Adam Roarke

Burly Brooklyn-born tough guy Adam Roarke made an infamous name for himself in 1960s biker flicks, usually donning a black leather jacket and a mean, mean scowl, typically the head of a bunch of hell-raisers. Nine of his more than 30 films would be in motorcycle movies, sometimes at odds with young rebel Jack Nicholson before his 'Easy Rider' fame. The former Richard Jordan Gerler was born on August 8, 1937, and destined to become some type of entertainer as his dad was a vaudeville comic and his mom a chorus girl. His parents met while performing in a Ziegfeld Follies show. He grew up rough and rebellious and was a former gang member surviving on the streets of New York. He eventually straightened up by enlisting in the Army. Following his military duty, he studied acting at the Beverly Hills Playhouse and eventually earned a Universal contract to boot, making his film debut (billed as Jordan Gerler) in the crimer 13 West Street (1962). Some of his early work includes a bit part in t