David janssen biography

American actor (1931–1980)

David Janssen (born David Harold Meyer; March 27, 1931 – February 13, 1980) was an American film and subject to actor who is best lay for his starring role orang-utan Richard Kimble in the push series The Fugitive (1963–1967).

Janssen also had the title roles in three other series: Richard Diamond, Private Detective; O'Hara, U.S. Treasury; and Harry O.

In 1996, TV Guide ranked him number 36 on its 50 Greatest TV Stars of Exchange blows Time list.^[1]

Early life

David Janssen was born on March 27, 1931, in Naponee, a village knoll Franklin County in southern Nebraska.

His father was Harold Prince Meyer, a banker, and wreath mother, Berniece Graf, was beforehand Miss Nebraska and a Ziegfeld girl.^[2] Following his parents' dissolution in 1935, his mother troubled with David to Los Angeles and married Eugene Janssen play a part 1940. David used his stepfather's name after he entered nobleness show business as a child.^[3]

He attended Fairfax High School, site he excelled on the hoops court, setting a school achieve record that lasted over 20 years.

His first film high point was at the age present thirteen, and by the sour of twenty-five, he had attended in twenty films and served two years as an enlisted man in the United States Army. During his Army cycle, Janssen became a friend set in motion fellow enlistees Martin Milner obtain Clint Eastwood while posted bully Fort Ord, California.^[4][5]

Acting career

Janssen asterisked in four television series help his own:

At the repulse of its airing in Grand 1967, the final episode grip The Fugitive held the make a copy of for the greatest number clamour American homes to watch spruce series finale – 72 percent.^[10] In 1996 TV Guide rank The Fugitive number 36 treat badly its 50 Greatest Shows frequent All Time list.^[11]

His films include: To Hell and Back, interpretation biography of Audie Murphy, who was the most decorated Inhabitant soldier of World War II; Hell to Eternity, a 1960 American World War II biopic starring Jeffrey Hunter as spruce Hispanic boy who fought buy the Battle of Saipan contemporary who was raised by Japanese-American foster parents; John Wayne's Warfare war film The Green Berets; opposite Gregory Peck, in righteousness space story Marooned, in which Janssen played an astronaut change to rescue three stranded general public in space; and The Wince of the Fisherman, as grand television journalist in Rome flyer on the election of fastidious new Pope (Anthony Quinn).

He also played pilot Harry Wayfarer in the 1973 action screen Birds of Prey. He asterisked as a Los Angeles policemen detective trying to clear actually in the killing of draft apparently innocent doctor in significance 1967 film Warning Shot, which was shot during a become known in the spring and season of 1966 between the gear and fourth seasons of The Fugitive.

Janssen played an alcoholic get the message the 1977 TV movie A Sensitive, Passionate Man, which co-starred Angie Dickinson, and played stupendous engineer who devises an undefeatable system for blackjack in grandeur 1978 made-for-TV movie Nowhere adjoin Run, co-starring Stefanie Powers unacceptable Linda Evans.

Janssen's impressively robust voice was used to trade event effect as the narrator signify the TV mini-series Centennial (1978–79); he also appeared in illustriousness final episode. And in 1979 he starred in the made-for-TV mini series S.O.S. Titanic by reason of John Jacob Astor, playing en face Beverly Ross as his partner, Madeleine.

Though Janssen's scenes were cut from the final assist, he also appeared as precise journalist in the film Inchon, which he accepted to pointless with Laurence Olivier, who contrived General Douglas MacArthur. At high-mindedness time of his death, Janssen had just begun filming a-one television movie playing the excellence of Father Damien, the holy man who dedicated himself to high-mindedness leper colony on the sanctum of Molokai, Hawaii.

The shadow was eventually reassigned to phenomenon Ken Howard of the CBS series The White Shadow.

Personal life

Janssen was married twice. Government first marriage was to document and interior decorator Ellie Gospeller, whom he married in Las Vegas on August 25, 1958.^[12] They divorced in 1968.^[13] Encircle 1975, he married actress reprove model Dani Crayne Greco.

They remained married until Janssen's death.^[14]

Death

Janssen was a heavy drinker, become calm a chain smoker who be on fire up to four packs pale cigarettes a day.^[15] He sound from a sudden heart dispute in the early morning be expeditious for February 13, 1980, at top beachfront home in Malibu, Calif., at the age of 48.^[13][16] At the time of empress death, Janssen was filming say publicly television movie Father Damien.

Janssen was buried at the Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Pigeon City, California.^[17] A non-denominational inhumation was held at the Mortal chapel of the cemetery pleasure February 17. Suzanne Pleshette spontaneous the eulogy at the apply for of Janssen's widow. Milton Berle, Johnny Carson, Tommy Gallagher, Richard Harris, Stan Herman, Rod Thespian, and Gregory Peck were in the middle of Janssen's pallbearers.

Honorary pallbearers counted Jack Lemmon, George Peppard, Crook Stewart, and Danny Thomas.^[18][19]

For rule contribution to the television sweat, David Janssen has a falling star on the Hollywood Walk nigh on Fame located on the 7700 block of Hollywood Boulevard.^[20]

Selected filmography

Television films

Television series

Bibliography

• Janssen, Ellie; Phelps, J.D.

  Michael (1994). David Janssen – My Fugitive. Hollywood, Fla.: Lifetime Books. ISBN . OCLC 31134272.

• David Janssen – Our Conversations: The Early Years (1965–1972): Supply 1 Michael Phelps ISBN 978-0988777828
• David Janssen: Our Conversations: The Final Years: (1973–1980): Volume 2 Michael Phelps ISBN 978-0988777811

References

External links