Bernie Kopell Was Glad 'My Hairpiece Did Not Fall Off' During Love Scene withLove BoatGuest Star Juliet Prowse

Mar. 15, 2025

‘Love Boat’ star Bernie Kopell; Juliet Prowse.Photo:ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content/Getty; Harry Langdon/Getty

ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content/Getty; Harry Langdon/Getty

But forLove Boatlead Bernie Kopell, who played Doctor Adam Bricker, one guest star in particular stood out: Juliet Prowse.

“I had a long-time crush on Juliet,” Kopell, 91, said during theLove BoatLegacy: Original Cast Reflections Q&A onPrincess Cruises’Love BoatCelebration Sunday, Sept. 1, adding that the actress had the most “marvelous, beautiful legs in the universe — if you like that sort of thing.”

Kopell called his scenes with Prowse, who died in 1996 at age 59, “astonishing.” The actor also recalled aboard the Enchanted Princess how producers thought he looked “a little older than we wanted you to look” during his time on the show from 1977-1987, so they gave him a “marvelous hairpiece” that Kopell “proudly wore,” even during a love scene with Prowse.

“I was so concerned,” Kopell said. “We got the scene in bed and she said, ‘Charles Boyer had a scene very much like this. And just before the scene is set for this beautiful young lady [he said], ‘Darling, if possibly during this very sexy scene, I get aroused. At the same time during this very sexy scene if I don’t get aroused, forgive me, please.’ We did the scene. My hairpiece did not fall off. Thank God.”

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Kopell additionally shared that he kept in touch with guest starsCharoand Diahann Carroll over the years.

‘The Love Boat’ stars (from left) Lauren Tewes, Bernie Kopell, Juliet Prowse, Ben Vereen, Alexis Smith and Gavin MacLeod.Courtesy Everett

Courtesy Everett

“The producers looked at me and said, ‘O’Neill? Oy vey!’” Kopell quipped.So he pivoted to a new surname.

“The character was a very proficient doctor — at the same time, he loved to chase the ladies,” Kopell said. “And to clean it up, he was a bit of a pricker. I’m sorry, Mommy! I said, ‘Let’s change the P to a B. That’s how it worked out.”

A limited group of 100 guests who opted for theLove BoatVIP Package also enjoyed access to an exclusive welcome reception with the show’s stars and a cast dinner.

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Princess’s nextLove BoatCelebration at Sea themed cruise will sail from Galveston, Texas on Regal Princess from Nov. 16-23, 2025 and make stops throughout Mexico at Cozumel, Costa Maya and Roatan.

source: people.com