Handsome and elegant George Peppard occasionally displayed considerable talent through his career, but was too often cast in undemanding action roles. Following Broadway and television experience, he made a strong film debut in The Strange One. He started getting noticed when he played Robert Mitchum's illegitimate son in the popular melodrama Home from the Hill. He then established himself as a leading man, giving arguably his most memorable film performance as Audrey Hepburn's love interest in Breakfast at Tiffany's. Seen by the studios as a promising young star, Peppard was subsequently cast in some of the major blockbusters of the early/mid-'60s: How the West Was Won, The Victors, The Carpetbaggers and Operation Crossbow. He reached the peak of his popularity in another such lavish production, The Blue Max, in which he effectively played an obsessively competitive German flying officer during WWI. By the late 1960s, however, he seemed to settle as a tough lead in more average, often hokum, adventures, including House of Cards, Cannon for Cordoba and The Groundstar Conspiracy. In the early 1970s his declining popularity was temporarily boosted thanks to the TV series Banacek. With his film roles becoming increasingly uninteresting, he acted in, directed and produced the drama Five Days from Home, but the result was rather disappointing. In the mid-'80s he again obtained success on television as the leader of The A-Team.
He was in the Marines. His father was in the construction business in Michigan. His son with Elizabeth Ashley, Christian Peppard, is a writer. Had cancerous tumor removed from lung. After years as a heavy smoker, he quit. [1992] Born at 8:29 pm EST. Education: Purdue, Carnegie Tech, Actors Studio His widow, Laura Taylor, was a banker in West Palm Beach, Florida when they met. In 1978, he conquered a serious drinking problem. Studied at the famed Actors' Studio, with reknown acting coach, Lee Strasberg. One of his classmates was Rip Torn Spent much of the latter years of his life helping alcoholics and working for various charitable organizations. Told the media how relieved he was shortly after The A-Team ended in 1986 because he likened the mega-hit show to "an out-of-control freight train that would never stop!" Was originally chosen to play Blake Carrington on the TV series Dynasty, but was fired from the role after disagreements with the show's producers. Graduated from Dearborn High School in Dearborn, Michigan. Member of Beta Theta Pi Fraternity He was in the running to replace Pete Duel as Hannibal Heyes in Alias Smith and Jones. He was the original choice for Steve McQueen's role in "The Magnificent Seven" (1960) Was a passionate Democrat, and championed health care reform before his death.