Robert Conrad, star of “The Wild, Wild West,” dies at 84.

» Robert Conrad, the LO SA NGELE S rugged, contentious actor who starred in the hugely popular 1960s television series “Hawaiian Eye” and “The Wild, Wild West,” died Saturday. He was 84.

The actor died of heart failure in Malibu, Calif., family spokesman Jeff Ballard said.

With his good looks and strong physique, Conrad was a rising young actor when he was chosen for the lead in “Hawaiian Eye.” He became an overnight star after the show debuted in 1959.

After five seasons with the show, Conrad went on to embrace the television craze of the time, period Westerns, but with a decidedly different twist.

In “The Wild, Wild West,” which debuted in 1965, he was James T. West, a James Bond-like agent who used innovative tactics and futuristic gadgets (futuristic for the 1800s, anyway) to battle bizarre villains. He was ably assisted by Ross Martin’s Artemus Gordon, a master of disguise. The show aired until 1970.

The series “Baa Baa Black Sheep” followed in 1976 and was based on an autobiography by Marine Corps ace and Medal of Honor recipient Gregory “Pappy” Boyington, who wrote of the raucous pilots he commanded during World War II.

Throughout Hollywood, Conrad had a reputation as a tough customer and was sued more than a half-dozen times as a result of fist fights. Playing himself in a 1999 episode of the TV series “Just Shoot Me,” he lampooned his threatening, toughguy persona. He was also featured in 1970s commercials for Eveready Batteries, with a battery on his shoulder, a menacing stare and a popular catchphrase, “I dare you to knock this off.”