David Ogden Stiers

David Allen Ogden Stiers (/ˈstaɪ.ərz/ STY-ərz; October 31, 1942 – March 3, 2018) was an American actor and conductor. He appeared in numerous productions on Broadway, and originated the role of Feldman in The Magic Show, in 1974.

In 1977, Stiers was cast as Major Charles Emerson Winchester III, MD, on the television series M*A*S*H, a role he portrayed until the series' conclusion in 1983, and which earned him two Emmy Award nominations. He appeared prominently in the 1980s in the role of District Attorney Michael Reston in several Perry Mason television films, and voiced a number of Disney characters, including Cogsworth in 1991's Beauty and the Beast, Governor Ratcliffe and Wiggins in 1995's Pocahontas, and Dr.

Jumba Jookiba in the Lilo & Stitch franchise. He also voiced Kamaji in the English-language version of Spirited Away (2001). He appeared in television again on the supernatural drama series The Dead Zone as Reverend Gene Purdy, a role he portrayed from 2002 to 2007.

He joined the cast of Stargate: Atlantis in its third season as Oberoth, leader of the human-form replicators.

Stiers continued to contribute voice work for films and television productions in his later years, narrating M. Night Shyamalan's Lady in the Water (2006) and having a recurring role on the Cartoon Network Studios series Regular Show. Stiers spent his later years as a conductor of the Newport Symphony Orchestra.

Early life

David Allen Ogden Stiers was born at St. Francis Hospital in Peoria, Illinois, on October 31, 1942, the son of Margaret Elizabeth (née Ogden) and Kenneth Truman Stiers, and grew up in Peoria Heights, Chillicothe, and Urbana, Illinois. His family moved to Eugene, Oregon, where he graduated from North Eugene High School, and briefly attended the University of Oregon.

Stiers subsequently moved to San Francisco, where he performed with the California Shakespeare Theater, San Francisco Actors Workshop, and the improvisation group The Committee, whose members included Rob Reiner, Howard Hesseman, and Peter Bonerz. While in California, he worked for the Santa Clara Shakespeare Festival for seven years.

While he was performing in California, Stiers was spotted by John Houseman, who invited Stiers to move to New York City to study at the Juilliard School (Drama Division Group 1: 1968–1972).

After graduating in 1972, Stiers helped found the City Center Acting Company. He appeared in many Acting Company productions, including The Three Sisters and The Beggar's Opera.

Career

Early acting credits

Stiers first appeared in the Broadway production The Magic Show in 1974 in the role of Feldman. Subsequent early credits included roles on the television series The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Kojak, and Rhoda. Stiers also appeared in the pilot of Charlie's Angels as the team's chief backup. He also appeared as a teacher in the 1977 television film A Circle of Children, about a school for special-needs children.

M*A*S*H (1977–1983)

In 1977, Stiers joined the cast of the CBS sitcom M*A*S*H. As Major Charles Emerson Winchester III, MD, Stiers filled the void created by the departure of actor Larry Linville's Frank Burns character. In contrast to the buffoonish Burns, Winchester was articulate, socially sophisticated, and a highly talented surgeon; he presented a different type of foil to Alan Alda's Hawkeye Pierce and Mike Farrell's B.J.

Hunnicutt. Burns usually served as the butt of practical jokes by Pierce or Hunnicutt, was frequently inundated with insults for which he had no comebacks, and was often harshly criticized for his surgical skills. Winchester, however, presented a challenge to his colleagues' displays of irreverence, since his surgical skills could match or even outshine their own, and when it came to pranks and insults, he frequently outmaneuvered his opponent; his patrician manner and aversion to puerile behavior served as the target for his fellow surgeons' barbs and jokes.

At times, however, Winchester could align himself with Pierce and Hunnicutt, and the occasional tantrum aside, held considerable admiration for his commanding officer, Harry Morgan's Colonel Sherman T. Potter. For his portrayal of the pompous but emotionally complex Boston aristocrat, Stiers received two Emmy Award nominations.

Other television work

After M*A*S*H completed its run in 1983, Stiers made guest appearances on the television shows North and South; Star Trek: The Next Generation; Murder, She Wrote; Matlock; Touched by an Angel; Wings; ALF and Frasier, along with a regular role in the first season of Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place as Mr.

Bauer. In 1984, he portrayed United States Olympic Committee founder William Milligan Sloane in the NBC miniseries The First Olympics: Athens 1896 for which he received another Emmy nomination. Beginning in 1985, Stiers made his first of eight appearances in Perry Mason television film as District Attorney Michael Reston.

He appeared in two unsuccessful television projects, Love & Money and Justice League of America (as Martian Manhunter). He also played Uncle Teddy Quinn (brother of Dr. Mike's father), a world-renowned concert pianist, in Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman. In 2002, Stiers started a recurring role as the Reverend Purdy on the successful USA Network series The Dead Zone with Anthony Michael Hall. In 2006, he was cast as the recurring character Oberoth in Stargate Atlantis.

Voice acting

Stiers provided voice work for dozens of film and television projects. His first work was on one of George Lucas's earliest films, the critically acclaimed THX 1138, in which he was incorrectly billed as "David Ogden Steers". Stiers voiced PBS documentary films such as Ric Burns's project New York: A Documentary Film, 2010 Peabody Award winner The Lord Is Not on Trial Here Today, and several episodes of the documentary television series American Experience, including Ansel Adams (2002), also directed by Ric Burns.

He voiced Mr. Piccolo in the animated English-dubbed version of Studio Ghibli's 1992 film Porco Rosso, as well as Kamaji in the English dub of the studio's 2001 film Spirited Away. He collaborated with Disney on eight animated features, including 1991's Beauty and the Beast (as Cogsworth, also providing the opening narration), 1995's Pocahontas (as Governor Ratcliffe and Wiggins), 1996's The Hunchback of Notre Dame (as the Archdeacon), 2001's Atlantis: The Lost Empire (as Mr.

Harcourt), and 2002's Lilo & Stitch (as Jumba Jookiba). He reprised a number of his Disney roles for various sequels, most notably with Jumba in Lilo & Stitch's three sequel films (2003's Stitch! The Movie, 2005's Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch, and 2006's Leroy & Stitch) and Lilo & Stitch: The Series.

He lent his voice to the direct-to-video Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman (2003) as the Penguin. Stiers did voice work for Solovar in a two-part episode, "The Brave and The Bold" of Justice League and voiced Solovar again in a Justice League Unlimited episode "Dead Reckoning". He voiced Mr. Jolly from Teacher's Pet.

He voiced the king and prime minister in the 2004 short film The Cat That Looked at a King. In Hoodwinked (2005), Stiers voiced the role of Nicky Flippers, the frog detective who is dispatched to Granny's house. He voiced Pops's father, Mr. Maellard, in the animated TV series Regular Show, which debuted in 2010.

Stiers had voices in several video games, including Icewind Dale, Kingdom Hearts II, Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, as Jeff Zandi in Uru: Ages Beyond Myst, and as Esher in Myst V: End of Ages.

Stiers was the reader for numerous audiobook versions of novels, including Tom Wolfe's A Man in Full (1998), and Colleen McCullough's The First Man in Rome.

Music

Though he had no formal musical training, Stiers was the associate conductor of the Newport (Oregon) Symphony Orchestra and the Ernest Bloch Music Festival; he also played a major role in establishing the orchestra. He guest-conducted over 70 orchestras around the world, including the Oregon Mozart Players, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, the Oregon Chamber Players, and the Yaquina (Oregon) Chamber Orchestra, as well as orchestras in San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, Chicago, Salt Lake City, and Toronto.

Stiers traced his love of music to a performance by George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra on the basketball court at the University of Oregon in the 1950s. During his days at Juilliard, he would skip his acting classes to sit in on master classes led by such notables as John Williams, Pierre Boulez, and Sir Georg Solti.

Stiers also performed as Reverend Brock in the 2000 New York City Center's Encores! series presentation of Tenderloin.

Personal life

Stiers came out as gay in 2009, telling Oklahoma City blog Gossip Boy that he feared coming out would hurt his career and that "a lot of my income has been derived from voicing Disney and family programming. What they might allow in a more known actor, they prefer not having to deal with in minor players." He said his main reason for coming out was for the sake of a future potential partner: "I could claim noble reasons as coming out in order to move gay rights forward, but I must admit it is for far more selfish reasons.

Now is the time I wish to find someone, and I do not desire to force any potential partner to live a life of extreme discretion with me."

Death

Stiers died at his home in Newport, Oregon, on March 3, 2018, at the age of 75, from complications related to bladder cancer.

Filmography

Television

• 1975 — Kojak — Bryan LeBlanc, Mr. Roberts — Episode: "Money Back Guarantee"
• 1976 — Charlie's Angels — Scott Woodville — Episode: "Charlie's Angels" (Pilot)
• 1976 — Doc — Stanley Moss — 7 episodes
• 1976–1977 — The Mary Tyler Moore Show — Mel Price — 3 episodes
• 1976 — Phyllis — Mr. Raymond — Episode: "The Wrong Box"
• 1976–1977 — Rhoda — Dr. Curt Dreiser, George — 2 episodes
• 1977 — This Is the Life — Harry — Episode: "Undertow"
• 1977 — The Tony Randall Show — Cleaver — Episode: "Case: The People Speak"
• 1977–1983 — M*A*S*H — Major Charles Emerson Winchester III — 131 episodes
• 1978 — The Paper Chase — Woodrow Tullis — Episode: "An Act of Desperation"
• 1979 — $weepstake$ — Wally — Episode: "Billy, Wally and Ludmilla, and Theodore"
• 1981 — CBS Afternoon Playhouse — Peter Stenner — Episode: "Me and Mr. Stenner"
• 1983 — American Playhouse — Doc — Episode: "The Innocents Abroad"
• 1984 — The First Olympics: Athens 1896 — William Milligan Sloane — Miniseries
• 1985 — North and South — Congressman Sam Greene — Miniseries; 6 episodes
• 1986–1996 — Murder, She Wrote — Howard Deems, Sergei Nemiroff, Aubrey Thornton — 3 episodes
• 1986 — North and South, Book II — Congressman Sam Greene — Miniseries; 6 episodes
• 1987–1988 — Matlock — Thomas Baldwin, Arthur Hampton — 3 episodes
• 1988 — ALF — Flakey Pete — 2 episodes
• 1989 — The Ray Bradbury Theater — Leonard Mead — Episode: "The Pedestrian"
• 1990 — CBS Schoolbreak Special — Jack Henderson — Episode: "American Eyes"
• 1990 — Married People — Dr. Cashin — Episode: "Term Paper"
• 1990 — Wings — Edward Tinsdale — Episode: "A Little Nightmare Music"
• 1991 — Star Trek: The Next Generation — Timicin — Episode: "Half a Life"
• 1993 — Jack's Place — Flower Man — Episode: "Forever and Ever"
• 1994 — The Boys Are Back — George Spivack — Episode: "A Tree Dies in Portland"
• 1995–2011 — American Experience — Narrator — Voice, 32 episodes
• 1996 — Cybill — Val — Episode: "Educating Zoey"
• 1996 — Poltergeist: The Legacy — Randolph Hitchcock — Episode: "The Twelfth Cave"
• 1997 — Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman — Theodore Quinn — Episode: "Farewell Appearance"
• 1998 — 101 Dalmatians: The Series — VLAD — Voice, episode: "Out to Launch/Prophet and Loss"
• 1998 — Ally McBeal — Judge Andrew Peters — Episode: "They Eat Horses, Don't They?"
• 1998 — Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place — Mr. Bauer — 13 episodes
• 1999 — The Angry Beavers — Byron Beaver — Voice, episode: "Kreature Komforts/Oh, Brother?"
• 1999 — The Practice — Judge Hollings — Episode: "Infected"
• 1999 — The Outer Limits — Reverend Dr. Thomas Tilford — Episode: "The Shroud"
• 1999–2000 — Love & Money — Nicholas Conklin — 13 episodes
• 2000 — The Wild Thornberrys — Karroo — Voice, episode: "Luck Be an Aye-Aye"
• 2000 — Bull — Gardner Blackstone — 4 episodes
• 2000 — The Trouble With Normal — Mr. Harrington — Episode: "Say Cheese"
• 2000–2002 — Teacher's Pet — Mr. Jolly, narrator, Congressman — Voice, 39 episodes
• 2001–2002 — House of Mouse — Cogsworth — Voice, 3 episodes
• 2002 — Arli$ — Eli — Episode: "It's All in the Game"
• 2002 — Justice League — Solovar — Voice, episode: "The Brave and the Bold"
• 2002–2007 — The Dead Zone — Reverend Eugene 'Gene' Purdy — 40 episodes
• 2003 — Frasier — Dr. Leland Barton — Episode: "Fathers and Sons"
• 2003 — Touched by an Angel — Jones — 2 episodes
• 2003–2006 — Lilo & Stitch: The Series — Dr. Jumba Jookiba — Voice, main role
• 2004 — Static Shock — Dr. Odium — Voice, episode: "Hoop Squad"
• 2005 — American Dragon: Jake Long — Narrator, Crew Man — Voice, episode: "The Talented Mr. Long"
• 2005 — Nova — Narrator — Episode: "A Daring Flight"
• 2006–2007 — Stargate Atlantis — Oberoth — 3 episodes
• 2006 — Justice League Unlimited — Solovar — Voice, episode: "Dead Reckoning"
• 2006 — Worst Week of My Life — Jenson — Episode: "Pilot"
• 2007 — The Power of Choice: The Life and Ideas of Milton Friedman — Narrator — Documentary miniseries
• 2011 — Leverage — Walt Whitman Wellesley IV — Episode: "The Lonely Hearts Job"
• 2011–2016 — Regular Show — Mr. Maellard — Voice, 18 episodes
• 2015 — Rizzoli & Isles — Dr. Isles — Episode: "Nice to Meet You, Dr. Isles"

Video games

• 1996 — Toonstruck — King Hugh
• 2000 — Icewind Dale — Narrator
• 2002 — Disney's Stitch: Experiment 626 — Dr. Jumba Jookiba
• 2002 — Lilo & Stitch: Trouble in Paradise — Dr. Jumba Jookiba
• 2002 — Lilo & Stitch: Hawaiian Adventure — Dr. Jumba Jookiba
• 2003 — Uru: Ages Beyond Myst — Jeff Zandi
• 2004 — Uru: To D'ni — Dr. Richard Watson
• 2005 — Winnie the Pooh's Rumbly Tumbly Adventure — Narrator
• 2005 — Myst V: End of Ages — Esher
• 2005 — Kingdom Hearts II — Cogsworth
• 2007 — Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix — Cogsworth
• 2010 — Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep — Dr. Jumba JookibaDoc
• 2016 — Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear — Belhifet/Grand Duke Eltan

Theme parks

• 1998 — Fantasmic! — Governor Ratcliffe — Voice

Broadway stage credits

• December 19, 1973 – January 11, 1974 — Three Sisters — Kulygin
• December 22, 1973 – December 31, 1973 — The Beggar's Opera — Peachum
• December 26, 1973 – January 5, 1974 — Measure for Measure — The Duke
• December 28, 1973 — Scapin — Geronte
• January 2, 1974 – January 6, 1974 — Next Time I'll Sing to You — Hermit — understudy
• March 10, 1974 – May 11, 1974 — Ulysses in Nighttown — Buck Mulligan, 2nd Watch, Bishop of Erin, Dr. Mulligan
• May 28, 1974 – December 31, 1978 — The Magic Show — Feldman
• April 18, 1994 – July 29, 2007 — Beauty and the Beast — Prologue Narrator
• November 22, 2009 – January 3, 2010 — Irving Berlin's White Christmas — General Henry Waverly

Awards and nominations

• 1981 — Emmy Award — Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Variety or Music Series — M*A*S*H — Nominated
• 1982 — Emmy Award — Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Variety or Music Series — M*A*S*H — Nominated
• 1984 — Emmy Award — Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Special — The First Olympics: Athens 1896 — Nominated
• 2001 — Annie Award — Outstanding Individual Achievement Voice Acting by a Male Performer in an Animated Television Production — Teacher's Pet — Nominated
• 2009 — TV Land Award — Best Cast — M*A*S*H — Won