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 SwissGerman and UlsterScots 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 Its a Pleasure 1945 and at the age of 18 signed a contract with 20th CenturyFox 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 didnt 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 madeforTVmovie roles and a shortlived series OHara US Treasury 1971 He had another hit series with the cult favorite Harry O 1973 Janssen continued appearing in lead roles in nearly 20 madeforTVmovies 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 Janssens sudden demise is that this intense dedicated determined actor simply worked himself to death From an IMDB MiniBio for David Janssen
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