David Hartman (TV personality)

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David Downs Hartman (born May 19, 1935, in Pawtucket, Rhode Island) is a well-known American actor and television personality. He is presently anchoring and hosting documentary programs on cable TV's "History Channel" and on PBS. Hartman is most known as the first and long running host of ABC's Good Morning America, from 1975-1987. Before Good Morning America, he gained his only acting popularity in the 1970s as E.G. Marshall's young, non-surgical resident, Dr. Paul Hunter on The Bold Ones: The New Doctors.

Hartman attended Mount Hermon School (now Northfield Mount Hermon) and was actually geared toward professional baseball in high school. However, he turned down a baseball scholarship to attend Duke University where he majored in economics. After college, he served three years active duty as an officer in the U.S. Air Force, Strategic Air Command.

After working in films that didn't pan out, such as The Ballad of Josie (1967) and Did You Hear the One About the Traveling Saleslady? (1968), he refocused on television, and won serious attention as a dedicated doctor on The Bold Ones series. He was also the main actor of the movie Island At The Top Of The World (1974).

In 1973, Hartman did a popular remake of "Miracle on 34th Street", with actor (Sebastian Cabot). On the 1974-75 NBC series Lucas Tanner, Hartman played a retired baseball player turned unconventional high school teacher. The cancellation of his series marked the end of his acting career.

Just a few months later, in November of 1975, Hartman became the co-host of ABC's new show Good Morning America (1975-1987). During his 11 years as host, GMA became the highest rated morning news program. He conducted more than 12,000 interviews.

In 1996, David Brinkley decided to leave his Sunday morning series, "This Week." Hartman was considered a contender for the host position due to his warm, common-sense approach. ABC eventually decided to make the series' roundtable commentators the hosts (as both Cokie Roberts and Sam Donaldson were already under contract, and George Will was a "contributor" from the shows' inception. Soon thereafter, Clinton staffer George Stephanopolis became host and Roberts and Donaldson were retired).

More recently, Hartman has been an anchor and host of a series of well-regarded documentaries on the [ Discovery Channel]] and the Public Broadcasting System's Thirteen/WNET New York. The PBS documentaries include A Walk Down 42nd Street (August 1998), A Walk Up Broadway (March 1999), A Walk Through Harlem (December 1999)[1], A Walk Around Brooklyn with David Hartman and Historian Barry Lewis (2000)[2], A Walk Through Greenwich Village (2001), A Walk Through Central Park (2001)[3], A Walk Through Newark(2002), A Walk Through Hoboken (2003)[http://www.thirteen.org/hoboken/, A Walk Through Queens (2004)[4], and A Walk Through the Bronx (2005) [5]. The documentaries are produced by WNET New York.[6] The Series Producer is James Nicoloro. Hartman is also heard on WUNC 91.5 FM and WCPE 89.7 as the host of the North Carolina Symphony radio broadcasts.

[edit] External link

David Hartman at the Internet Movie Database

Preceded by None	Good Morning America co-host 1975–1987 with Nancy Dussault from 1975 to 1977, with Sandy Hill from 1977 to 1980, and with Joan Lunden from 1980 to 1987	Succeeded by Charles Gibson and Joan Lunden