David Janssen
| David Janssen | |
|---|---|
Janssen in The Fugitive (1963)
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| Born |
David Harold Meyer March 27, 1931 Naponee, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Died | February 13, 1980 (aged 48) Malibu, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Heart attack |
| Resting place | Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1945–1980 |
| Spouse(s) |
Ellie Graham (m. 1958; div. 1968) Dani Crayne (m. 1975–80) |
David Janssen (March 27, 1931 – February 13, 1980) was an American film and television actor who is best known for his starring role as Dr. Richard Kimble in the television series The Fugitive (1963–1967). Janssen also had the title roles in three other series: Richard Diamond, Private Detective; Harry O; and O'Hara, U.S. Treasury.
In 1996 TV Guide ranked him number 36 on its 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time list.
Janssen was born in 1931 as David Harold Meyer in Naponee, a village in Franklin County in southern Nebraska, to Harold Edward Meyer, a banker (May 12, 1906 – November 4, 1990) and Berniece Graf (May 11, 1910 – November 26, 1995). Janssen was of Irish and Jewish descent. Following his parents' divorce in 1935, his mother moved with five-year-old David to Los Angeles, California, and later married Eugene Janssen (February 18, 1918 – March 30, 1996) in 1940 in Los Angeles. Young David used his stepfather's name after he entered show business as a child.
He attended Fairfax High School in Los Angeles, where he excelled on the basketball court setting a school scoring record that lasted over 20 years. His first film part was at the age of thirteen, and by the age of twenty-five he had appeared in twenty films and served two years as an enlisted man in the United States Army. During his Army days, Janssen became friends with fellow enlistees Martin Milner and Clint Eastwood while posted at Fort Ord, California.
Janssen appeared in many television series before he landed programs of his own. In 1956, he and Peter Breck appeared in John Bromfield's syndicated series Sheriff of Cochise in the episode "The Turkey Farmers". Later, he guest starred on NBC's medical drama The Eleventh Hour in the role of Hal Kincaid in the 1962 episode "Make Me a Place", with series co-stars Wendell Corey and Jack Ging. He joined friend Martin Milner in a 1962 episode of Route 66 as the character Kamo in the episode "One Tiger to a Hill."
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