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
Once Is Not Enough (1975)
as Tom Colt
Away All Boats (1956)
as uncredited
The Green Berets (1968)
as George Beckworth
S.O.S. Titanic (1980)
as John Jacob Astor
The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968)
as George Faber
Marooned (1969)
as Ted Dougherty
Inchon (1981)
as David Feld
All That Heaven Allows (1955)
as Freddie Norton (uncredited)
Birds of Prey (1973)
as Harry Walker
Macho Callahan (1971)
as Diego Callahan
Yankee Buccaneer (1952)
as Beckett
Where It's At (1969)
as A.C. Smith
Two-Minute Warning (1976)
as Steve
Chief Crazy Horse (1955)
as Lt. Colin Cartwright
Fer-de-Lance (1974)
as Russ Bogan
The Swiss Conspiracy (1976)
as David Christopher
Never Say Goodbye (1956)
as Dave Heller
Lafayette Escadrille (1958)
as Duke Sinclair
Smile Jenny, You're Dead (1974)
as Harry Orwell
Joys (1976)
as Self
Showdown at Abilene (1956)
as Verne Ward
Warning Shot (1967)
as Sgt. Tom Valens
Francis in the Haunted House (1956)
as Police Lieutenant Hopkins
The Girl He Left Behind (1956)
as Capt. Genaro
City in Fear (1980)
as Vince Perrino
The Private War of Major Benson (1955)
as Young Lieutenant
No Room for the Groom (1952)
as Soldier (scenes deleted)
Generation (1969)
as Jim Bolton
Moon of the Wolf (1972)
as Sheriff Aaron Whitaker
Francis in the Navy (1955)
as Lieutenant Anders
Twenty Plus Two (1961)
as Tom Alder
Cult of the Cobra (1955)
as Rico Nardi
Mayday at 40,000 Feet (1977)
as Capt. Pete Douglass
Pioneer Woman (1973)
as Robert Douglas
Golden Rendezvous (1977)
as Charles Conway
Hell to Eternity (1960)
as Sgt, Bill Hazen
Man-Trap (1961)
as Vince Biskay
Covert Action (1978)
as Lester Horton
The Golden Gate Murders (1979)
as Det. Sgt. Paul Silver
To Hell and Back (1955)
as Lt Lee
Francis Goes to West Point (1952)
as Corporal Thomas
Nowhere to Run (1978)
as Harry Adams
High Ice (1980)
as Glencoe MacDonald
The Square Jungle (1955)
as Jack Lindsay
Stalk the Wild Child (1976)
as Dr. James Hazard
Hijack! (1973)
as Jake Wilkenson
Ring of Fire (1961)
as Sergeant Steve Walsh
King of the Roaring 20's – The Story of Arnold Rothstein (1961)
as Arnold Rothstein
Superdome (1978)
as Mike Shelley
A Sensitive, Passionate Man (1977)
as Michael Delaney
The Longest Night (1972)
as Alan Chambers
Tim Conway: Timeless Comedy (2007)
as Self (archive footage)
My Six Loves (1963)
as Marty Bliss
O'Hara, United States Treasury: Operation Cobra (1971)
as James O'Hara
Such Dust as Dreams Are Made On (1973)
as Harry Orwell
Toy Tiger (1956)
as Larry Tripps
Night Chase (1970)
as Adrian Vico
Belle Sommers (1962)
as Danny Castle
The New March of Dimes Presents: The Scene Stealers (1962)
as Self
Warhead (1977)
as Tony Stevens
Dondi (1961)
as Dealey