Can You Match These Actors to Their '60s and '70s TV Shows?

By: Olivia Cantor
Estimated Completion Time
5 min
Can You Match These Actors to Their '60s and '70s TV Shows?
Image: CBS Television via Wiki Commons

About This Quiz

The 1960s and 1970s were some of the most colorful and pivotal years for American television programming. 

Continuing the experimentations and successes of the Golden Age of Television during the 1950s, the '60s and '70s saw a very definitive bunch of television shows whose story structures and narrative patterns are still being utilized today, attesting to the success and integrity of these TV styles first invented back then. From intriguing sitcoms to the development of the police procedural shows, these two decades were really imbibing the experimental mode of these eras and reflecting them back on television, creating an American pop culture that was also influencing the global pop culture, slowly but surely.

If the '50s saw the birth of the melodramatic genre and the proliferation of the western TV series, the '60s and '70s gave us a very eclectic collection of TV shows that are still inspiring today's TV programmers and creators. They're also becoming films to boot, so that says a lot about the popularity of such TV shows.

So can you name some of these pivotal and popular TV series if we tell you who starred in them? Take a look and see!

Mary_Tyler_Moore_(1967)
Wiki Commons by Ben Merk
Mary Tyler Moore paved the way for the independent working woman with this show. What’s the title?
Charlie's Angels
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Dukes of Hazzard
Get Smart
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"The Mary Tyler Moore Show" aired from 1970 to 1977, during the time that second wave feminism was gaining ground – emphasizing the role of women outside the traditional reproductive role of a mother/wife. Her character, Mary Richards, embodied the second wave feminist ideal of the strong-willed independent professional woman who didn’t need to rely on a man to survive.

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Florence Henderson.Screen Shot 2019-01-07 at 12.42.58 PM
Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation via YouTube
Florence Henderson was the matriarchal image of which TV series?
The Brady Bunch
I Love Lucy
The Honeymooners
Hawaii Five-O
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Everybody in the ‘70s knew the opening theme song of "The Brady Bunch," which identified the characters of the sitcom about this blended family. The show aired from 1969 to 1974, and still reflected the popular family-oriented suburban sitcoms popular in previous decades.

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HenryWinklerAug08
Wiki Commons by Mark Naudi
Henry Winkler portrayed the iconic Fonz character in which TV series?
Hogan's Heroes
Gunsmoke
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
Happy Days
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Happy Days" was a show that ran from 1974 to 1984, but its story is set during the 1950s and 1960s. A creation by Garry Marshall, future director Ron Howard also starred here as a teenager.

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Gary Coleman.Screen Shot 2019-01-07 at 12.47.26 PM
ABC News via YouTube
Gary Coleman became a household name because of this sitcom. What’s its title?
Have Gun — Will Travel
All in the Family
Bonanza
Diff’rent Strokes
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Gary Coleman was the adorable kid named Arnold, the one who grew up in Harlem with his brother Willis, and got adopted later on by a rich white man named Mr. Drummond in the TV series, "Diff’rent Strokes." The very popular show aired from 1978 until 1986, but its young stars sadly had troubled lives when they grew into adulthood.

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Jack_Lord_1974
CBS Television via Wiki Commons
Jack Lord essayed the role of Steve McGarrett in which police procedural drama?
I Dream of Jeannie
Hawaii Five-O
The Jeffersons
Laverne & Shirley
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Hawaii Five-O" successfully ran from 1968 to 1980, with that unmistakable opening theme music composed by Morton Stevens. In 2010, the show was rebooted for a modern audience, and still runs despite encountering cast changes due to payment disputes.

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Elizabeth_Montgomery_1959
Milburn McCarty Associates via Wiki Commons
Elizabeth Montgomery twitched her nose to stardom in which show?
Dragnet
Flipper
Bewitched
Green Acres
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Elizabeth Montgomery played the suburban housewife role with a twist – she’s a witch, in the show, "Bewitched." The very popular show ran from 1964 to 1972, and a film version was later made in 2005 starring Nicole Kidman in the lead.

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Robert Vaughn
MGM-TV via Wiki Commons
Robert Vaughn was one of the stars in this espionage series. What’s its title?
The Beverly Hillbillies
The Brady Bunch
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
The Dick Van Dyke Show
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"The Man from U.N.C.L.E." made Robert Vaughn and David McCallum household names while it aired from 1964 to 1968. The show jumpstarted the espionage type of narratives in TV shows during the 1960s that spilled over in the decades to come.

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Bob_Denver_Gilligans_Island_1966
CBS Television via Wiki Commons
Bob Denver carried this show with an ensemble cast. What was its title?
Gilligan’s Island
F Troop
Get Smart
Hogan's Heroes
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Before reality TV had "Survivor" and fiction TV had "Lost," comedy TV had "Gilligan’s Island," about a shipwrecked group of strangers stuck on an island. The TV series ran successfully from 1964 to 1967, making Bob Denver a cultural icon as the bumbling character, Gilligan.

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Peter Graves
Wiki Commons by Wire photo
Peter Graves is identified as Jim Phelps in which intriguing spy series?
Mission: Impossible
Batman
The Avengers
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Mission: Impossible" became popular as a TV series when it aired in 1966. It ended in 1973. It got another TV reboot in the ‘80s where Peter Graves still retained his Jim Phelps character but was canceled after only two seasons. It now enjoys a film revival through Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt-led efforts.

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Carroll O’Connor
CBS Television via Wiki Commons
Carroll O’Connor essayed the role of Archie Bunker in which TV series?
The Love Boat
Marcus Welby, M.D.
All in the Family
The Odd Couple
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Archie Bunker is perhaps one of the most recognizable characters to come out of American TV, as played by Carroll O’Connor in "All in the Family." The TV series ran from 1971 to 1979, and while a sitcom, the show tackled many controversial social issues of that time, including racism, homosexuality, abortion, and many others.

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Barbara_Eden_(5844876321)
Wiki Commons by Eva Rinaldi
Barbara Eden was one of the two most popular magical women who ruled American TV in the ‘60s and ‘70s. In which show did she appear?
Leave It to Beaver
I Dream of Jeannie
Make Room for Daddy
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Aside from "Bewitched," "I Dream of Jeannie" also featured a magical female in the lead, this time essaying the role of a centuries-old genie who falls in love with a mortal astronaut. This show ran from 1965 to 1970, and Larry Hagman co-starred with Barbara Eden in the lead.

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Alan_Alda_circa_1960s
Wiki Commons by Friedman-Abeles
Alan Alda is Captain Hawkeye Pierce, the army doctor in which TV series?
Sanford and Son
M*A*S*H
Taxi
The Waltons
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Chief surgeon Hawkeye Pierce led the team in "M*A*S*H," a successful TV series that aired from 1972 to 1983. This show focused on doctors, and was set during the Korean War, where the doctors were stationed as army medics.

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Jim_Nabors
Wiki Commons by Orlando Perez, U.S. Marine Corps
Jim Nabors starred in this military life-focused sitcom. What’s its title?
Marcus Welby, M.D.
McHale's Navy
The Petticoat Junction
Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The 1960s saw many kinds of genres and themes entering the American television landscape, and military-set shows were some of the most popular ones, such as "Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C." This one focused on the life of a newbie solider named Gomer, whose antics made for comedy gold during that time, and had a successful run from 1964 to 1969.

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John_Astin_Operation_Petticoat_1977
ABC Television via Wiki Commons
John Astin played Gomez while Carolyn Jones played Morticia in which TV series?
The Addams Family
Mister Ed
My Favorite Martian
Rawhide
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Based on a popular comics, "The Addams Family" became a popular TV series as well, running from 1964 to 1966. That unmistakable opening theme song was carried over when a film series was made in the ‘90s, with Raul Julia and Anjelica Huston portraying Gomez and Morticia Addams.

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Erik_Estrada
Wiki Commons by Brett Weinstein
Erik Estrada was everyone's crush in this police-driven TV show. What’s its title?
Welcome Back, Kotter
Three's Company
CHiPs
Sanford and Son
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"CHiPs" is spelled that way because it featured the job of the main protagonists of the show – as police officers belonging to the California Highway Patrol group. Larry Wilcox co-starred as Erik Estrada’s cop buddy, and the show had a good run from 1977 until 1983.

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Buddy Ebsen.Screen Shot 2019-01-07 at 1.12.17 PM
CBS Television via YouTube
Buddy Ebsen played the head of the family in this comedy series. What’s its title?
The Munsters
The Danny Thomas Show
Leave It to Beaver
The Beverly Hillbillies
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The “fish out of water” and “stranger in a strange land” narratives get meshed and clashed in the sitcom called "The Beverly Hillbillies," about a family that emigrates from the Ozarks region to California. The comedy ran from 1962 until 1971, and later became a film in 1993 starring Jim Varney in Buddy Ebsen’s TV role.

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Fred Gwynne.Screen Shot 2019-01-07 at 1.23.53 PM
CBS Television via YouTube
Fred Gwynne portrayed Herman in this not-really-scary comedy. What’s its title?
Lassie
The Munsters
I Love Lucy
I Dream of Jeannie
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"The Munsters" is about a family that’s made up of, well, monsters, headed by the Frankenstein-like Herman Munster played by Fred Gwynne. The show ran from 1964 to 1966, and even got nominated at the Golden Globe Awards in 1965 in the Best Television Series category.

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Gabe_Kaplan_Welcome_Back_Cotter_1976
ABC Television via Wiki Commons
Gabe Kaplan is the teacher in which TV show?
The Odd Couple
My Three Sons
Welcome Back, Kotter
The Muppet Show
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Welcome Back, Kotter" is the high school-set TV sitcom that aired from 1975 until 1979, featuring Gabe Kaplan in the lead as the teacher. A young John Travolta also co-starred as one of his students in the remedial class that clearly predates "The Breakfast Club" type of character casting.

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Sherman Hemsley
Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation via YouTube
Sherman Hemsley was the father figure in which long-running sitcom?
The Jeffersons
Mork & Mindy
Maude
The Love Boat
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"The Jeffersons" enjoyed a good run on American TV, airing from 1975 until 1985, with Sherman Hemsley featured there from start to finish. The show is notable for being a long-running sitcom that featured African-American actors in major roles, since this feat is still not very common in the American TV landscape.

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Ray Walston
CBS Television via Wiki Commons
Ray Walston became popular as an otherworldly being in which TV show?
The Twilight Zone
Star Trek
My Favorite Martian
My Three Sons
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"My Favorite Martian" starred Ray Walston as the Martian visitor while future TV Bruce Banner Bill Bixby co-starred. The show ran from 1963 until 1966, and had a film version in 1999 with Christopher Lloyd in the lead.

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Bob_Newhart_crop
Wiki Commons by Alan Light
Bob Newhart starred in which sitcom, which was filmed before a live TV audience?
Laverne & Shirley
The Bob Newhart Show
Knots Landing
The Jeffersons
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The 1970s show called "The Bob Newhart Show" continued the practice of earlier shows, mostly sitcoms, that featured the real name of the actor portraying a fictional character in the show. In this program, Newhart portrays Dr. Robert Hartley, a psychologist whose professional and personal situations are sometimes featured as comedic.

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Lee_Majors_1973
ABC Television via Wiki Commons
Lee Majors became a household name in which sci-fi TV series of the ‘70s?
Happy Days
Good Times
The Six Million Dollar Man
The Facts of Life
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Sci-fi as a TV genre was also big in the American TV landscape of the 1960s and ‘70s, especially space-oriented ones, perhaps influenced by the Cold War era’s race into space. One famous sci-fi show is "The Six Million Dollar Man," which features the former astronaut character of Steve Austin, as played by Lee Majors, from 1974 to 1978.

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Adam_West_1961
NBC Television via Wiki Commons
Adam West was the original personification of this popular DC superhero. What’s the title of the show?
The Honeymooners
Hogan's Heroes
Batman
Gunsmoke
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Children of the ‘60s definitely grew up watching Adam West as "Batman," with Burt Ward playing his sidekick, Robin. The show ran from 1966 to 1968, but its very campy look and feel garnered more popularity in the latter decades to come.

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Andy_Griffith_-_1958
Wiki Commons by Avery Willard
Andy Griffith played the sheriff in which comedy show?
The Dick Van Dyke Show
The Andy Griffith Show
F Troop
Father Knows Best
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"The Andy Griffith Show" actually originated as an episode of "The Danny Thomas Show," but this one ran from 1960 to 1968. Andy Griffith portrayed a widowed sheriff in the show, which was a sitcom.

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Don Adams
General Artists Corporation via Wiki Commons
Don Adams played a secret agent with a comedic flair in which TV series?
Green Acres
Flipper
Dragnet
Get Smart
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Leave it to Mel Brooks to create a TV show that satirizes current trends, such as when he satirized the booming popularity of espionage TV series by creating "Get Smart." The show starred Don Adams and ran from 1965 to 1970. It also became a film in 2003 starring Steve Carrell.

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Eva Gabor
NBC Television via Wiki Commons
Eva Gabor is the socialite wifey in which TV series?
Gilligan's Island
Have Gun — Will Travel
Hawaii Five-O
Green Acres
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Green Acres" is a TV show that explored how city people adjusted or bungled their lives when they moved to the countryside. Eddie Albert starred as the city lawyer who moved his family to a country farm, and Eva Gabor played the disapproving socialite wife in this sitcom that ran from 1965 until 1971.

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Telly Savalas
CBS Television via Wiki Commons
Telly Savalas is forever identified with the titular role in which TV series?
Kojak
The Dukes of Hazzard
Dragnet
Diff'rent Strokes
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Telly Savalas is the popular Theo Kojak, the New York City police detective headlining the show named "Kojak." The show, which ran from 1973 to 1978, showed the bald-headed no-nonsense detective who also liked to keep a lollipop in his mouth from time to time.

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Judd_Hirsch_-_1967
Wiki Commons via Light show
Judd Hirsch is one of the lead drivers working in which TV show?
Taxi
Dallas
CHiPs
The Brady Bunch
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Taxi," which ran from 1978 up to 1983, portrayed the life of New York City cabbies working under the Sunshine Cab Company. The sitcom starred Judd Hirsch as well as other great thespians of the comedic line, like Danny DeVito, Tony Danza, Christopher Lloyd, Carol Kane, Marilu Henner, and Andy Kaufman.

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Dick_Van_Dyke_1959
Bureau of Industrial Service via Wiki Commons
Dick Van Dyke portrayed a comedy show writer in which comedy show?
Leave It to Beaver
The Dick Van Dyke Show
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
Marcus Welby, M.D.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"The Dick Van Dyke Show" starred Dick Van Dyke, of course, essaying the role of TV comedy writer Rob Petrie. Mary Tyler Moore portrayed his wife in the show that ran from 1961 up to 1966.

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Farrah Fawcett
ABC Television via Wiki Commons
Farah Fawcett made up the original trio of these crimefighters. What’s their name?
Rawhide
My Three Sons
Charlie’s Angels
Lassie
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

From 1976 to 1981, women empowerment came with a boost – and bouncy hairdos – through the show, "Charlie’s Angels," about a group of beautiful women hired as private detectives by an unknown boss. The series originally starred Farah Fawcett, Kate Jackson, and Jaclyn Smith who also appeared in the 2003 film version called "Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle" starring Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, and Lucy Liu.

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Tony Randall and Jack Klugman
ABC Television via Wiki Commons
Tony Randall and Jack Klugman both headlined which TV sitcom?
The Facts of Life
Good Times
The Odd Couple
Bionic Woman
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"The Odd Couple" is a TV series that ran from 1970 to 1975, based on the Neil Simon-penned play. Tony Randall and Jack Klugman played divorced men who decided to share an apartment together, but their personality differences often clashed, producing comedy gold for TV audiences.

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Bea Arthur
Wiki Commons via Light show
Prior to being one of the "Golden Girls," Bea Arthur starred solo in which sitcom?
Maude
M*A*S*H
Mork & Mindy
The Odd Couple
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Bea Arthur headlined the sitcom, "Maude," which ran from 1972 until 1978, featuring a lead character that’s very outspoken as well as witty – a trademark that Bea Arthur brought to "The Golden Girls" later on. Another "Golden Girls" star also appeared in this sitcom -- Rue McClanahan.

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Martin_Milner_Kent_McCord_Adam-12_1970
Universal Television via Wiki Commons
Martin Milner and Kent McCord appeared in which popular police procedural?
Hogan's Heroes
Knots Landing
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Adam-12
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Another genre that popped in American television during the ‘60s and ‘70s was the police/crime drama, and later the police procedural shows, which aimed to portray the life of policemen and detectives as they undergo the processes and steps in solving crimes and in doing detective work. The TV show, "Adam-12," was an example of a police procedural, which aired from 1968 to 1975, featuring Martin Milner and Kent McCord in the leads.

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Laverne_and_shirley_1976
ABC Television via Wiki Commons
Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams both headlined this working-class comedy. What’s its title?
Petticoat Junction
Laverne & Shirley
Sanford and Son
Three's Company
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

American TV sitcoms featured a lot of storylines revolving around the working class, such as "Laverne & Shirley." The highly popular show, which ran from 1976 until 1983, featured Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams in the titular roles, playing brewery workers in the 1950s.

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Peter Falk
NBC Television via Wiki Commons
Peter Falk played a Los Angeles Police Department homicide detective in which TV show?
The Waltons
Welcome Back, Kotter
WKRP in Cincinnati
Columbo
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Columbo" originally aired its pilot episode in 1968, then ran seasons 1-7 from 1971 until 1978, with seasons 8-9 airing from 1989 to 1990. The show presented a different kind of police procedural wherein the crime to be solved by the detective will be shown in the beginning, then the narrative unfolds on how best to catch the perpetrator -- a plot device that’s now commonly used in the current TV landscape

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Redd Foxx and Demond Wilson
NBC Television via Wiki Commons
Redd Foxx and Demond Wilson both starred in which family-focused comedy?
Sanford and Son
My Three Sons
Mork & Mindy
Maude
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Sanford and Son" featured a sort of African-American version of the Archie Bunker character seen in "All in the Family," but this is no surprise given that these two shows were both adapted from British shows by the same writer-producer, Norman Lear. This show, which ran from 1972 to 1977, focused on African-American characters this time, so, of course, racial humor characterized the show as well.

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Paul Michael Glaser and David Soul
ABC Television via Wiki Commons
Paul Michael Glaser and David Soul essayed the role of which cop buddy tandem?
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Starsky & Hutch
Laverne & Shirley
Dallas
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Cop buddies were also popular during the ‘70s in the American television landscape, and the ‘80s continued to see more of these kinds of shows as well. One such example is the popular late ‘70s series "Starsky & Hutch," featuring two police detectives who have different​ backgrounds and distinct personalities that sometimes clash and also complement.

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Bob Crane
Maury Foldare and Associates via Wiki Commons
Bob Crane starred in this World War II-set sitcom. What’s the title?
McHale's Navy
Mister Ed
Hogan’s Heroes
Rawhide
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It’s interesting to see military-set narratives in the American TV landscape of the ‘60s and ‘70s, but to find comedy in a prisoner of war camp is something extraordinary. But this is what "Hogan’s Heroes" did. The show set in a WWII POW camp aired from 1965 until 1971.

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Ernest_Borgnine_1
Kingkongphoto via Wiki Commons
Ernest Borgnine appeared in this military-set TV comedy. What’s its title?
Petticoat Junction
Mister Ed
McHale’s Navy
Hogan's Heroes
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Real-life U.S. Navy veteran Ernest Borgnine served from 1935 to 1945, even fighting in World War II, before headlining the TV series called "McHale’s Navy." The sitcom ran from 1962 to 1966, and also had film versions released in 1964 and 1965.

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William Shatner
Wiki Commons by Gage Skidmore
William Shatner originated this famous captain character in which space-oriented TV show?
The Addams Family
Star Trek
Adam-12
The Twilight Zone
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Star Trek" first appeared in mainstream pop culture as a TV series that aired from 1966 until 1969. It later became more popular due to syndication during the 1970s. Creator Gene Roddenberry couldn’t be happier, as the show also spawned numerous film versions, newer TV shows featuring different sets of cast members, and now a string of reboot films. Live long and prosper indeed!

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CBS Television via Wiki Commons