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David Janssen 1931 - 1980

David Janssen was born on March 27, 1931, and died at age 48 years old on February 13, 1980. David Janssen was buried in 1980 at Hillside Memorial Park 6001 W Centinela Ave, in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California United States.

David Janssen

Born: David Harold Meyer - took his step-father's name.

March 27, 1931

February 13, 1980

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David Janssen David Janssen (1931 - 1980)

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David Janssen's History: 1931 - 1980

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Introduction

David Janssen was born David Harold Meyer in 1931 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 (1957). 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. However, a much more reasonable explanation for David Janssen's sudden demise is that this intense, dedicated, determined actor simply worked himself to death.
03/27

1931

Birthday

March 27, 1931

Birthdate

Unknown

Birthplace

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Ethnicity & Family History

David Janssen was born David Harold Meyer in 1931 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.
Military Service

In his early days, David Janssen enlisted in the United States Army and was posted in Fort Ord, California. There, he met Martin Milner and Clint Eastwood, who were both also enlisted at the time.
Professional Career

Janssen starred in four television series of his own: Richard Diamond, Private Detective (1957–1960), a CBS/Four Star hit series that also introduced Mary Tyler Moore, showing only her legs, and Barbara Bain as Diamond's girlfriend. The Fugitive (1963–1967), the hit Quinn Martin-produced series, about a Midwest doctor wrongly convicted of murdering his wife. O'Hara, U.S. Treasury (1971–1972), one of Jack Webb's Mark VII Limited productions for Universal Studios, as a government agent investigating counterfeiters and other federal crimes. Harry O (1974–1976), as a disabled San Diego-based private eye. At the time of its airing in August 1967, the final episode of The Fugitive held the record for the greatest number of American homes with television sets to watch a series finale — 72 percent. In 1996 TV Guide ranked The Fugitive number 36 on its 50 Greatest Shows of All Time list. His films include: To Hell and Back, the biography of Audie Murphy, who was the most decorated American soldier of World War II; Hell to Eternity, a 1960 American World War II biopic starring Jeffrey Hunter as a Hispanic boy who fought in the Battle of Saipan and who was raised by Japanese-American foster parents; John Wayne's Vietnam war film The Green Berets; opposite Gregory Peck, in the space story Marooned, in which Janssen played an astronaut sent to rescue three stranded men in space; and The Shoes of the Fisherman, as a television journalist in Rome reporting on the election of a new Pope (Anthony Quinn). He also played pilot Harry Walker in the 1973 action movie Birds of Prey. He starred as a Los Angeles police detective trying to clear himself in the killing of an apparently innocent doctor in the 1967 film Warning Shot, which was shot during a break in the spring and summer of 1966 between the third and fourth seasons of The Fugitive. Janssen played an alcoholic in the 1977 TV movie A Sensitive, Passionate Man, which co-starred Angie Dickinson, and played an engineer who devises an unbeatable system for blackjack in the 1978 made-for-TV movie Nowhere to Run, co-starring Stefanie Powers and Linda Evans. 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. And in 1979 he starred in the made-for-TV mini series S.O.S. Titanic as John Jacob Astor, playing opposite Beverly Ross as his wife, Madeleine. Though Janssen's scenes were cut from the final release, he also appeared as a journalist in the film Inchon, which he accepted in order to work with Laurence Olivier, who played General Douglas MacArthur. At the time of his death, Janssen had just begun filming a television movie playing the part of Father Damien, the priest who dedicated himself to the leper colony on the island of Molokai, Hawaii. The part was eventually reassigned to actor Ken Howard of the CBS series The White Shadow.
Personal Life & Family

Selected filmography It's a Pleasure (1945) as Davey / boy referee (uncredited) Swamp Fire (1946) as Emile's Eldest Son (uncredited) No Room for the Groom (1952) as Soldier (scenes deleted) Francis Goes to West Point (1952) as Cpl. Thomas Untamed Frontier (1952) as Lottie's Dance Partner (uncredited) Bonzo Goes to College (1952) as Jack (uncredited) Yankee Buccaneer (1952) as Beckett Back at the Front (1952) as Soldier (uncredited) Leave It to Harry (1954) as Quiz Show Host (short subject) Chief Crazy Horse (1955) as Lt. Colin Cartwright Cult of the Cobra (1955) as Rico Nardi Francis in the Navy (1955) as Lt. Anders The Private War of Major Benson (1955) as Young Lieutenant To Hell and Back (1955) as Lieutenant Lee All That Heaven Allows (1955) as Freddie Norton (uncredited) The Square Jungle (1955) as Jack Lindsay Never Say Goodbye (1956) as Dave Heller The Toy Tiger (1956) as Larry Tripps Francis in the Haunted House (1956) as Police Lieutenant Hopkins Away All Boats (1956) as Talker (uncredited) Mr. Black Magic (1956) as Master of Ceremonies (short subject) Showdown at Abilene (1956) as Verne Ward The Girl He Left Behind (1956) as Capt. Genaro Lafayette Escadrille (1958) as Duke Sinclair Hell to Eternity (1960) as Sgt. Bill Hazen Dondi (1961) as Dealey King of the Roaring 20s – The Story of Arnold Rothstein (1961) as Arnold Rothstein Ring of Fire (1961) as Sergeant Steve Walsh Twenty Plus Two (1961) as Tom Alder Man-Trap (1961) as Vince Biskay My Six Loves (1963) as Marty Bliss Warning Shot (1967) as Sgt. Tom Valens The Green Berets (1968) as George Beckworth The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968) as George Faber Where It's At (1969) as A.C. Marooned (1969) as Ted Dougherty Generation (1969) as Jim Bolton Macho Callahan (1970) as Diego Callahan Once Is Not Enough (1975) as Tom Colt The Swiss Conspiracy (1976) as David Christopher Two-Minute Warning (1976) as Steve Warhead (1977) as Tony Stevens Golden Rendezvous (1977) as Charles Conway Covert Action (1978) as Lester Horton Inchon (1981) as David Feld (scenes deleted after premiere; final film role; filmed in 1979; released posthumously) Television films Belle Sommers (1962) as Danny Castle Night Chase (1970) as Adrian Vico The Longest Night (1972) as Alan Chambers Moon of the Wolf (1972) as Sheriff Aaron Whitaker Hijack (1973) as Jake Wilkenson Birds of Prey (1973) as Harry Walker Harry O – Such Dust As Dreams Are Made On (1973) as Harry Orwell Pioneer Woman (1973) as Robert Douglas Harry O – Smile Jenny, You're Dead (1974) as Harry Orwell Don't Call the Police (1974) as Harry Orwell Fer-de-Lance (1974) as Russ Bogan Stalk the Wild Child (1976) as Dr. James Hazard Mayday at 40,000 Feet! (1976) as Captain Pete Douglass A Sensitive, Passionate Man (1977) as Michael Delaney Superdome (1978) as Mike Shelley Nowhere to Run (1978) as Harry Adams S.O.S. Titanic (1979) as John Jacob Astor The Golden Gate Murders (1979) as Det. Sgt. Paul Silver High Ice (1980) as Glencoe MacDonald City in Fear (1980) as Vince Perrino (released posthumously) Father Damien: The Leper Priest – 1980 (Incomplete – Replaced by Ken Howard) Television Boston Blackie (1 episode, 1951) as Armored Car Driver (uncredited) Lux Video Theatre (3 episodes, 1955–1956) as Johnny Reynolds Jr. / Joe Davies / Ralph Matinee Theatre (1 episode, 1956) as Paul Merrick Sheriff of Cochise (1 episode, 1956) as Arnie Hix Conflict (1 episode, 1957) as Sid Lukes You Are There (1 episode, 1957) as Great Dalton U.S. Marshal (1 episode, ????) Alcoa Theatre (2 episodes, 1957–1958) as Jim McCandless / Mike Harper The Millionaire (2 episodes, 1957–1958) as David Barrett / Peter Miller Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater (4 episodes, 1957–1959) as Dix Porter / Seth Larker / Tod Owen / Danny Ensign Richard Diamond, Private Detective (77 episodes, 1957–1960) as Richard Diamond / Chuck Garrett Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse (1 episode, 1959) as Ross Ingraham Death Valley Days (1 episode, 1961) as Dr. Bill Breckenridge Adventures in Paradise (1 episode, 1961) as Scotty Bell Thriller (1 episode, 1962) Target: The Corruptors (1x19 The Middle Man, 1962) as Robbie Wilson General Electric Theater (1 episode, 1962) as Pat Howard Follow the Sun (2 episodes, 1962) as Johnny Sadowsky Checkmate (1 episode, 1962) as Len Kobalsky Cain's Hundred (1 episode, 1962) as Dan Mullin Kraft Mystery Theatre (1 episode, 1962) Route 66 (S3E1, 1962) as Karno Starling The Eleventh Hour (1 episode, 1962) as Hal Kincaid The Dick Powell Show (1 episode, 1963) as Kenneth 'Ken' Morgan Naked City (2 episodes, 1961–1963) as Carl Ashland / Blair Cameron The Fugitive (120 episodes, 1963–1967) as Dr. Richard Kimble / varied aliases The Hollywood Palace (1 episode, 1965) O'Hara, U.S. Treasury (22 episodes, 1971–1972) as Jim O'Hara / James O'Hara Cannon (1 episode, 1973) as Ian Kirk Harry O (44 episodes, 1973–1976) as Harry Orwell Police Story (1 episode, 1977) as Sgt. Joe Wilson The Word (1978) as Steve Randall Centennial (1 episode, 1979, and narrator for all 12 episodes, 1978–1979) as Paul Garrett / Narrator Biography (1979) as Host
02/13

1980

Death

February 13, 1980

Death date

Unknown
Cause of death

Unknown
Death location

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1980

Gravesite & Burial

1980

Funeral date
Hillside Memorial Park 6001 W Centinela Ave, in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California 90045, United States
Burial location
Obituary

David Janssen was an iconic television actor best known for his role as Richard Kimble in the beloved television series The Fugitive. That wasn’t his only time playing a starring role, however. Throughout his career, Janssen would play the title role in three other television series, and appear in countless other shows and films. He began his career in 1945, when he was just thirteen years old, and would continue acting right up until his tragic and unexpected death in 1980. David Janssen was born on March 27th, 1931, to Harold and Berniece Meyer in a small village in southern Nebraska. When he was only five, however, his parents divorced, and Janssen’s mother took him to Los Angeles. She remarried a man named Eugene Janssen, whose name David Janssen used when beginning his career. David Janssen appeared in his first film when he was only thirteen years old. By the time he was 25, he had already acted in a total of 20 films. Of course, the height of his career wouldn’t arrive until he was in his early thirties, after landing the starring role in the hit television film The Fugitive. David Jenssen would go on to act in many more films and television shows, inspiring people all over the world with his winning personality and impressive acting skills. His millions of adoring fans counted on him to act in many more films and shows, and his tragic death in 1980 left the whole nation shocked. While he accomplished a great deal throughout his life, we can only imagine what else David Janssen could have done had he not died so young. Many of his fellow stars expressed a great deal of sadness at his passing, and remembered him as a kind and talented man. In today’s video, we’re going to take a look at the long life and legacy of David Janssen, who will always be remembered for his amazing contributions to film and television. Make sure you stick around, because we’re also going to reveal what caused his sudden and tragic death. One of the World’s Biggest Stars Even forty years after Janssen’s death, he is still remembered as being one of the biggest stars in the history of Hollywood. Even TV Guide ranked him number 36 on its 1996 list of 50 Greatest Stars of All Time. His career spanned a total of 35 years, and he continued to work hard right up until his death. He had an extensive filmography in both film and television, and he played dozens of significant roles throughout his career. He inspired countless other actors, who were impressed by his acting skills and touched by his kind demeanor even when the cameras weren’t rolling. David Janssen’s Tragic and Sudden Death David Janssen drank and smoked heavily throughout his life, but his death at just 48 years old came as an unexpected tragedy all the same. Early in the morning on February 13th, 1980, David Janssen suffered a heart attack that would take his life. His wife, Dani Crayne, was horrified to discover that he was no longer breathing, and called 911 and the fire department. Tragically, however, David Janssen’s life had come to an end. Celebrities all over the nation were devastated by the news, and many came to his funeral to pay their respects. He Once Held Cher as a Baby Today, Cher is recognized as a musical icon, so much so that she is often referred to as “The Goddess of Pop.” As a baby, of course, nobody knew just how famous she would become. When Cher was just three years old, her mother, Georgia Holt, had difficulty finding a babysitter when she was due to film a watch commercial. Right before filming, she saw an 18-year-old David Janssen and asked him to hold young Cher while she worked. Janssen, of course, agreed, and held Cher until her mother was finished filming. He Was One of the Hardest Working Actors Most people imagine that actors live a cushy lifestyle. After all, A-list actors are extremely high-paid, and live in luxury. Despite David Janssen’s reputation as a huge star, however, his work wasn’t at all easy. In fact, even today, he is still considered to be one of the hardest working actors in history. Janssen devoted much of his time to acting, and often spent 12 to 14 hours a day working! He would often skip out on fun social events, and even miss dinner as a result of his brutal schedule! Barry Morse, who was both a close friend as well as Janssen’s costar in The Fugitive, explained that every actor at the time knew he was the hardest working of them all. He Was Incredibly Athletic in High School Before David Janssen found his calling as an actor, he spent his youth involved in numerous sports. In high school, he was a star in both track and basketball. While he would never go on to become a famous athlete, he still remained quite fond of sports. In 1948, he even attempted a pole vault for some reporters who worked for the Hollywood Citizen News. Unfortunately, the pole vault didn’t go smoothly, and he ended up twisting his right knee. The injury didn’t deter Janssen from continuing athletic stints, however, and in 1970, he hosted “Highlights of the Ice Capades” while wearing ice skates himself! He Has a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame David Janssen was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his amazing contributions to television. The star’s ceremony took place on his mother’s birthday in the year 1989, and was specially placed right in front of David Janssen’s favorite ice cream shop from when he was a kid. He Was a Heavy Smoker David Janssen was notorious for being a heavy smoker. In fact, he was known to smoke four packs of cigarettes every day! Sadly, this heavy smoking certainly took a toll on his health.. After his death from a heart attack, an autopsy revealed that the smoking had caused a great deal of damage to both his lungs and mouth. Furthermore, his liver showed signs of severe alcoholism. Altogether, the cause of his death was likely from blockage to three of his main arteries, which was a result of his smoking. Make sure you stick around until the very end, because we’re also going to reveal how David Janssen nearly had plastic surgery! He Was Beloved By Everyone There are many famous celebrities who have millions of adoring fans, but when the cameras aren’t rolling, they are rude and difficult to work with. David Janssen, however, was never one of these people. All of his colleagues and friends were touched by Janssen’s bright and kind personality. Janssen’s publicist, Frank Liberman, had countless famous clients throughout his career, including Nat “King” Cole, William Shatner, and Henry Fonda. Liberman himself confessed, however, that out of all his clients, Janssen was by far one of his favorites. Many other stars deeply mourned Janssen’s death, expressing just how kind and loving he was to everyone he met. He Was Strongly Against the Vietnam War An outspoken liberal Democrat all his life, David Janssen was majorly against the Vietnam War. However, because he was involved in the film The Green Berets, many mistakenly believed that he actually supported the war. He Was Friends with Many Famous Actors In his early days, David Janssen enlisted in the United States Army and was posted in Fort Ord, California. There, he met Martin Milner and Clint Eastwood, who were both also enlisted at the time. He would later attend University classes with Clint Eastwood, as well. While these were the first famous friends that David Janssen made, they certainly weren’t the last. David Janssen was also very close friends with actor Richard Harris. When Harris learned of Janssen’s death, he was so upset that he sat out in the snow for several hours out of grief. Finally, David Janssen was also friends with Stuart Whitman, who happened to be driving by his house at the time of his death. Whitman saw ambulances and a fire truck, and rushed by to see what was the matter. He was stricken by Janssen’s death, but comforted his widowed wife, Dani Crayne, throughout the ordeal. He Loved to Read David Janssen was known for being an avid reader. He read whenever he had free time. Whenever he found a new book to read, he’d order two copies. One would be sent to his home in Los Angeles, and the other would be sent to his second home in Palm Springs. Being a rich and famous actor certainly has its perks! He Almost Had Plastic Surgery One of the worst things about Hollywood is how often it manufactures its actors into perfect models. Many women actors develop eating disorders based on the pressure to be thinner, and many other actors have plastic surgery to change their facial features. At the beginning of his career, it was suggested to David Janssen that he have plastic surgery done on his ears in order to make them less prominent. Janssen was resolute, however, and refused to have the surgery. It’s a good thing he didn’t! David Janssen’s ears are part of what makes him so recognizable. Instead of trying to “fix” our features that make us unique, it’s better that we embrace them. After all, how boring would it be if everyone had the same features? David Janssen was one of the most hardworking and influential stars of his time. Were you more surprised to learn that he was a kind and gentle man in real life, or that he refused to get plastic surgery performed on his ears?

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