THEY SAY MYSPACE FRIENDS NEVER MEET. THEY SURE DO AT MY EVENT. WILL YOU BE THERE??? LOL
Born March 27, 1931 - Like Clark Gable, David Janssen lost quite a few film roles in the early stages of his career because his ears were "too big" and -- also like Gable-- he did pretty well for himself in the long run. The son of a former beauty queen-cum-stage mother, Janssen was virtually strong-armed into show business, appearing as a child actor on-stage and as a juvenile performer in such films as Swamp Fire (1946). Signed to a Universal contract in 1950, he showed up fleetingly in films both big-budget (To Hell and Back) and small (Francis Goes to West Point). Full stardom eluded Janssen until 1957, when he was personally selected by actor/producer Dick Powell to star in the TV version of Powell's radio series Richard Diamond, Private Detective. Though he didn't exactly become a millionaire (for several years he earned a beggarly 750 dollars per week), Janssen's saleability soared as a result of his three-year Diamond gig, and by 1960 he was earning top billing in such Allied Artists productions as King of the Roaring 20s (1960), in which he played gambler Arnold Rothstein, and Hell to Eternity (1960). In 1963, he landed his signature role of Dr. Richard Kimble on TV's The Fugitive. For the next four years, Janssen/Kimble perambulated throughout the country in search of the "one-armed man" who committed the murder for which Kimble was sentenced to death, all the while keeping one step ahead of his dogged pursuer, Lieutenant Gerard (Barry Morse). The final episode of The Fugitive, telecast in August of 1967, was for many years the highest-rated TV episode in history. There was little Janssen could do to top that, though he continued appearing in such films as Point Blank (1967) and Green Berets (1969), and starring in such TV series as O'Hara, U.S. Treasury (1971) and Harry O (1974-1976). David Janssen died of a sudden heart attack at age 49, not long after completing his final TV movie, City in Fear (1980). Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
BEFORE THE FUGITIVE, DAVID JANSSEN STARRED AS "RICHARD DIAMOND PRIVATE EYE" IN THE 50S. TV TRIVIA: THE SEXY VOICE, AND LEGS, OF SAM THE TELEPHONE OPERATOR WAS PROVIDED BY TV ICON MARY TYLER MOORE. THE SERIES WAS CREATED BY BLAKE EDWARDS OF PINK PANTHER FAME, WHO ADVISED DAVID MEYER TO CHANGE HIS NAME TO DAVID JANSSEN.
THE SPORT(1959) CO-STARRING BARBARA BAIN, ROSS MARTIN, AND ED KEMMER.
ONE DEAD CAT (1960)CO-STARRING JACK ELAM, RICHARD DEVON, AND JACQUELINE SCOTT.
ANOTHER MAN'S POISON (1958) CO-STARRING REGIS TOOMEY, PHYLLIS COATES, CLAUDE AKINS, AND PAUL BRYAR. PHYLLIS TOLD ME MR. JANSSEN WAS QUITE A LADIES MAN.
Date of Birth
10 June 1918, London, England, UK
Date of Death
2 February 2008, London, England, UK
Birth Name
Herbert Morse
Height
5' 10" (1.78 m)
Mini Biography
Born in London's East End, Barry's career began when he won a full scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art at the age of 15. Upon graduation, he followed with successful stage runs in London's West End and in theatrical productions throughout the United Kingdom, and appeared on the BBC's earliest live television broadcasts in the late 1930s. Barry relocated to Canada in the early 1950s, working in live theatre, on CBC Radio, and in the premiere CBC-TV broadcasts. While a staple in many of the anthology and dramatic series of the 1950s and 1960s, he is probably best known in North America for his TV roles as "Lt. Philip Gerard" in "The Fugitive" (1963) and as "Prof. Victor Bergman" in "Space: 1999" (1975). A journalist recently determined that he has played more than 3,000+ roles on the stage, screen, and radio in a career that has spanned over six decades.
IMDb Mini Biography By: Anthony Wynn
