George Peppard was a Method-trained actor who, at the outset of his career, viewed stardom with tremendous skepticism. He knew he was good (Lee Strasberg didn’t personally train chumps), but he was savvy enough to realize the only thing he could control was his performance.
Peppard’s philosophy changed when he became a full-blown star as Audrey Hepburn’s blue-eyed suitor Paul Varjak in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” The film was a hit, and Peppard, with his looks and genuine acting talent, appeared destined for stardom. It was at this time that Peppard’s sense of control began to extend to the productions themselves. He clashed with studio bosses and demanded creative input. He did so because he cared about the quality of the films, but his taste was questionable. “The Carpetbaggers” was a huge success in 1964, but critics shredded it. His subsequent movies didn’t fare much better.
When moviegoers who’d fallen hard for him as Paul Varjak stopped showing up, the films got worse and Peppard crawled into a bottle. He battled alcoholism, but managed to stay on the industry’s radar by becoming a television star. He got sober in the late 1970s, but he couldn’t kick his habit of fighting with producers. He blew the opportunity of a massive comeback when his combativeness cost him the plum role of Blake Carrington on ABC’s long-running nighttime soap “Dynasty.”
By 1982, a debt-ridden, thrice-divorced Peppard was ready to say yes to just about anything. “The A-Team” was a role at the right time. He seized it, and went straight back to pissing off his colleagues.