David Janssen
Acting
Born 1931-03-27
Died 1980-02-13
Naponee, Nebraska, USA
94 credits
Read biography
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
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Filmography
— top 60 of 94
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
The Mike Douglas Show
Golden Globe Awards
The Fugitive
Matinee Theater
The Merv Griffin Show
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
Cannon
Naked City
Route 66
Dinah!
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Adventures in Paradise
Police Story
Richard Diamond, Private Detective
Harry O
Checkmate
The Millionaire
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
Alcoa Theatre
Cain's Hundred
Boston Blackie
The Dick Powell Show
Lux Video Theatre
The Hollywood Palace
Centennial
The Eleventh Hour
Target: The Corruptors!
Once Is Not Enough
The Green Berets
O'Hara, U.S. Treasury
Whack-O!
All That Heaven Allows
The Word
S.O.S. Titanic
Cult of the Cobra
Away All Boats
Marooned
Mayday at 40,000 Feet
Two-Minute Warning
Chief Crazy Horse
Never Say Goodbye
The Shoes of the Fisherman
General Electric Theater
Joys
Warning Shot
To Hell and Back
Inchon
Yankee Buccaneer
Francis in the Haunted House
Showdown at Abilene
The Swiss Conspiracy
The Golden Gate Murders
Moon of the Wolf
Francis Goes to West Point
Golden Rendezvous
Pioneer Woman
The Square Jungle
Lafayette Escadrille
Nowhere to Run
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