David Downs Hartman was born on May 19, 1935, in Rhode Island, to Fannie Rodman (Downs) and Cyril Baldwin Hartman. His father, a former Methodist minister, left the ministry to become a salesman, and his parents later divorced, which deeply affected David.
Growing up, David learned to play various musical instruments and studied choral singing. He was initially geared towards a professional baseball career in high school but turned down an athletic scholarship to attend Duke University, where he majored in economics. While at Duke, he found himself drawn to radio, commercials, and TV spots.
David's military service in the Air Force's Strategic Air Command interrupted his fledgling career, but he eventually returned to the stage, appearing in musical summer stock productions, including Oklahoma!, South Pacific, and Kismet. He made his Broadway debut in the original 1964 production of "Hello, Dolly!" starring Carol Channing.
After his discharge, David began his on-camera career as a waiter on the TV series "Coronet Blue" and was subsequently signed by Universal. He quickly moved into lightweight, "nice guy" co-star roles but struggled with forgettable vehicles like "The Ballad of Josie" and "Nobody's Perfect".
However, his breakthrough came when he joined the successful western series "The Virginian" as David Sutton. This led to his starring role as Dr. Paul Hunter on the acclaimed medical series "The Bold Ones: The New Doctors", earning him a Golden Globe nomination.
David continued to shine in TV guest appearances, including roles on "Marcus Welby, M.D.", "The Name of the Game", "Ironside", and "Owen Marshall, Counsellor at Law". He also starred in TV-movies, such as "The Feminist and the Fuzz" and the remake of "Miracle on 34th Street".
In the 1970s, David starred in the Disney family fantasy adventure "The Island at the Top of the World" and the series "Lucas Tanner", which unfortunately only lasted one season.
In 1975, David became the original male co-anchor of ABC's "Good Morning America", a role he held for 11 years, earning high ratings and a daytime Emmy. He closed each morning show with the warm catchphrase, "Make it a good day today!"
After leaving "Good Morning America", David took on a low profile but was seen hosting late-night infomercials and documentaries on the Discovery Channel and WNET in New York City. He won several Emmy and journalist awards for his work on the PBS documentaries "Walking Tour" series.
In North Carolina, Hartman is also heard hosting the North Carolina Symphony radio broadcasts on Public Radio and WCPE-FM. A widower in 1997 and father of four, David remarried in 2001 and became a father once again.
