George Peppard
|
The A-Team cast. Front-left in light blue shirt: George Peppard |
George Peppard, Jr. (
October 1,
1928 â€"
May 8,
1994) was a popular
American film and
television actor. An alcoholic for most of his adult life, he died of pneumonia as a result of complications of lung cancer.
He secured a major role early in his career when he starred alongside
Audrey Hepburn in
Breakfast at Tiffany's (
1961), although he is probably more familiar among younger viewers for his role as Col. John "Hannibal" Smith in the
cult 1980s television show
The A-Team, where he is the
cigar-smoking leader of a renegade
commando squadron.
Early Life
George Peppard, Jr. was born in
Detroit,
Michigan. The son of building contractor George Peppard, Sr. and
opera singer Vernelle Rohrer, he graduated from Dearborn High School in
Dearborn, Michigan. Peppard enlisted in the
Marine Corps and rose to the rank of Sergeant in the Artillery division, leaving the Marines at the end of his first tour. He studied
Civil Engineering at
Purdue University where he was a member of
Beta Theta Pi. He also attended
Carnegie Mellon University.
Peppard's Acting Career
George Peppard made his stage debut in
1949 at the Pittsburgh Playhouse. He then enrolled in
The Actors Studio in
New York. His first work on Broadway lead to his first television appearance, with a young
Paul Newman, in the
The United States Steel Hour (
1956). Peppard's Broadway appearance in
"The Pleasure of His Company" (
1958) led to a MGM contract. Prior to a strong film debut in
The Strange One (
1957), he was discovered playing
Robert Mitchum's illegitimate son 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 role boosted him to super star status from its debut in 1961 through the late 60's. Peppard later developed a tendency to choose tough guy roles in big, ambitious pictures where he was somewhat overshadowed by ensemble casts. An example is his strong military role as German pilot Bruno Stachel, an obsessively competitive officer pilot from humble beginnings who challenges the
Prussian aristocracy during
World War I in
The Blue Max (
1966).
Due to the complications of alcoholism, his career led to a string of B films by the early 70's . Among these 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 to take part in a dangerous mission into Mexico. Although it also featured the talents of actors such as
Pete Duel and
Nico Minardos, it is not among Peppard's best remembered efforts. Peppard moved to television with a leading role in the TV series
Banacek (
1972 -
1974), (part of the
NBC Mystery Movie series). He appeared in
Doctors' Hospital (
1975) and several other television films. Still interested in film but with the offered film roles becoming increasingly uninteresting, he acted in, directed and produced the drama
"Five Days from Home" (
1979).
The A-Team
In the mid 80's, George Peppard reemerged as a television star for his role as Col. John "Hannibal" Smith in the
cult show
The A-Team, acting along side
Mr. T,
Dirk Benedict, and
Dwight Schultz. The A-Team was a crack team of renegade
commandos on the run from the military for a crime they did not commit, while working as
soldiers of fortune. John "Hannibal" Smith was the leader of the A-Team, distinguished by his cigar-smoking, black leather gloves, disguises, and catch phrase, "I love it when a plan comes together." The show ran on
NBC from
1983-
1986 and lasted 5 seasons. It made George Peppard known to a younger generation.
Peppard married five times, and was the father of three children:
*
Helen Davies â€"
1954â€"
1964: two children, Bradford and Julie
*
Elizabeth Ashley â€"
1966â€"
1972: his co-star in
The Carpetbaggers. One son, Christian
*
Sherrry Boucher â€"
1975â€"
1979*
Alexis Adams â€"
1984â€"
1986*
Laura Taylor â€"
1992â€"
1994: was a banker in
West Palm Beach,
Florida when they met
Peppard finally gave up drinking in 1978 and spent his later years trying to help other alcoholics enter into recovery.
A life long smoker, Peppard was diagnosed with
lung cancer in
1992, and resultantly quit. This also forced his retirement from acting, and being passionate about politics as a life long
Democrat, he spent his final years championing health care reform.
He died of
pneumonia on
8 May, 1994 in
Los Angeles,
California at the age of 65. He is buried in Northview Cemetery in
Dearborn, Michigan.
* Studied at
The Actors Studio, with acting coach
Lee Strasberg. One of his classmates was
Rip Torn.
* He knew he had not made the most of his talents or skills. He is quoted as saying:
I was my own worst enemy and that
Mine isn't a string of victories. It's no golden past. I am no George Peppard fan* He resented the fact that
Mr. T became a bigger star on
The A-Team and refused to speak to him during their time on the show. He would only communicate with Mr. T by passing messages through
Dirk Benedict.
*Was considered for Vin in the
The Magnificent Seven and
The Killers (1964 film)*Peppard's height was 6'0".
In the
Seinfeld episode "
The Strongbox",
Jerry has purchased cuff links worn by
Jerry Lewis in
Cinderfella. He plans to use them as a conversation starter with Lewis when he goes to an upcoming roast at the
Friar's Club.
George tells Jerry that having the same first name is good enough for a conversation starter. After mocking George's comment, George tell Jerry about how that technique worked for him when he met George Peppard recently. Jerry informs George that Peppard "has been dead for years." George realizes that he met an imposter posing as George Peppard, to which George replies to Jerry "Whoever he was, he sure knew a lot about the A-Team".
In another
Seinfeld episode, George has to read
Breakfast at Tiffany's for a book club, but watches the movie instead. At the book club, George comments how good Peppards' performance was in the film, and corrects himself after realizing he was the only one who saw the film, and did not read the book.
The Tigress (1992)
Ultra Warrior (1990)
The A-Team (
1983-
1987)
Hit Man (1982)
Race for the Yankee Zephyr (1981)
Your Ticket Is No Longer Valid (1981)
Battle Beyond the Stars (1980)
From Hell to Victory (1979)
Five Days from Home (1979)
Damnation Alley (1977)
Doctors' Hospital (
1975-76)
Mid-Air Crash (TV) (1975)
Newman's Law (1974)
The Groundstar Conspiracy (1972)
One More Train to Rob (1971)
Cannon for Cordoba (1970)
The Executioner (1970)
Pendulum (1969)
House of Cards (1968)
What's So Bad About Feeling Good? (1968)
P.J. (1968)
Rough Night in Jericho (1967)
Tobruk (1967)
The Blue Max (1966)
The Third Day (1965)
Operation Crossbow (1965)
The Carpetbaggers (1964)
The Victors (1963)
How the West Was Won (1962)
Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
The Subterraneans (1960)
Home from the Hill (1960)
Pork Chop Hill (1959)
The Strange One (1957)
*
George Peppard's Gravesite
