英语文摘:"I Spy" actor Robert Culp dies at 79

BEIJING, March 25 (Xinhuanet) -- American actor Robert Culp, best known for playing a secret agent in the 1960s cloak-and-dagger TV series "I Spy," died on Wednesday at 79 outside his Hollywood home, according to Reuters.

Culp, who also starred in the critically acclaimed sex comedy "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice" in 1969, was pronounced dead at a Los Angeles hospital where he was rushed after falling during a morning walk, Lt. Robert Binder, a police spokeswoman said.

She said, "It appears that the individual (Culp) had fallen down and struck his head. It's still a preliminary investigation and we're still waiting on the official cause of death."

Culp's son was told he died of a heart attack, although police were not sure if the fall was medically related, said Hillard Elkins, Culp's manager.

"I Spy," which was the first integrated television, broke new ground with its combination of humor and adventure.

The TV series greatly advanced the careers of Culp and Bill Cosby, who also starred in "I Spy," and forged them lifelong friendship. Cosby said Wednesday that Culp was like an older brother to him.

"The first born in every family is always dreaming of the older brother or sister he or she doesn't have, to protect, to be the buffer, provide the wisdom, shoulder the blows and make things right," he said. "Bob was the answer to my dreams."

"No matter how many mistakes I made on 'I Spy,' he was always there to teach and protect me," Cosby said.