Gary Collins made a career in television, co-starring, with Jack Warden and Mark Slade, in the 1965 series The Wackiest Ship in the Army. He co-starred, with Dale Robertson and Robert Random, in the 1966-68 series The Iron Horse. He starred in the 1972 television series Sixth Sense, in syndication part of Rod Serling’s Night Gallery, as the parapsychologist and ESP-gifted Dr. Michael Rhodes. In 1974, he starred in the series Born Free, based on the life of George Adamson, a Kenya wildlife conservationist best known for his work with lions. Collins appeared in two episodes of Perry Mason: in 1965 he played Assistant District Attorney and defendant Larry Germaine in the 1965 episode, “The Case of the Fatal Fetish,” and in 1966 he played murderer Alex Tanner in “The Case of the Crafty Kidnapper.” Collins guest-starred in dozens of television shows beginning in the 1960s, including The Virginian, Hawaii Five-O, The Six Million Dollar Man, Alf, The Love Boat, The Bionic Woman , Charlie’s Angels, Roots, Gimme A Break!, Friends, “Yes, Dear”, JAG, and most recently Dirty Sexy Money. He appeared in the episode “You’re Not Alone” from the 1977 anthology series Quinn Martin’s Tales of the Unexpected (known in the United Kingdom as Twist in the Tale).

Gary Collins has also had film roles, including Angel in My Pocket (1969), starring Andy Griffith, the original Airport (1970), Houston, We’ve Got a Problem (1974), The Night They Took Miss Beautiful (1977), the horror thriller Killer Fish (1979), starring Lee Majors, Watchers Reborn (1998), and Jungle Book: Lost Treasure (1998). He also played an American astronaut involved in a UFO cover up in the 1980 film Hangar 18. Collins hosted the Group W television talk show Hour Magazine from 1980 to 1988, and co-hosted the ABC television series The Home Show from 1989 to 1994. He was the host of the Miss America Pageant from 1982 to 1990. He replaced Bob Barker as host of the Pillsbury Bake-Off on CBS from 1984 to 1988 before being replaced by Willard Scott in 1990. Gary Collins was first married to Susan Peterson, with whom he had two children: Guy William and Melissa Collins. They divorced. In 1967 Collins married Mary Ann Mobley, Miss America (1959). They were separated in 2011, but reconciled; he moved to her home state of Mississippi to be with her in 2012, while she battled breast cancer. They had one child: a daughter, Mary Clancy Collins. Gary Collins died around 1 a.m. on October 13, 2012, at Biloxi Regional Medical Center in Biloxi, Mississippi, of natural causes.