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David Janssen

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Biography

Dark-haired (with distinctive high temples), gravel-voiced seldom-smiling American actor, is in show business as a child. After an apprenticeship at Universal, he became perhaps…more

Born

3/27/1931, Naponee, Nebraska, USA

Died

2/13/1980

Birth Name

David Harold Meyer

Gender

Male

Credits

Star (5)

Role
- Centennial
  Paul Garrett/Narrator
  - S 1: Ep 9 The Crime
    1/21/79
  - S 1: Ep 8 The Storm
    1/14/79
  - S 1: Ep 1 Only the Rocks Live Forever (3 hr)
    10/1/78
- Harry O
  Harry Orwell
  - S 2: Ep 22 Death Certificate
    4/29/76
  - S 2: Ep 21 The Mysterious Case of Lester and Dr. Fong
    3/18/76
  - S 2: Ep 20 Ruby
    3/11/76
  - S 2: Ep 19 Victim
    3/4/76
  - S 2: Ep 18 Forbidden City
    2/26/76
  - + 41 More Credits
- O'Hara, U.S. Treasury
  Jim O'Hara
  - S 1: Ep 22 Operation: Smoke Screen
    3/10/72
  - S 1: Ep 21 Operation: Good Citizen
    3/3/72
  - S 1: Ep 20 Operation: Mr. Felix
    2/18/72
  - S 1: Ep 19 Operation: Rake-Off
    2/11/72
  - S 1: Ep 18 Operation: Dorias
    2/4/72
  - + 17 More Credits
- The Fugitive (1963)
  Dr. Richard Kimble
  - S 4: Ep 30 The Judgment (2)
    8/29/67
  - S 4: Ep 29 The Judgment (1)
    8/22/67
  - S 4: Ep 28 The Shattered Silence
    4/11/67
  - S 4: Ep 27 The Walls of Night
    4/4/67
  - S 4: Ep 26 Dossier on a Diplomat
    3/28/67
  - + 115 More Credits
- Richard Diamond, Private Detective
  Richard Diamond
  - S 4: Ep 25 Running Scared
    9/6/60
  - S 4: Ep 24 East of Danger
    8/30/60
  - S 4: Ep 23 Accent on Murder
    8/23/60
  - S 4: Ep 22 The Lovely Fraud
    8/16/60
  - S 4: Ep 21 Double Trouble
    8/9/60
  - + 72 More Credits
Recurring Role (1)

Role
- Centennial
  Narrator
Guest Star (43)

Role
- Centennial
  Paul Garrett / Narrator
- Police Story
  Sgt. Joe Wilson
  - S 5: Ep 1 Trigger Point
    9/27/77
- Circus of the Stars
  Performer
  - S 1: Ep 1 Special #1
    1/10/77
- Dinah!
  Himself
  - S 3: Ep 40 November 15, 1976
    11/15/76
  - S 2: Ep 29 October 23, 1975
    10/23/75
  - S 1: Ep 54 January 15, 1975
    1/15/75
- The Mike Douglas Show
  Himself/Co-host
  - S 15: Ep 40 October 29, 1976
    10/29/76
  - S 15: Ep 39 October 28, 1976
    10/28/76
  - S 15: Ep 38 October 27, 1976
    10/27/76
  - S 15: Ep 37 October 26, 1976
    10/26/76
  - S 15: Ep 36 Week of October 25, 1976
    10/25/76
  - + 1 More Credits
- The Mike Douglas Show
  Himself
  - S 14: Ep 119 February 26, 1976
    2/26/76
  - S 13: Ep 119 February 27, 1975
    2/27/75
- Dean Martin Celebrity Roast
  Himself
  - S 1: Ep 25 Joe Namath
    4/5/74
- Cannon
  Ian Kirk
  - S 3: Ep 2 He Who Digs a Grave (2)
    9/12/73
  - S 3: Ep 1 He Who Digs a Grave (1)
    9/12/73
- Kraft Music Hall
  Guest
  - S 13: Ep 9 Don Adams Investigates The Detectives
    11/18/70
- The Merv Griffin Show
  Himself
  - S 7: Ep 86 December 16, 1969
    12/16/69
  - S 7: Ep 56 November 4, 1969
    11/4/69
  - S 6: Ep 197 June 3, 1969
    6/3/69
  - S 6: Ep 58 November 20, 1968
    11/20/68
  - S 4: Ep 142 March 21, 1967
    3/21/67
  - + 7 More Credits
- The Dean Martin Show
  Himself
  - S 5: Ep 2 David Janssen / Elke Sommer / Charles Nelson Reilly / Don Rice
    9/25/69
  - S 4: Ep 9 David Janssesn / Lainie Kazan / Minnie Pearl
    11/14/68
  - S 9: Ep 25 Joe Namath (Celebrity Roast)
    4/5/74
- The Joey Bishop Show
  Himself
  - S 3: Ep 192 June 2, 1969
    6/2/69
  - S 3: Ep 187 May 26, 1969
    5/26/69
  - S 3: Ep 55 November 19, 1968
    11/19/68
  - S 2: Ep 182 June 3, 1968
    6/3/68
  - S 1: Ep 96 August 29, 1967
    8/29/67
- The Bob Hope Show
  Himself
  - S 19: Ep 3 November 6, 1968
    11/6/68
  - S 18: Ep 4 November 29, 1967
    11/29/67
  - S 14: Ep 6 April 17, 1964
    4/17/64
  - S 26: Ep 3 Joys: A Comedy Whodunit
    3/5/76
  - S 25: Ep 4 April 8, 1975
    4/8/75
- The Hollywood Palace
  Himself, host
  - S 2: Ep 19 Host: David Janssen
    2/6/65
- Naked City
  Carl Ashland
  - S 4: Ep 26 On the Battlefront, Every Minute Is Important
    3/27/63
- Dick Powell Show
  Kenneth Morgan
  - S 2: Ep 23 Thunder In A Forgotten Town
    3/5/63
- The Eleventh Hour (1962)
  Hal Kincaid
  - S 1: Ep 3 Make Me a Place
    10/17/62
- Route 66
  Karno
  - S 3: Ep 1 One Tiger to a Hill
    9/21/62
- Cain's Hundred
  Dan Mullin
  - S 1: Ep 26 Inside Track
    4/10/62
- Follow The Sun
  Johnny Sadowsky
  - S 1: Ep 27 A Ghost in Her Gazebo
    3/18/62
  - S 1: Ep 24 A Choice of Weapons
    2/25/62
- General Electric Theater
  Pat Howard
  - S 10: Ep 19 Shadow of a Hero
    2/4/62
- Target: The Corruptors
  Robbie Wilson
  - S 1: Ep 19 The Middle Man
    2/2/62
- Thriller
  Guest Star
  - S 2: Ep 18 The Storm
    1/22/62
- Adventures in Paradise
  Scotty Bell
  - S 3: Ep 6 Show Me a Hero
    11/5/61
- Naked City
  Blair Cameron
  - S 3: Ep 5 A Wednesday Night Story
    11/1/61
- Frontier Justice
  Danny Ensign
  - S 3: Ep 4 They Were Four
    8/24/61
  - S 1: Ep 7 They Were Four
    8/25/58
- Death Valley Days
  Dr. Bill Breckenridge
  - S 9: Ep 18 Deadline at Austin
    1/29/61
- Here's Hollywood
  Himself
  - S 1: Ep 14 January 26, 1961
    1/26/61
- Zane Grey Theater
  Dix Porter
  - S 3: Ep 15 Hang The Heart High
    1/15/59
- Zane Grey Theater
  Seth Larker
  - S 3: Ep 1 Trail To Nowhere
    10/2/58
- The Millionaire
  David Barrett
  - S 5: Ep 5 The David Barrett Story
    10/1/58
- U.S. Marshal
  Arnie Hix
  - S 1: Ep 9 The Turkey Farmers
    9/16/58
- Alcoa Theatre
  Jim McCandless
  - S 1: Ep 39 Decoy Duck
    6/30/58
- Zane Grey Theater
  Tod Owen
  - S 2: Ep 14 Trial By Fear
    1/10/58
- The Millionaire
  Peter Miller
  - S 4: Ep 14 The Regina Wainwright Story
    12/25/57
- Alcoa Theatre
  Mike Harper
  - S 1: Ep 12 Cupid Wore A Badge
    12/16/57
- You Are There
  Grat Dalton
  - S 5: Ep 8 The End of the Dalton Gang
    5/12/57
- Zane Grey Theater
  Danny Ensign
  - S 1: Ep 23 There Were Four
    3/15/57
- Sheriff of Cochise
  Arnie Hix
  - S 1: Ep 2 The Turkey Farmers
    9/21/56
- Matinee Theatre
  Paul Merrick
  - S 1: Ep 193 Belong to Me
    7/31/56
- The Lux Video Theatre
  Johnny Reynolds, Jr.
  - S 6: Ep 27 It Started With Eve
    3/29/56
- The Lux Video Theatre
  Joe Davies
  - S 5: Ep 51 Perilous Deception
    8/11/55
- The Lux Video Theatre
  Ralph
  - S 5: Ep 30 It Grows On Trees
    3/17/55
Cameo (1)

Role
- Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
  Cameo Appearance
  - S 2: Ep 15 Episode #29
    1/13/69
Camera Assistant (1)

Role
- Bump in the Night
  Camera Assistant
  - S 1: Ep 12 I Dream Of Silverfish / Story Problems / Karaoke Cafe
    11/26/94

Trivia and Quotes

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Trivia
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- David Janssen made training films for the American troops while serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War.
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- David Janssen had three ribs broken (in a fight scene with Brian Keith) during the filming of Fear in a Desert City (the pilot episode of The Fugitive).
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- Instead receiving a salary for his role in The Fugitive, David Janssen negotiated a contract earning him ten percent of series' profits. By the time The Fugitive was finished Janssen had earned more than $4.5 million.
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Quotes
ADD QUOTES
- David Janssen: (Referring to The Fugitive in a 1964 TV Guide interview) Production values contribute to the success of the series. Most shows would use some kind of model boat in a tank and that's exactly what it would come out looking like.
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- Thirty minutes after the final episode of The Fugitive aired, Janssen appeared on Joey Bishop's late night talk show with the following declaration:
  David Janssen: I killed her Joey. She talked too much.
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- (David Janssen reacts to producer Quinn Martin's critique of his mannerisms)
  Quinn Martin: I counted two bug-eyes, one ear tug, and one chin pull. Tired?
  David Janssen: You rat, you caught me.
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