan & Wife, and Cagney & Lacey, while notably playing Edgar Randolph in the popular series Dallas.
In addition to his television and stage work, Brooks portrayed Dr. Arthur Bradshaw on General Hospital and appeared in films like Colossus: The Forbin Project. He co-owned the Tracy Roberts Acting School and actively participated in Theatre West. A talented musician, Brooks released a CD titled A Life Filled With Love in 2014. He also authored two novels, and his play Flo and Joe was considered for Broadway production.
- IMDb mini biography by: Joe
- Wore obvious hairpieces from the mid 1970s onwards.
- He was a Paratrooper during World War II with the 11th Airborne Division assigned to the South Pacific.
- Is one of the very few actors to play the same regular character on two different series simultaneously. From 1976 to 1978, he played Dr. Rudy Wells on both The Six Million Dollar Man (1974) and The Bionic Woman (1976). Leo G. Carroll, Richard Anderson, Marla Gibbs, David Hasselhoff and Fred Thompson are among the other actors to have done this. From 1977-78, he and Richard Anderson played their roles on two separate networks as well as two separate shows.
- After the war ended, he attended Penn State University, which has since honored him with the Distinguished Artist.
- Co-owned and taught at the Tracey Roberts Acting School in Los Angeles.
- His family moved to Wilkes-Barre, PA when he was ten years old.
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