George Peppard

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George Peppard

George Peppard in Breakfast at Tiffany's

George Peppard Byrne, Jr. Born October 1, 1928 Detroit, Michigan, U.S.

Died

May 8, 1994 (aged 65) Los Angeles, California, U.S.

Cause of death

Pneumonia

Alma mater

Pittsburgh Playhouse

Occupation

Actor

Years active

1951-1994 Helen Davies (m. 1954 1964) Elizabeth Ashley (m. 1966 1972)

Spouse

Sherry Boucher (m. 1975 1979) Alexis Adams (m. 1984 1986) Laura Taylor (m. 1992 1994)

Children

Bradford Peppard, Julie Peppard,

Christian Peppard

George Peppard Byrne, Jr. ( 5 5 7/; October 1, 1928 May 8, 1994) was an American film and television actor. Peppard secured a major role when he starred alongside Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), portrayed a character based on Howard Hughes in The Carpetbaggers (1964), and played the title role of the millionaire sleuth Thomas Banacek in the early-1970s television series Banacek. He is probably best known for his 1970s . role as Col. John "Hannibal" Smith the cigar-chomping leader of a renegade commando Smith, chomping squad, in the 1980s television show The A-Team.

Contents

1 Early life 2 Acting o 2.1 Dynasty o 2.2 The A-Team Team o 2.3 Man Against the Mob 3 Personal life 4 Death 5 Critical Appraisal 6 Awards 7 Filmography 8 References 9 External links

Early life
George Peppard Byrne, Jr. was born in Detroit, Michigan, the son of building contractor , George Peppard Byrne, Sr. and opera singer Vernelle Rohrer. He graduated from Dearborn High School in Dearborn, Michigan Michigan. Peppard enlisted in the United States Marine Corps at age 17 on July 8, 1946 and rose to rank of Corporal in the 10th Marines, leaving the Marines at the end of his enlistment , in January 1948.[1] From 1948 to 1949, he studied Civil Engineering at Purdue University where he was a member of the Purdue Playmakers theatre troupe and Beta Theta Pi fraternity. He then transferred to Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University in University) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he received his bachelor's degree in 1955.[2] He also , trained at the Pittsburgh Playhouse [3] Playhouse.

Acting
Peppard made his stage debut in 1949 at the Pittsburgh Playhouse. After moving to New York City, Peppard enrolled in The Actors Studio, where he studied the Method with Lee Strasberg. His first work on Broadway led to his first television appearance, with a young Paul Newman, in The United States Steel Hour (1956), as the singing, guitarplaying baseball player Piney Woods in Bang the Drum Slowly. Peppard's Broadway appearance in The Pleasure of His Company (1958) led to an MGM contract. Following to a strong film debut in The Strange One (1957), he played the illegitimate son of Robert Mitchum's character in the popular melodrama Home from the Hill (1960). His good looks, elegant manner and superior acting skills landed Peppard his most famous film role as Paul Varjak in Breakfast at Tiffany's with Audrey Hepburn. This 1961 role boosted him briefly to a major film star. His leading roles in that film's wake included How the West Was Won in 1962 (his character spanned two sections of the episodic Cinerama extravaganza), The Victors in 1963, The Carpetbaggers in 1964, and The Blue Max in 1966. The Carpetbaggers was based on an epic Harold Robbins novel which used the life of Howard Hughes as inspiration and featured Alan Ladd in his final screen role as Nevada Smith, also played by Steve McQueen in a smash hit prequel the following year. Peppard started choosing tough guy roles in big, ambitious pictures where he was somewhat overshadowed by ensemble casts; for example, his role as German pilot Bruno Stachel, an obsessively competitive officer from humble beginnings who challenges the Prussian aristocracy during World War I in The Blue Max (1966). For this role, Peppard earned a private pilot's license and did much of his own stunt flying, although stunt pilot Derek Piggott was at the controls for the famous under-the-bridge scene. He was cast as the lead in Sands of the Kalahari (1965) but walked off the set after only a few days of filming.[4] Due to Peppard's alcoholism, and notoriously difficult personality on the set, his career devolved into a string of B-movies through the late sixties and early seventies. As film critic David Shipman once wrote of this stage in his career: With his cool, blond baby-face looks and a touch of menace, of meanness, he had established a screen persona as strong as any of the time. He might have been the Alan Ladd or the Richard Widmark of the Sixties: but the Sixties didn't want a new Alan Ladd. Peppard began appearing in a series of action movies, predictably as a tough guy, but there were much tougher guys around - like Cagney, Bogart and Robinson, whose films had now become television staples.[4] Peppard then had a notable success with the TV series Banacek (197274), (part of the NBC Mystery Movie series), and one of his most critically acclaimed[citation needed], though rarely seen, performances in the TV movie Guilty or Innocent: The Sam Sheppard Murder Case (1975), as Sam Sheppard.

Among the disappointing films was the 1970 Western Cannon for Cordoba, in which Peppard played the steely Captain Rod Douglas, who has been put in charge of gathering a group of soldiers on a dangerous mission into Mexico, and 1967's Rough Night in Jericho in which he was billed over crooner Dean Martin and Jean Simmons, a reflection of his status at that point in his career. Peppard appeared in the short-lived (half a season) Doctors' Hospital (1975) and several other television films. He was in the cult science-fiction film Damnation Alley in 1977. With fewer interesting film roles coming his way, he acted in, directed and produced the drama Five Days from Home in 1979. In a rare game show appearance, Peppard did a week of shows on Password Plus in 1979. Out of five shows, one was never broadcast on NBC (but aired much later on GSN) due to a rant where he expressed dissatisfaction with NBC executives watching "as if you're some sort of crook."

Dynasty
In 1981, Peppard was offered, and accepted, the role of Blake Carrington in the TV series Dynasty. During the filming of the pilot episode, which also featured Linda Evans and Bo Hopkins, Peppard repeatedly clashed with the show's producers, Richard and Esther Shapiro; among other things, he felt that his role was too similar to that of J. R. Ewing in the series Dallas. Three weeks later, before filming was to begin on additional episodes, Peppard was fired and the part was offered to John Forsythe; the scenes with Peppard were re-shot and Forsythe became the permanent star of the show.[5]

The A-Team
In 1982, George Peppard auditioned for and won the role of Colonel John "Hannibal" Smith in the TV action adventure series The A-Team, acting alongside Mr. T, Dirk Benedict and Dwight Schultz. In the series, the A-Team was a crack squad of renegade commandos on the run from the military for "a crime they did not commit" while serving in the Vietnam war. The A-Team members made their collective living as soldiers of fortune, but they helped only people who came to them with justified grievances. In the series, Peppard played John "Hannibal" Smith. He was the leader of the A-Team, distinguished by his cigar smoking, confident smirk, black leather gloves, disguises and distinctive catch phrase, "I love it when a plan comes together." The show ran five seasons on NBC from 19831987. It made Peppard known to a whole new generation and is arguably his most well-known role. The role was reportedly written with James Coburn in mind, but Coburn declined and thus the role went to Peppard. Peppard was reportedly annoyed by Mr. T upstaging him in his public image, and at one point in their relationship refused to speak directly to Mr. T. Instead, he sent messages through intermediaries and for this Peppard was occasionally portrayed by the press as not a team player.[6]

Man Against the Mob

Peppard's last series was an intended occasional series of television movie features entitled Man Against the Mob set in the 1940s. In these TV detective films, Peppard

played Los Angeles Police Detective Sgt. Frank Doakey. The second film Man Against the Mob: The Chinatown Murders was broadcast in December 1989. A third film in this series was planned, but Peppard died before it was filmed.

Personal life
Peppard was married five times, and was the father of three children.

Helen Davies (19541964): two children, Bradford and Julie Elizabeth Ashley (19661972), his co-star in The Carpetbaggers: one son, Christian Sherry Boucher-Lytle (19751979), originally from Springhill in northern Webster Parish, Louisiana Alexis Adams (19841986) Laura Taylor (19921994)

Death
Peppard overcame a serious alcohol problem in 1978, and subsequently became heavily involved in helping other alcoholics. He had smoked two packs of cigarettes a day for most of his life until he quit after being diagnosed with lung cancer in 1992. His illness never forced his retirement from acting, and Peppard completed a pilot for a new series in 1994 (a Matlock spin-off) shortly before his death. Peppard died on May 8, 1994, in Los Angeles, California. Although he was still being treated for lung cancer, the direct cause of death was pneumonia.[7] He is buried alongside his parents George Sr and Vernelle in Northview Cemetery, Dearborn, Michigan.

Critical Appraisal
David Shipman published this appraisal of Peppard in 1972: George Peppard's screen presence has some agreeable anomalies. He is tough, assured and insolent - in a way that recalls late Dick Powell rather than early Bogart; but his bright blue eyes and blond hair, his boyish face suggest the all-American athlete, perhaps going to seed. The sophistication is surface deep: you can imagine him in Times Square on a Saturday night, sulky, define, out of his depth, not quite certain how he wants to spend the evening.[8]

Awards

1960 NBR Award (National Board of Review of Motion Pictures) for Home from the Hill as Best Supporting Actor 1961 BAFTA Award Nomination (British Academy Award) for Home From The Hill 1961 Promising newcomer to leading film roles Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (Category Motion Pictures, 6675 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles)

Filmography
Year 1956 Title The United States Steel Hour Role Piney Woods Notes TV: Bang the Drum Slowly TV: The Long Flight Flying Object at Three O'Clock High TV: A Real Fine Cutting Edge TV: A Walk in the Forest TV: The Big Build-Up

1956 Kraft Television Theatre 57 1957 1957 1957 1957 1957 The Kaiser Aluminum Hour Studio One The Alcoa Hour The Strange One Alfred Hitchcock Presents Eddie Pierce Cadet Robert Marquales Evan Wallace Lynch

1957 Matinee Theatre 58 1958 1958 1959 1960 1960 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1964 1965 1965 1966 1967 1967 1968 1968 Suspicion Hallmark Hall of Fame Pork Chop Hill Home from the Hill Startime The Subterraneans Breakfast at Tiffany's How the West Was Won The Victors The Carpetbaggers Theatre of Stars Operation Crossbow The Third Day The Blue Max Tobruk Rough Night in Jericho New Face in Hell also known as P.J. What's So Bad About Feeling Lee Dennis Walsh Cpl. Chuck Fedderson Raphael "Rafe" Copley Pat Lawrence Leo Percepied Paul Varjak Zeb Rawlings Cpl. Chase Jonas Cord Buddy Wren Lt. John Curtis Steve Mallory Lt. Bruno Stachel Capt. Kurt Bergman Dolan P.J. Detweiler Pete

TV: The Diplomatic Corpse TV: End of the Rope, Part 1 End of the Rope, Part 2 Aftermath TV: The Eye of Truth TV: Little Moon of Alban

TV: Incident at a Corner

TV: The Game with Glass Pieces

1968 1969 1970 1970 1971 1972 1972 1972 74 1974 1975 1975

Good? House of Cards Pendulum The Executioner Cannon for Cordoba One More Train to Rob The Bravos The Groundstar Conspiracy Banacek Newman's Law The Week of Fear Guilty or Innocent: The Sam Sheppard Murder Case

Reno Davis Capt. Frank Matthews John Shay Capt. Red Douglas Harker Fleet Major John David TV movie Harkness Tuxan Thomas Banacek Vince Newman Dr. Jake Goodwin Dr. Samuel Sheppard Dr. Jake Goodwin Maj. Eugene Denton T.M. Pryor Nick Culver Brett Rosson Paul Rasmussen Cowboy Theo Brown Jim Daley McFadden John "Hannibal" Smith Sgt. Guedo Frank Doakey Mr. Martin Frank Doakey TV: The Dirty Detail TV movie TV movie also director and producer TV movie TV movie TV movie TV movie

1975 Doctors' Hospital 76 1977 Damnation Alley 1979 1979 1979 1979 1980 1981 1981 1982 1982 1983 87 1984 1988 1989 1989 1990 1992 1994 Five Days from Home Crisis in Mid-Air From Hell to Victory Torn Between Two Lovers Battle Beyond the Stars Race for the Yankee Zephyr Your Ticket Is No Longer Valid Twilight Theatre Jugando con la muerte The A-Team Tales of the Unexpected Man Against the Mob Zwei Frauen Man Against the Mob: The Chinatown Murders Night of the Fox The Tigress Matlock

TV movie

Col. Harry TV movie Martineau/Max Vogel Sid Slaughter Max Morgan TV: The P.I.

References
1. ^ Wise, James Edward; Rehill, Anne Collier (1 November 1999). Anne Collier Rehill. ed. Stars in the Corps: Movie Actors in the United State Marines. 2. Annapolis, MD: States . Naval Institute Press. pp. 159166. ISBN 978-1-55750-949-9. http://books.google.com/books?id=l3Z78rt_oHsC&dq=Stars+in+the+Corps:+Movie+A ctors+in+the+United+States+Marines&printsec=frontcover&source=bn&hl=de&ei=ffB ctors+in+the+United+States+Marines&printsec=frontcover&source=bn&hl=de&ei=ffB mTOYCjaQ46urAuQU&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CCkQ6A EwAw#v=onepage&q&f=false. EwAw#v=onepage&q&f=false Retrieved 2010-08-14. "Like its predecessor, Stars in 14. the Corps is a valuable resource for scholars and aficionados of motion picture films, military buffs and historians, and students of American popular culture. This volume is the equal to and in several ways surpasses its earlier companion and is itself a valuable reference. Structurally, the volume contains a preface and introduction, two parts introduction, comprising 28 short biographies, four appendices, and 101 black black-and-white images. A white very useful Bibliography lists 92 books and periodicals, thirteen reference works, twelve interviews or correspondence, five major official records or archives, and five other sources. A six-page double column index lists, in the main, proper nouns and is an page appropriate finding aid." 2. ^ "George Peppard Biography" Fancast. http://www.fancast.com/people/George Biography". http://www.fancast.com/people/GeorgePeppard/55864/biography/about. Peppard/55864/biography/about Retrieved 2010-11-11. 3. ^ Conner, Lynne (2007). Pittsburgh In Stages: Two Hundred Years of Theater. University of Pittsburgh Press. pp. 152. ISBN 978-0-8229-4330-3. Retrieved 2011 . 2011-0606. 4. ^ a b David Shipman, 'George Peppard Obituary', The Independent, 10 May 1994 , accessed 19 May 2012 5. ^ Mike Pingel. "Bo Hopkins Remembers Dynasty!" hollywoodfyi.com Archived from Dynasty!". hollywoodfyi.com. the original on 2005-08 08-06. http://web.archive.org/web/20050806083533/http://www.hollywoodfyi.com/bo_hopkin s_dynasty.htm. Retrieved 2010 2010-07-18. 6. ^ Steve Pratt, "Not really a team player", Northern Echo, 19 May 2006, p. 15. , 7. ^ Collins, Glenn (1994 (1994-05-10). "George Peppard Dies; Stage and Screen Actor, 65" 65". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/10/obituaries/george . http://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/10/obituaries/george-pepparddies-stage-and-screen screen-actor-65.html. Retrieved 2010-08-23. 8. ^ David Shipman, The Great Movie Stars: The International Yea , Angus and Years, Robertson, 1972 p 409

External links
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George Peppard at the Internet Movie Database George Peppard at the TCM Movie Database George Peppard at the Internet Broadway Database Ooh Yummy George Peppard Fan site Works by or about George Peppard in libraries (WorldCat catalog)

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Source Material: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Peppard More Info: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000577/ http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/150152%7C59215/George-Peppard/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Subterraneans#Film_version http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakfast_at_Tiffany%27s_(film) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_the_West_Was_Won_(film) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Crossbow_(film) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damnation_Alley_(film) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_Beyond_the_Stars