David Harold Meyer, later known as David Janssen, was born in 1931 in Naponee, Nebraska, to Berniece Mae (Graf) and Harold Edward Meyer, a banker of German, Swiss-German, and Ulster-Scots descent.
The Meyer family relocated to Hollywood when David was a teenager, and he attended Fairfax High School, where he developed an interest in acting.
His film debut was a minor role in It's a Pleasure (1945),and at the age of 18, he signed a contract with 20th Century-Fox. However, the studio dropped him allegedly due to his unusual hairline and prominent ears.
Janssen found better luck at Universal, where he signed on in the early 1950s and became a supporting player in 32 films before starring in the TV series Richard Diamond, Private Detective (1956).
He resumed his movie career in 1961, a year after the series ended. His greatest success came from his lead role in the series The Fugitive (1963),playing the haunted, hunted Dr. Richard Kimble, who was on the run for a murder he didn't 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 made-for-TV-movie roles and a short-lived series, O'Hara, U.S. Treasury (1971).
He had another hit series with the cult favorite Harry O (1973). Janssen continued appearing in lead roles in nearly 20 made-for-TV-movies during the 1970s as well as other TV projects.
David Janssen died in 1980 from a sudden heart attack at his Malibu home at the age of 48.
