Martin Milner, star of ‘Adam-12’ and ‘Route 66,’ dies at 83

LOS ANGELES – Martin Milner, whose wholesome good looks helped make him the star of two hugely popular 1960s TV series, “Route 66” and “Adam-12,” died Sunday at his home in Carlsbad, California. He was 83.

His death after a long illness was confirmed by his son, Stuart.

Milner, who began his career as a teen actor, shot to fame in 1960 with co-star George Maharis in the iconic TV drama “Route 66,” which found two restless young men roaming the highway author John Steinbeck had dubbed “The Mother Road” in a red Corvette convertible.

Milner was Tod Stiles, a young man born to wealth but suddenly broke when his father died and left him nothing but the new Corvette. Maharis was Buz Murdock, a hardened survivor of New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen.

In 1968 Milner signed on to another buddy series, “Adam-12.” This time he was Officer Pete Malloy, a veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department assisted by rookie cop Jim Reed, who was played by Kent McCord.

The series was produced by Jack Webb, who applied the same realistic treatment of police doings that had made his “Dragnet” TV show a huge hit.