His death was a loss for all the fans, but also for his fellow actors and production crews since David was exceptionally well-liked and admired by them. However, the studio dropped him after allegedly becoming disenchanted with his odd hairline and big prominent ears. In 1996 TV Guide ranked him number 36 on its 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time list.[1]. [9][10], For his contribution to the television industry, David Janssen has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located on the 7700 block of Hollywood Boulevard. His first marriage was to model and interior decorator Ellie Graham, whom he married in Las Vegas on August 25, 1958.
On February 13, 1980, David Janssen suffered a fatal heart attack at his home in Malibu, California. Notably, David's voice-over narration is used to great effect and he would, over the course of his career, narrate other projects.
Janssen also had the title roles in three other series: Richard Diamond, Private Detective; Harry O; and O'Hara, U.S. Treasury.
His ancestry was German, and some Swiss-German and Scottish-Irish. King of the Roaring 20's: The Story of Arnold Rothstein, View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro, Actors who look older than their actual ages (at least to me). When he is on, he owns the screen". David rebounded with Hell to Eternity (1960), for which he garnered great reviews and was nominated for a Golden Globe as "Most Promising Newcomer."
He was half-Jewish and half-Irish by descent. The cause of death was that Janssen had major blockage in three heart arteries, probably brought on by years of excessive cigarette smoking. Suzanne Pleshette delivered the eulogy at the request of Janssen's widow. It is this portrayal that is often cited when one talks about the depth of David Janssen's performances.
In his early twenties, he was a contract player during the last years of the studio system, gaining valuable experience in everything from acting and dancing to horseback riding and boxing. Milton Berle, Johnny Carson, Tommy Gallagher, Richard Harris, Stan Herman, Rod Stewart and Gregory Peck were among Janssen's pallbearers. The Janssen family settled in Hollywood when he was a teenager and he attended Fairfax High School, where he developed an interest in acting. Janssen continued appearing in lead roles in nearly 20 made-for-TV-movies during the 1970s as well as other TV projects. - IMDb Mini Biography By: He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, only about a block away from the Chinese Theater.
David Janssen, television’s quintessential actor, died early Wednesday morning after apparently suffering a massive heart attack. The actor's persistence led him to stardom — but it was cut short by his sudden death. However, a much more reasonable explanation for David Janssen's sudden demise is that this intense, dedicated, determined actor simply worked himself to death. Younger half-brothers: Larry and Lee Meyer (twins born in 1942). David Janssen (born David Harold Meyer) (March 27, 1931 - February 13, 1980) was an American film and television actor who is best known for his starring role as Richard Kimble in the television series The Fugitive (1963–1967). Nebraska-born David Janssen was the son of a former Miss Nebraska who had toured as a Ziegfeld Follies showgirl.
“I was always the leading man’s best friend’s best friend.” (David Janssen), “TV is my sleeping pill.” (David Janssen), Copyright © 2020 / The Celebrity Deaths.com / All Rights Reserved. He had a reputation for working hard and he treated people well. Too many cars that I never got around to drive. His last TV movie City in Fear (1980) was broadcast a month after his death.David was exceptionally well-liked and admired by his fellow actors and production crews.
[6], David Janssen died of a sudden heart attack in the early morning of February 13, 1980, at his home in Malibu, California at the age of 48. 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. While doing his own show, he had time to appear in a diverse range of projects, from guest starring on other TV series to stage work.In 1959, David, who didn't have the clout then that he would later enjoy, missed out on a supporting role in BUtterfield 8 (1960) when Elizabeth Taylor prevailed upon the producers to cast husband Eddie Fisher instead.
[3], Janssen was married twice. Among the films released that year were Ring of Fire (1961), King of the Roaring 20's: The Story of Arnold Rothstein (1961), Twenty Plus Two (1961), and Man-Trap (1961). He was 48 and had no prior history of heart problems. Made 21 TV movies, which includes two mini-series. It's three times harder than doing a half-hour show and that's not faulty arithmetic. Here is all you want to know, and more! He married first wife Ellie Graham in 1958. 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. Nickname:David Full Name:David Janssen Profession:Actor Nationality:American Date of Birth:March 27, 1931 Date of Death:February 13, 1980 Place of Death:Malibu, California, United States Cause of Death:Heart Attack Birthplace:Naponee, Nebraska, United States Zodiac Sign: Aries
matt-282. [on his films at Universal] I played an 'agreer'. I might prefer the life of a film producer: Get up at ten, have two-hour lunch breaks, fire everybody in the afternoon, and be ready for cocktails at 4:30 PM. His liver was fatty with severe alcoholism signs, but he did not have cirrhosis. Many years after his death, his name would crop up in interviews with people like Nancy Malone, Robert Vaughn, Jerry Orbach, Lee Grant, Cliff Robertson, Kim Darby, Shirley Knight and Marion Ross. 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. The film was shot during a break in the spring and summer of 1966 between the third and fourth seasons of The Fugitive. He was against the Vietnam War, although his involvement in.
Called his highly successful TV series "The Fuge.". He was taken to the nearby hospital where he was declared dead on arrival shortly thereafter. He resumed his movie career in 1961, a year after the series ended. His autopsy found physical signs of (and damage from) heavy smoking in his mouth and lungs. He died in 1980 from a sudden heart attack at his Malibu home at the age of 48. David took the role of Dr. Richard Kimble in The Fugitive (1963) and four very successful years followed. Quick Facts. He also appeared in the suspenseful Two-Minute Warning (1976) opposite Gena Rowlands as his love interest. "At age 20, after a stint of summer stock in Maine, David landed a contract at Universal-International in the Talent Program. He'd buy two copies of whatever book he wanted to read, one for his home in L.A. and one for his home in Palm Springs.
| At the time of his death, Janssen was filming the television movie Father Damien. The star would say, 'Don't you think so.' The TV series ran from 1957 to 1960 and established David as an actor who could carry his own weight as the lead on a successful TV series. He had another hit series with the cult favorite Harry O (1973).
His paternal grandparents were William Meyer and Myra Angela Wert. [5] In 1975, he married actress and model Dani Crayne Greco.
His last TV movie, City in Fear (1980), was broadcast a month after his death. Janssen's impressively husky voice was used to good effect as the narrator for the TV mini-series Centennial (1978–79); he also appeared in the final episode. Died of a sudden heart attack at his house in bed during the early morning hours before dawn. Ironically, the first was filmed at Fort Ord and some of the real soldiers on base recognized David but didn't know he was there to film a movie and were confused to see him in a captain's uniform.David's first big break came when Dick Powell selected him for the title role of Richard Diamond, Private Detective (1957). During his Army days, Janssen became friends with fellow enlistees Martin Milner and Clint Eastwood while posted at Fort Ord, California. [in a October 1979 interview with 'People' magazine] It's harder and harder to get up in the morning.
His maternal grandparents were Werner Daniel Graf and Verna Eliza Waggoner. As for being against athletics in high school - on the contrary, I'm all for it! David was exceptionally well-liked and admired by his fellow actors and production crews. David Janssen suffered a fatal heart attack in the pre-dawn hours of February 13, 1980 at his home in Malibu, California. He also played pilot Harry Walker in the 1973 action movie Birds of Prey. David was the son of Berniece Mae (Graf) and Harold Edward Meyer. After his parents' marriage ended, mom and son moved to Los Angeles, California in 1938. He was of German, and some Swiss-German and Scottish-Irish, descent.
Later, his acting in Showdown at Abilene (1956) so impressed the director that he quietly diffused David's energy by having him lean against a wall in most scenes so as not to upstage the lead actor in the movie.After his contract ended at Universal, David moved on to other studio pictures, notably supporting roles in two features at Warner Brothers: The Girl He Left Behind (1956) with friend Natalie Wood and Lafayette Escadrille (1958), William A. Wellman's passion project about World War I American pilots.
Official Sites, His mother and both of his sisters appeared as extras in. Calcium formed in my knee, and it is still very painful at times. - IMDb Mini Biography By:
Known ForHis starring role as Richard Kimble in the television series The Fugitive. In 2001, former publicist Frank Liberman would recall that though David didn't study beyond high school, "He was one of the brightest men I've ever known.
Milton Berle, Johnny Carson, Tommy G… [on high school athletics] I broke a cartilage in my left knee cap while pole vaulting.
It was his stage mother who pushed him towards show business as a child and he appeared in bit parts in movies, TV variety shows, radio shows, and stage plays.
David Janssen died of a sudden heart attack in the early morning of February 13, 1980, at his home in Malibu, California at the age of 48. Janssen starred in four television series of his own: At the time, the final episode of The Fugitive held the record for the greatest number of American homes with television sets to watch a series finale, at 72 percent in August 1967.
Unfounded speculation holds that Janssen succumbed to alcoholism, a problem that plagued him most of his adult life.