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What was George Peppard’s Net Worth?
George Peppard was an American actor who had a net worth of $2.5 million at the time of his death in 1994. After adjusting for inflation, that’s the same as around $5 million in today’s dollars. George Peppard was best known for playing the titular role on the television detective series “Banacek” and Colonel John ‘Hannibal’ Smith on the action series “The A-Team.” He also acted in numerous films, including “Home from the Hill,” “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” “The Carpetbaggers,” and “House of Cards.” In his later years, Peppard appeared in a number of stage productions, including “PAPA” and “The Lion in Winter.”
Early Life and Education
George Peppard was born on October 1, 1928 in Detroit, Michigan to opera singer and voice teacher Vernelle and building contractor George Sr. His mother had five miscarriages prior to his birth. Peppard was educated at Dearborn High School, from which he graduated in 1946. He subsequently enlisted in the US Marine Corps, where he served until 1948. After that, Peppard studied civil engineering at Purdue University. He was also a member of the theatre troupe the Purdue Playmakers. Peppard eventually transferred to the Carnegie Institute of Technology, from which he obtained his bachelor’s degree in 1955. While living in Pittsburgh, he trained at the Pittsburgh Playhouse and worked as a radio DJ. Peppard later moved to New York City, where he studied at the Actors Studio and took an array of odd jobs.
Film Career
In 1957, Peppard made his big-screen debut in the film noir “The Strange One.” After that, he appeared in the Korean War film “Pork Chop Hill.” In 1960, Peppard was in Vincente Minnelli’s “Home from the Hill,” his first film at MGM. The same year, he starred in “The Subterraneans.” Peppard went on to have his breakthrough film role in 1961, starring opposite Audrey Hepburn in Blake Edwards’s “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” He subsequently appeared in the epic “How the West Was Won” and the war film “The Victors.” In 1964, Peppard starred as a Howard Hughes-like figure in “The Carpetbaggers,” based on the novel by Harold Robbins. He next starred in the thrillers “Operation Crossbow” and “The Third Day,” both in 1965. The year after that, Peppard had a big commercial hit with the British World War I film “The Blue Max.” His other credits in the late 1960s were far less successful; they included “Tobruk,” “Rough Night in Jericho,” “P.J.,” “What’s So Bad About Feeling Good?,” “House of Cards,” and “Pendulum.”
Peppard’s first film of the 1970s was the Cold War spy thriller “The Executioner.” He then starred in the Westerns “Cannon for Cordoba” and “One More Train to Rob.” In 1972, Peppard starred in the neo-noir crime film “The Groundstar Conspiracy.” Among his other credits in the 1970s were “Newman’s Law,” “Damnation Alley,” “From Hell to Victory,” and “Five Days from Home,” which he also directed. Kicking off the 1980s, Peppard starred in the space opera “Battle Beyond the Stars.” He followed that with “Your Ticket is No Longer Valid” and “Race for the Yankee Zephyr.” At the end of the decade, Peppard appeared in “Silence Like Glass.” He had his final film role in 1992, playing Sid Slaughter in the German film “The Tigress.”
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Television Career
Peppard began his career on television in the late 1950s appearing in various anthology series, such as “The United States Steel Hour,” “Kraft Television Theatre,” “The Alcoa Hour,” and “Matinee Theatre.” After mostly focusing on his film career in the 1960s, Peppard returned to the small screen in 1972. That year, he starred in the television film “The Bravos” and began starring as the titular character on the detective series “Banacek.” Part of the rotating “NBC Mystery Movie” anthology series, “Banacek” ran until 1974. Peppard went on to star on the short-lived NBC medical drama series “Doctors’ Hospital.” He also starred in the television films “Guilty or Innocent: The Sam Sheppard Murder Case,” “Crisis in Mid-Air,” and “Torn Between Two Lovers.”
In 1983, Peppard began one of his most famous roles: the cigar-smoking Colonel John ‘Hannibal’ Smith on the NBC action-adventure series “The A-Team.” He played the leader of the titular team of renegade commandos, with his costars being Dirk Benedict, Dwight Schultz, and Mr. T. On the show, Peppard was known for his character’s catchphrase, “I love it when a plan comes together.” A huge ratings success, “The A-Team” ultimately ran for five seasons until 1987. After the show ended, Peppard starred in the NBC television film “Man Against the Mob.” He subsequently starred in the sequel “Man Against the Mob: The Chinatown Murders,” which was broadcast in late 1989. The following year, Peppard starred in the television film “Night of the Fox.” He made his final appearance on television in a 1994 episode of “Matlock.”
Stage Career
Peppard made his Broadway debut in “Girls of Summer,” directed by Jack Garfein and produced in 1956. A couple years later, he was in “The Pleasure of His Company.” Peppard didn’t do much theater over the subsequent decades. He returned to the stage in 1988 to portray Ernest Hemingway in the play “PAPA,” which played in various cities throughout the US. In 1992, Peppard portrayed Henry II in a touring production of “The Lion in Winter.”
Personal Life and Death
Peppard was married a total of five times. He was married to his first wife, Helen Davies, from 1954 until their divorce in 1964; they had two children named Bradford and Julie. In 1966, Peppard wed actress Elizabeth Ashley, with whom he had a son named Christian. The couple divorced in 1972. Peppard went on to marry actress Sherry Boucher in 1975; they divorced in 1979. His next wife was actress Alexis Adams, to whom he was married from 1984 until their divorce in 1986. Peppard wed his fifth and final wife, Laura Taylor, in 1992; they divorced two years later.
In the 1970s, Peppard had a major alcohol problem, which he eventually overcame. He also smoked three packs of cigarettes a day for most of his life before quitting in 1992 after a lung cancer diagnosis and consequent surgery. On May 8, 1994, Peppard died from pneumonia while battling his lung cancer. He was 65 years of age. Peppard is interred next to his parents in Northview Cemetery in Dearborn, Michigan.
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