[Of Pernell Roberts]: Pernell was a wonderfully talented man. He had a lot of demons, but when he wasn't fighting them, he was one of the most charming men I had even known. Incredibly bright. Things didn't work out the way he had hoped they would, and he had to deal with that on some days. ... He was sure he would have a good film career and stage career. But he wasn't cut out for compromise, and network television then required lots of compromise.

[on the death of Pernell Roberts]: Pernell was a wonderful man, a good friend, and a big part of my life, especially when I was just beginning as an actor. He was a true inspiration to me, as he was to many actors over the years. I was so lucky to have shared the screen with him for nearly eight seasons, and am deeply saddened at his passing. Fortunately, he lives on in the memories of his fans, and in the hearts of the lucky people, like you and me, that he touched personally. I'll be forever grateful to him.

[on his on- and off-screen relationship with Pernell Roberts, who played Dr. Trapper John McIntyre]: Early on he told me, 'Greg, the key to good acting is sincerity. And once you've learned to fake that, you've got it made.' He was joking, of course. We had a very close relationship. A series is like a family; you have spats and fights, but you also get incredibly close. I once tallied up how much time I'd spent with my own mother and how much time I spent six feet from Pernell Roberts. Pernell took that one.

[Who responded at the time why his future Trapper John, M.D. (1979) series' lead and best friend, Pernell Roberts, left the Bonanza (1959) series, at the end of the 1964-65 season]: Pernell told me the reason he quit Bonanza (1959), after the sixth or seventh year, was that he could no longer call a man 'Pa' who was only seven years older than he.

It wasn't easier, but being a successful working actor in the '70s and '80s was much more lucrative and much more rewarding. The industry has changed so much from then to now that even though I'm still working all the time, there is no middle class actor anymore. You're either a $20 million dollar player or it's a hobby.

Pretty much nothing can stop me now.

[Who knew it was nothing unusual for him to get recognized out in the lineup by surfers of a certain age]: They were all 16 or 17 years old when 'North Shore' came out. It was a seminal influence in their lives. If one of them recognizes me, it goes through the lineup immediately: 'Whoa, Chandler, dude, your wave!' I get more free waves out of that.

[When he was talking about the water]: I think if there were really good, surfable waves coming in, I might not be as relaxed and enjoying it as much. It would be a really staccato kind of interview.

I didn't study acting for nine years to become a hunk.