LOS ANGELES, May 9 -- Actor George Peppard died Sunday of respiratory distress after a short illness. He was 65.
Peppard died peacefully at UCLA Medical Center in Westwood with his wife Laura and children at his side, said his publicist Cheryl J. Kagan.
The veteran actor, whose list of credits stretched from the Broadway stage to Hollywood's silver screen and a television series, entered the hospital Thursday complaining of breathing difficulty which deteriorated into pneumonia, Kagan said.
Most recently Peppard appeared in an episode of Matlock called 'The PI,' which aired last March. It was proposed as a series with costar Tracy Nelson, Kagan said.
Peppard was born Oct. 1, 1928, in Detroit, Mich. After receiving a Bachelor's in Fine Arts from Carnegie Mellon Institute, he appeared on Broadway in 'The Pleasure of His Company,'
His lengthy string of movie credits included 'Pork Chop Hill,' a Korean War epic starring Gregory Peck, and 'Breakfast at Tiffany's,' in which he played suitor to Audrey Hepburn.
Younger viewers remember Peppard for his 1980s television series 'The A-Team.'
Peppard met his fifth wife, Laura, 35, a bank executive, at a homeless shelter for families in Florida, and married her Sept. 10, 1992.
'He was a consummate actor, a loving husband and father and will be missed,' his family said in a statement.
Peppard's sons Brad, 39, and Christian, 26, were at the hospital, along with his daughter Julie, 34. Peppard also is survived by three granddaughters.
Funeral arrangements were incomplete.
