BEVERLY HILLS – Richard Anderson, the tall, handsome actor best known for co-starring simultaneously in the popular 1970s television shows “The Six Million Dollar Man” and “The Bionic Woman,” has died at age 91 at his Beverly Hills home.
Anderson died of natural causes on Thursday, family spokesman Jonathan Taylor told the media.
“The Six Million Dollar Man” brought a new wave of supernatural heroes to television. Based on the novel “Cyborg” by Martin Caidin, it starred Lee Majors as U.S. astronaut Steve Austin, who is severely injured in a crash. The government saves his life by rebuilding his body with atom-powered artificial limbs and other parts, giving him superhuman strength, speed and other powers.
“The Six Million Dollar Man” began as a TV movie in 1973 and when it proved a hit it was turned into a weekly series the following year. Its popularity led to the 1976 spinoff show, “The Bionic Woman,” starring Lindsay Wagner.
