“Special Agent” Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. Honored by FBI

06/09/09

Director Mueller pays tribute to actor Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., with an honorary

FBI special agent badge.





On June 8, 2009, Director Robert Mueller presented Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.—who portrayed a fictional Bureau agent on the 1965-74 television show “The FBI”—with an honorary special agent badge during a ceremony at our Los Angeles Field Office.

Mr. Zimbalist has been a steadfast supporter of the FBI for nearly four decades. During the nine-year run of “The FBI,” he offered a memorable portrayal of an agent who embodied the qualities contained in the FBI’s motto—fidelity, bravery, and integrity. His character, Inspector Louis Erskine, and the program itself were often the first glimpse for many Americans into the work of the FBI, and he inspired a generation of real-life FBI special agents, many of whom grew up watching “The FBI.”

After the show ended, Mr. Zimbalist continued his relationship with the FBI, participating in charity events that helped raise money for families of agents killed in the line of duty, lending his well-known voice to help narrate FBI recruiting videos, and appearing at various FBI functions around the country.

- Director Mueller’s remarks

