Peppard, George

▪ 1995

      U.S. actor (b. Oct. 1, 1928, Detroit, Mich.—d. May 8, 1994, Los Angeles, Calif.), rocketed to fame after starring opposite Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 film classic Breakfast at Tiffany's and enhanced his reputation in such films as How the West Was Won (1962), The Carpetbaggers (1964), and The Blue Max (1966). When he lost his box-office appeal, he turned to television, appearing in a succession of tough-guy roles, most notably as cigar-chewing soldier of fortune John ("Hannibal") Smith in the action- and violence-packed adventure series "The A-Team" (1983-87). Peppard studied Method acting at Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio, made his film debut in The Strange One (1957), and enjoyed a stint on Broadway in The Pleasure of His Company (1958) before securing supporting film roles in Pork Chop Hill (1959) and Home from the Hill (1960). Other television characters Peppard created were an insurance investigator on "Banacek" (1972-74) and a neurosurgeon on "Doctors' Hospital" (1975-76). In 1992 Peppard had a cancerous tumour removed from his lung but still embarked on a tour of The Lion in Winter.

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