Post by teleadm on Oct 1, 2018 9:14:42 GMT
90 years ago little George Peppard Jr was born, he would later become one of the big male stars of the 1960s, and later moved over to television in the 1970s and 1980s with the memorable characters of Thomas Banacek and Hannibal Smith.
Born in Detroit, son of building contrator and and an opera singer. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps July 1946, and rose to the rank of corporal, leaving the Corps at the end of his enlistment in January 1948.
During 1948 and 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 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he earned his bachelors degree in 1955. He also trained at the Pittsburgh Playhouse.
After moving to New York City, Peppard enrolled in the Actors Studio, where he studied the Method with Lee Strasberg. He worked in summer stock in New England and appeared at the open air Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon.
His first work on Broadway led to his first television appearance, with Paul Newman, in The United States Steel Hour 1956, as the singing, guitar-playing baseball player Piney Woods in Bang the Drum Slowly.
He made his film debut in The Strange One 1957.
Peppard was apperaing on Broadway in The Pleasure of His Company when MGM signed him after a successfull audition.
Handsome men seldom wins prizes, and his only nomination was a British BAFTA for most promising newcomer for Home from the Hill 1960.
Now an uncomplete trip down memory lane:
Seen in the background in his television debut Bang the Drum Slowly epidode of The United States Steel Hour 1956.
Once again seen in the background in his movie debut, The Strange One 1957.
Pork Chop Hill 1959, seen to the left.
Home from the Hill 1960
Breakfast at Tiffany's 1961
How the West Was Won 1962
The Victors 1963
The Carpetbaggers 1964
Operation Crossbow 1965
The Third Day 1965
The Blue Max 1966
Rough Night in Jericho 1967
What's So Bad About Feeling Good? 1968
Pendulum 1968
Cannon for Cordoba 1970
One More Train to Rob 1971
Banacek 1972 to 1974 TV-series, in 17 feature lenght episodes.
Newman's Law 1974
Damnation Alley 1977
Five Days from Home 1979, a movie he also directed and produced, at a time when he had a hard time finding roles.
A heavy drinker most of his life, he quitted at the time he made this movie.
Battle Beyond the Stars 1980, a science-fiction version of The Seven Samurais.
Race for the Yankee Zephyr 1981
The A-Team 1982 to 1987 TV-series for 97 episodes.
Man Against the Mob 1988 TV-movie, meant to be a sort of yearly feature length movie event, but only two were made.
Night of the Fox 1990 TV-movie.
Peppard's last cinema movies were made in Germany, Zwei Frauen 1989 and The Tigress 1992.
Peppard had made a pilot for a new TV-series to be named The P.I., but ended up as an episode on Matlock 1994 instead.
Hevy drinking and smoking took it's toil and George Peppard left us in the spring of 1994, he was supposed to have been Detroit's host during World Soccer Chamionships that summer.
1985, when he was awarded a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Born in Detroit, son of building contrator and and an opera singer. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps July 1946, and rose to the rank of corporal, leaving the Corps at the end of his enlistment in January 1948.
During 1948 and 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 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he earned his bachelors degree in 1955. He also trained at the Pittsburgh Playhouse.
After moving to New York City, Peppard enrolled in the Actors Studio, where he studied the Method with Lee Strasberg. He worked in summer stock in New England and appeared at the open air Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon.
His first work on Broadway led to his first television appearance, with Paul Newman, in The United States Steel Hour 1956, as the singing, guitar-playing baseball player Piney Woods in Bang the Drum Slowly.
He made his film debut in The Strange One 1957.
Peppard was apperaing on Broadway in The Pleasure of His Company when MGM signed him after a successfull audition.
Handsome men seldom wins prizes, and his only nomination was a British BAFTA for most promising newcomer for Home from the Hill 1960.
Now an uncomplete trip down memory lane:
Seen in the background in his television debut Bang the Drum Slowly epidode of The United States Steel Hour 1956.
Once again seen in the background in his movie debut, The Strange One 1957.
Pork Chop Hill 1959, seen to the left.
Home from the Hill 1960
Breakfast at Tiffany's 1961
How the West Was Won 1962
The Victors 1963
The Carpetbaggers 1964
Operation Crossbow 1965
The Third Day 1965
The Blue Max 1966
Rough Night in Jericho 1967
What's So Bad About Feeling Good? 1968
Pendulum 1968
Cannon for Cordoba 1970
One More Train to Rob 1971
Banacek 1972 to 1974 TV-series, in 17 feature lenght episodes.
Newman's Law 1974
Damnation Alley 1977
Five Days from Home 1979, a movie he also directed and produced, at a time when he had a hard time finding roles.
A heavy drinker most of his life, he quitted at the time he made this movie.
Battle Beyond the Stars 1980, a science-fiction version of The Seven Samurais.
Race for the Yankee Zephyr 1981
The A-Team 1982 to 1987 TV-series for 97 episodes.
Man Against the Mob 1988 TV-movie, meant to be a sort of yearly feature length movie event, but only two were made.
Night of the Fox 1990 TV-movie.
Peppard's last cinema movies were made in Germany, Zwei Frauen 1989 and The Tigress 1992.
Peppard had made a pilot for a new TV-series to be named The P.I., but ended up as an episode on Matlock 1994 instead.
Hevy drinking and smoking took it's toil and George Peppard left us in the spring of 1994, he was supposed to have been Detroit's host during World Soccer Chamionships that summer.
1985, when he was awarded a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- and it is a million times more entertaining than the "official" Howard Hughes biopic THE AVIATOR (and I'd give it the edge over the Tommy Lee Jones TV one as well) . In fact I would recommend it to all unreservedly - It is not highly regarded by most critics but what do they know? - the public lapped it up - and it was a stonking 1964 hit (in fact 4th best at US box office after MARY POPPINS, MY FAIR LADY and GOLDFINGER) 
