Historical Figures Codexery

David Janssen

Starred as Richard Kimble in the television series The Fugitive.

He starred in four television series of his own, including The Fugitive (1963–1967) and Harry O (1974–1976).[1] David Harold Meyer was the birth name of David Janssen, who came into the world on March 27, 1931, in Naponee, Nebraska.[2] The 1996 TV Guide compilation of the 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time placed David Janssen at position 36.[3]

Quick Facts

Birth name
David Harold Meyer
Born
27 March 1931
Birthplace
Naponee, Nebraska, U.S.
Died
13 February 1980
Place of death
Malibu, California, U.S.
Resting place
Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery
Years active
1945–1980
Occupation
Actor

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

The final episode of The Fugitive in August 1967 held the record for the greatest number of American homes to watch a series finale, at 72 percent.[4] Upon starting his show business career as a child, he took the last name of his stepfather.[5] While a student at Fairfax High School, Janssen set a basketball scoring record that remained unbroken for more than two decades.[6] During his time stationed at Fort Ord, California, Janssen formed friendships with Martin Milner and Clint Eastwood, who were also serving there.[6]

David Janssen's first marriage was to Ellie Graham, lasting from 1958 until their 1968 divorce; his second marriage, to Dani Crayne, began in 1975 and ended with his death.[7] On February 13, 1980, at his Malibu residence, Janssen suffered a fatal heart attack at age 48.[8]

What the cited sources add

The TVGuide.com account states that The Fugitive aired from 1963 to 1967 on ABC.[9] The TVGuide.com listing for Richard Diamond, Private Detective gives its run as 1956-1960 on CBS.[10] According to TVGuide.com, O'Hara, United States Treasury aired in 1971 with a duration of 1 hour.[11] TVGuide.com states that Harry O was broadcast from 1973 to 1976 on ABC.[12]

The MPR News article notes that while at Fort Ord, Janssen served alongside Clint Eastwood and Richard Long.[13]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "David Janssen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Richard Diamond, Private Detective", TVGuide.com; "The Fugitive", TVGuide.com; "O'Hara, United States Treasury", TVGuide.com; "Harry O", TVGuide.com (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "David Janssen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Eder, "'Angels' Will Be Back – Without Shelly Hack", St. Petersburg Independent, February 20, 1980, p. 12B (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "David Janssen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time [1996]", Am I annoying (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "David Janssen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Battaglio, "50 years before peak TV, 'The Fugitive' set a precedent for big series finales", LA Times, August 26, 2017; "TV Guide Guide to TV", Barnes and Noble, 2004, p. 693 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "David Janssen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "David Janssen", Hollywood Walk of Fame, October 25, 2019 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "David Janssen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: VRIES, "COVER STORY : His Own Man . . . Always : Clint Eastwood used to be the actor with no name. Respect came, but only after years of spaghetti cowboy and Dirty Harry jokes. Now, as he saddles up again, he still deals; "Martin Milner, star of 'Adam-12' and 'Route 66,' dies", MPR News, 2015-09-07 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "David Janssen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Private Eye Caught", The Miami News, September 2025; Arar, "Actor David Janssen Dies of Heart Attack at Age 48", Sarasota Herald-Tribune, February 14, 1980; "Suzanne Pleshette Interview", February 9, 2006; "The Ups and Downs of David Janssen’s Love Life: Meet the Late ‘Fugitive’ Actor’s 2 Wives", Closer, February 1, 2020; Gliatto, "The First Fugitive", People, September 13, 1993 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "David Janssen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Heather Keets, "The end of The Fugitive", EW, August 27, 1993; Arar, "Actor David Janssen Dies of Heart Attack at Age 48", Sarasota Herald-Tribune, February 14, 1980; Seiler, "From the Archives: Massive Heart Attack Kills Actor David Janssen, 48", Los Angeles Times, February 14, 1980 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. "The Fugitive", TVGuide.com. facts only, no text reused. tvguide.com
  10. "Richard Diamond, Private Detective", TVGuide.com. facts only, no text reused. tvguide.com
  11. "O'Hara, United States Treasury", TVGuide.com. facts only, no text reused. tvguide.com
  12. "Harry O", TVGuide.com. facts only, no text reused. tvguide.com
  13. "Martin Milner, star of 'Adam-12' and 'Route 66,' dies", MPR News, 2015-09-07. facts only, no text reused. mprnews.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article David Janssen (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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