TV Legend Lee Majors On Meeting Five Decades Of Fans At Supanova

His first role in Hollywood saw him get beheaded by screen icon Joan Crawford. His last role saw him playing the slightly degenerate dad of horror stalwart Bruce Campbell. And his lengthy career in between saw him playing a couple of legendary characters himself.

Now Lee Majors, perhaps best-remembered as the bionic hero of the much-loved 1970s TV series The Six Million Dollar Man, is coming to Australia as a guest of the Melbourne Supanova Comic-Con & Gaming Expo.

It's the first Australian convention appearance for the veteran actor, although he's recently started doing a few such cons in the US. "I never really had the time before — I was always working," he says.

"I'll have people come up to me and say 'I joined the military because of you' — these are people who are high up in the military." 

In fact, Majors is keeping pretty busy well into his 70s. In addition to his role as Brock Williams on Ash vs Evil Dead, he's recently popped up in guest spots on fan-favourite programs like Weeds, Community and Robot Chicken.

But he enjoys the convention experience, even as he marvels at the sheer numbers of fans who rock up for a little face time with their pop-culture heroes. "It's a good time, even if you only have time to shake hands, write your name and answer a question or two, maybe take a photograph," he says.

Majors is also impressed by the dedication fans show to their project of choice - cosplay particularly tickles him. "Believe it or not, I've had people come up to me with red tracksuits on," he laughs, referring to the outfit worn by his The Six Million Dollar Man character, Colonel Steve Austin. "They really get into it."

But it's not just admirers of The Six Million Dollar Man or Ash vs Evil Dead Majors encounters during his convention appearances. That's probably to be expected, though - he's worked pretty much non-stop since 1964, when at age 25 he played the ill-fated husband of Joan Crawford in the schlock-horror thriller Strait-Jacket. "She chopped my head off before the opening credits," he recalls with a chuckle.

"It's interesting - I get fans from all generations," he adds. "Big Valley fans tend to be a bit older. The age drops a little bit when it's fans of Six Mil from the '70s, then again when it's The Fall Guy from the '80s. And there are teenagers and kids who like Ash vs Evil Dead - a lot of people love that one, and I see why. It's very gory but, man, is it funny. And I wouldn't have done it if it was totally horror. But I watched the first season and I found it so funny I had to do it. It's a gas."

Just as much of a gas for Majors is seeing the impact and influence his work has had upon fans. "I'll have people come up to me and say 'I joined the military because of you' — these are people who are high up in the military," he says. "Or they became a fighter pilot like Steve Austin. Or they went into science because of the bionics on The Six Million Dollar Man. It's amazing the influence you can have on people when they watch a show when they're young."

Lee Majors is appearing at Supanova Comic-Con & Gaming Expo at the Gold Coast this weekend, 22-23 April.