David Janssen
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David Janssen (born David Harold Meyer; March 27, 1931 – February 13, 1980) was an American actor. He was born in Naponee, Nebraska, to Berniece Mae (Graf) and Harold Edward Meyer, a banker. He was of German, and some Swiss-German and Ulster-Scots, descent. David took the surname of his stepfather, Eugene Janssen. The Janssen family settled in Hollywood when he was a teenager and he attended Fairfax High School, where he developed an interest in acting. His film debut was a bit part in It's a Pleasure (1945), and at the age of 18 signed a contract with 20th Century-Fox. However, the studio dropped him after allegedly becoming disenchanted with his odd hairline and big prominent ears. Janssen had better luck at Universal, where he signed on in the early 1950s and became a supporting player in 32 films before appearing on TV as the star of Richard Diamond, Private Detective (1956). He resumed his movie career in 1961, a year after the series ended. His biggest success came from his lead in the series The Fugitive (1963), playing the haunted, hunted Dr. Richard Kimble, on the run for a murder he didn't commit. After the series ended, Janssen launched himself into a grueling schedule by appearing in lead and supporting roles in movies, but he had better luck with made-for-TV-movie roles and a short-lived series, O'Hara, U.S. Treasury (1971). He had another hit series with the cult favorite Harry O (1973). Janssen continued appearing in lead roles in nearly 20 made-for-TV-movies during the 1970s as well as other TV projects. He died in 1980 from a sudden heart attack at his Malibu home at the age of 48. Unfounded speculation holds that Janssen succumbed to alcoholism, a problem that plagued him most of his adult life. There were even unfounded rumors about drug use. However, a much more reasonable explanation for David Janssen's sudden demise is that this intense, dedicated, determined actor simply worked himself to death. From an IMDB Mini-Bio for David Janssen
Known for
Credits
The Green Berets (1968)
as George Beckworth
All That Heaven Allows (1955)
as Freddie Norton (uncredited)
To Hell and Back (1955)
as Lt Lee
Marooned (1969)
as Ted Dougherty
Two-Minute Warning (1976)
as Steve
Inchon (1981)
as David Feld
S.O.S. Titanic (1980)
as John Jacob Astor
The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968)
as George Faber
Never Say Goodbye (1956)
as Dave Heller
Away All Boats (1956)
as uncredited
Warning Shot (1967)
as Sgt. Tom Valens
Chief Crazy Horse (1955)
as Lt. Colin Cartwright
Once Is Not Enough (1975)
as Tom Colt
Yankee Buccaneer (1952)
as Beckett
Cult of the Cobra (1955)
as Rico Nardi
Moon of the Wolf (1972)
as Sheriff Aaron Whitaker
Mayday at 40,000 Feet (1977)
as Capt. Pete Douglass
Joys (1976)
as Self
Francis in the Navy (1955)
as Lieutenant Anders
Golden Rendezvous (1977)
as Charles Conway
Macho Callahan (1971)
as Diego Callahan
Smile Jenny, You're Dead (1974)
as Harry Orwell
Showdown at Abilene (1956)
as Verne Ward
Hell to Eternity (1960)
as Sgt, Bill Hazen
Lafayette Escadrille (1958)
as Duke Sinclair
King of the Roaring 20's – The Story of Arnold Rothstein (1961)
as Arnold Rothstein
The Swiss Conspiracy (1976)
as David Christopher
Superdome (1978)
as Mike Shelley
Pioneer Woman (1973)
as Robert Douglas
The Golden Gate Murders (1979)
as Det. Sgt. Paul Silver
Where It's At (1969)
as A.C. Smith
Man-Trap (1961)
as Vince Biskay
Francis in the Haunted House (1956)
as Police Lieutenant Hopkins
The Girl He Left Behind (1956)
as Capt. Genaro
Francis Goes to West Point (1952)
as Corporal Thomas
My Six Loves (1963)
as Marty Bliss
The Private War of Major Benson (1955)
as Young Lieutenant
Birds of Prey (1973)
as Harry Walker
City in Fear (1980)
as Vince Perrino
Fer-de-Lance (1974)
as Russ Bogan
Warhead (1977)
as Tony Stevens
High Ice (1980)
as Glencoe MacDonald
The Square Jungle (1955)
as Jack Lindsay
A Sensitive, Passionate Man (1977)
as Michael Delaney
O'Hara, United States Treasury: Operation Cobra (1971)
as James O'Hara
Nowhere to Run (1978)
as Harry Adams
The New March of Dimes Presents: The Scene Stealers (1962)
as Self
No Room for the Groom (1952)
as Soldier (scenes deleted)
Generation (1969)
as Jim Bolton
Twenty Plus Two (1961)
as Tom Alder
Night Chase (1970)
as Adrian Vico
The Longest Night (1972)
as Alan Chambers
Covert Action (1978)
as Lester Horton
Toy Tiger (1956)
as Larry Tripps
Ring of Fire (1961)
as Sergeant Steve Walsh
Such Dust as Dreams Are Made On (1973)
as Harry Orwell
Hijack! (1973)
as Jake Wilkenson
Belle Sommers (1962)
as Danny Castle
Dondi (1961)
as Dealey
Stalk the Wild Child (1976)
as Dr. James Hazard
Tim Conway: Timeless Comedy (2007)
as Self (archive footage)