Donald Sinclair "Don" Davis (August 4, 1942 – June 29, 2008) was an American character actor best known for playing General Hammond in the television series ''

Stargate SG-1 ''Stargate SG-1'' (often stylized in all caps, or abbreviated ''SG-1'') is a military science fiction adventure television series within Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's ''Stargate'' franchise. The show, created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, ...

'' (1997–2007), and earlier for playing Major Garland Briggs on the television series ''

Twin Peaks ''Twin Peaks'' is an American mystery serial drama television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. It premiered on ABC on April 8, 1990, and originally ran for two seasons until its cancellation in 1991. The show returned in 2017 for ...

'' (1990–1991). He was also a

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...

, painter, and

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

captain.

Early life and education

Davis was born and raised in Aurora, Missouri.Biography
at DonSDavis.com He earned a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

degree in theater and art from Southwest Missouri State College. He said that "during the

Vietnam era Vietnam Era is a term used by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to classify veterans of the Vietnam War. Various departments of federal, state and local governments as well as private employers often give Vietnam Era veterans s ...

" he "was with the 7th Infantry in Korea" and at another point was "a personnel and administration officer; I ran records branches." He was a captain at

Fort Leonard Wood Fort Leonard Wood is a U.S. Army training installation located in the Missouri Ozarks. The main gate is located on the southern boundary of The City of St. Robert. The post was created in December 1940 and named in honor of General Leonard W ...

by the time he left the U.S. Army, "and worked with General Officers, so I've been able to use that in Hammond and other characters." In 1970 he received a

Master's Degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in Theatre from the

Southern Illinois University Carbondale Southern Illinois University (SIU or SIUC) is a public research university in Carbondale, Illinois. Founded in 1869, SIU is the oldest and flagship campus of the Southern Illinois University system. The university enrolls students from all 50 st ...

(SIU); his thesis was "Design and Construction of Stage Settings for Black Comedy and The Two Executioners". He taught for several years before returning to SIUC to complete a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

degree in Theatre; his dissertation was "The Evolution of Scenography in the Western Theater". He began working in the film industry in the 1980s, while teaching at the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks among the top thre ...

. In 1987, he stopped teaching in order to pursue acting full-time.

Career

Davis stated that he landed the role of the eloquently spoken Major Briggs when "I was living in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

and doing local work. But because of my accent in the '80s I couldn't play a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

in commercials. So someone suggested that I get an agent in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

. I did and was able to get commercial work and acting jobs there. I had a good resume. So when they were casting the ''Twin Peaks''

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...

my agent sent me out to the audition. I met series creator David Lynch and didn't actually read for him—we just visited. ... David liked me and started writing for me. He liked the chemistry I had with other players. I did three days on the pilot and then went on to the series. That was the luckiest break I could have had. There are at least a dozen people from that show who are lifelong friends because of that show. It was a life-changing experience." In the TV show ''

MacGyver Angus "Mac" MacGyver is the title character and the protagonist in the TV series ''MacGyver''. He is played by Richard Dean Anderson in the 1985 original series. Lucas Till portrays a younger version of MacGyver in the 2016 reboot. In both p ...

'', Davis was the stunt/photography double for

Dana Elcar Ibsen Dana Elcar (October 10, 1927 – June 6, 2005) was an American television and film character actor. He appeared in about 40 films as well as on the 1980s and 1990s television series ''MacGyver'' as Peter Thornton, MacGyver's immediate ...

. He was often mistaken for Elcar, and vice versa. Davis did appear in two episodes of ''MacGyver'', as a different character each time. His first appearance was as a cement truck driver in the episode "Blow Out", and his second appearance was as the poacher Wyatt Porter in "The Endangered". He also played

Dana Scully Dana Katherine Scully, MD, is a fictional character and one of the two protagonists in the Fox science-fiction, supernatural television series ''The X-Files'', played by Gillian Anderson. Scully is a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Spec ...

's father in the series ''

The X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction drama television series created by Chris Carter. The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), who ...

''. Canadian audiences may also be familiar with Davis thanks to his appearance in one of the famous ''

Heritage Minute ''The Heritage Minutes'' is a series of sixty-second short films, each illustrating an important moment in Canadian history. The ''Minutes'' integrate Canadian history, folklore and myths into dramatic storylines. Like the Canada Vignettes of t ...

s'', in which he played an arrogant American gold prospector who pulls a gun on Mountie

Sam Steele Major General Sir Samuel Benfield Steele (5 January 1848 – 30 January 1919) was a distinguished Canadian soldier and police official. He was an officer of the North-West Mounted Police, most famously as head of the Yukon detachment during th ...

. He also played the role of the Racine Belles' manager in the movie ''

A League of Their Own ''A League of Their Own'' is a 1992 American sports comedy-drama film directed by Penny Marshall that tells a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). The film stars Tom Hanks, Geena ...

''. He also had a guest-starring role in the pilot episode of the comedy-drama television series '' Psych'', playing the character of Mr. McCallum. He was a member of the main cast of ''

'' during the first seven seasons of that television series, portraying General Hammond, commander of

Stargate Command Over its decade of existence, science fiction TV series ''Stargate SG-1'' developed an extensive and detailed backdrop of diverse characters. Many of the characters are members of alien species discovered while exploring the galaxy through the S ...

(SGC). He appeared in a recurring role during Seasons 8 to 10, cutting back his commitment due to health problems. He also played the character in one episode of the ''Stargate'' spin-off series ''

Stargate Atlantis ''Stargate Atlantis'' (usually stylized in all caps and often abbreviated ''SGA'') is an adventure and military science fiction television series and part of MGM's ''Stargate'' franchise. The show was created by Brad Wright and Robert C. Coop ...

''.

Later life and death

Davis, who was living in

Gibsons, British Columbia Gibsons is a coastal community of 4,605 in southwestern British Columbia, Canada on the Strait of Georgia. Although it is on the mainland, the Sunshine Coast is not accessible by road. Vehicle access is by BC Ferries from Horseshoe Bay in West ...

, Canada, died on June 29, 2008, two months before his 66th birthday. Davis had heart disease and diabetes - he had a fatal heart attack. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered into the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...

. The writers of ''

'' paid him homage by mentioning the death of his character George Hammond and naming a spaceship after him in the final episode of the show airing January 9, 2009. He was again honored in October 2009, with the appearance of the spaceship ''Hammond'' in the pilot episode of ''

Stargate Universe ''Stargate Universe'' (often abbreviated as ''SGU'') is a military science fiction television series and part of MGM's ''Stargate'' franchise. It follows the adventures of a present-day, multinational exploration team traveling on the Ancient ...

''. Coincidentally, in episode 16 of season 4 of ''SG-1'', "2010" (an episode set in the future which originally aired in January 2001), it is stated that General Hammond had died of a heart attack prior to the episode's events.

Personal life

Davis married Ruby Fleming in 2003, by which time he had a son, Matt Davis, from a previous marriage. He was given a

GMC Envoy The GMC Envoy is a mid-size SUV, manufactured and marketed by General Motors for model years 1998-2009 over two generations. Adopting a nameplate used by GM Canada, the Envoy was a rebadged variant of the Chevrolet TrailBlazer, Oldsmobile Brava ...

as a gift from the producers of ''Stargate SG-1'' which his son still drives to this day. He was also a visual artist, spending most of his free time painting or carving. Davis grew up painting, sculpting and drawing. He continued to pursue these crafts his entire life, supplementing his income with design commissions and art sales. On the DVD commentary track for ''Stargate SG-1'' season 6 episode 17 ("Disclosure"), Davis said that he once had a job carving wooden

cigar store Indian The cigar store Indian or wooden Indian is an advertisement figure, in the likeness of a Native American, used to represent tobacconists. The figures are often three-dimensional wooden sculptures several feet tall – up to life-sized. They are ...

s that were sold at

Silver Dollar City Silver Dollar City is a amusement park in Stone County, Missouri, near the cities of Branson and Branson West. The park is located off of Missouri Route 76 on the Indian Point peninsula of Table Rock Lake. Silver Dollar City opened on May 1 ...

Selected filmography

*''

The Journey of Natty Gann ''The Journey of Natty Gann'' is a 1985 American adventure film directed by Jeremy Paul Kagan, produced by Walt Disney Pictures and released by Buena Vista Distribution. The film introduced Meredith Salenger and also starred John Cusack, Lainie ...

'' (1985) — Railroad Brakeman *''

Malone Malone is an Irish surname. From the Irish "''Mael Eóin''", the name means a servant or a disciple of Saint John. People * Gilla Críst Ua Máel Eóin (died 1127), historian and Abbot of Clonmacnoise, Ó Maoil Eoin * Adrian Malone (1937–2 ...

'' (1987) — Buddy *'' Stakeout'' (1987) — Prison Gate Guard *'' Watchers'' (1988) — Veterinarian *'' Beyond the Stars'' (1989) — Phil Clawson *''

Look Who's Talking ''Look Who's Talking'' is a 1989 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Amy Heckerling, and starring John Travolta and Kirstie Alley. Bruce Willis plays the voice of Mollie's son, Mikey. The film features George Segal as Albert ...

'' (1989) — Dr. Fleischer *''

Cadence In Western musical theory, a cadence (Latin ''cadentia'', "a falling") is the end of a phrase in which the melody or harmony creates a sense of full or partial resolution, especially in music of the 16th century onwards.Don Michael Randel (199 ...

'' (1990) — Haig (uncredited) *''

Look Who's Talking Too ''Look Who's Talking Too'' is a 1990 American romantic comedy film and a sequel to director Amy Heckerling's 1989 comedy ''Look Who's Talking''. The film stars the original cast members John Travolta and Kirstie Alley as James and Mollie Ubriacc ...

'' (1990) — Dr. Fleischer *'' Omen IV: The Awakening'' (1991, TV movie) — Jake Madison *''

Chaindance ''Chaindance'' is a 1991 Canadian drama film. The film stars Michael Ironside, Brad Dourif, Rae Dawn Chong, and Don S. Davis as "Sergeant". Background The film is based on Alan Aylward's work with physically disabled children as a recreational ...

'' (1991) — Sergeant *'' Mystery Date'' (1991) — Doheny *'' The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw'' (1991, TV movie) — Rodeo announcer *''

Hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one e ...

'' (1991) — Dr. Fields *'' Kuffs'' (1992) — Police gun instructor *'' Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me'' (1992) — Maj. Garland Briggs (scenes deleted) *''

'' (1992) — Charlie Collins (Racine coach) *''

Cliffhanger A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode or a film of serialized fiction. A cliffhang ...

'' (1993) — Stuart *''

Needful Things ''Needful Things'' is a 1991 horror novel by American author Stephen King. It is the first novel King wrote after his rehabilitation from drug and alcohol addiction. It was made into a film of the same name in 1993 which was directed by Frase ...

'' (1993) — Reverend Willie Rose *''Max'' (1994) — Earl Pomerance *'' Hideaway'' (1995) — Dr. Martin *'' The Fan'' (1996) — Stook *''

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...

'' (1996) — Sergeant Grazer *'' Prisoner of Zenda, Inc.'' (1996, TV movie) — Colonel Zapf *'' Volcano: Fire on the Mountain'' (1997, TV movie) — Mayor Bob Hart *''

Dad's Week Off ''Dad's Week Off'' is an American television film that premiered on Showtime on March 29, 1997. It was written and directed by Neal Israel, and starred Henry Winkler, Olivia d'Abo and Richard Jeni. Plot A computer salesman charged with marketing ...

'' (1997, TV movie) — Hank *''

Con Air ''Con Air'' is a 1997 American action thriller film directed by Simon West and starring Nicolas Cage, John Cusack and John Malkovich. Written by Scott Rosenberg and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, the film centers on a prison break aboard a ...

'' (1997) — Man driving Volvo *''

Suspicious River ''Suspicious River'' is a 2000 Canadian drama film directed by Lynne Stopkewich, based on a novel by Laura Kasischke, and starring Molly Parker and Callum Keith Rennie. Its plot follows a young woman in 1981 who begins prostituting herself and ...

'' (2000) — Golf shirt man *'' Best in Show'' (2000) — Mayflower Best in Show Judge Everett Bainbridge *''

The 6th Day ''The 6th Day'' is a 2000 American science fiction action film directed by Roger Spottiswoode and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tony Goldwyn, Michael Rapaport, and Robert Duvall. In the film, a family man of the future is illegally cloned ...

'' (2000) — Cardinal de la Jolla *''Deadly Little Secrets'' (2002) — The Chief *'' G.I. Joe: Spy Troops — The movie'' (2003, TV movie) — Wild Bill (voice) *''

Miracle A miracle is an event that is inexplicable by natural or scientific lawsOne dictionary define"Miracle"as: "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divi ...

'' (2004) — Bob Fleming *''Stargate: SG3000'' (2004, Short) — Computer Representation of George Hammond (voice) *''Savage Island'' (2004) — Keith Young *'' Meltdown'' (2004, TV movie) — NRC Carl Mansfield *'' G.I. Joe: Valor vs. Venom'' (2004) — Wild Bill (voice) *''The Still Life'' (2006) — Mr. Fernot *''

Seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...

'' (2006) — Davis *'' Beneath'' (2007) — Joseph *'' Beyond Loch Ness'' (2008, TV movie) — Neil Chapman *'' Stargate: Continuum'' (2008) — Lt. Gen. George Hammond *''

Vipers The Viperidae (vipers) are a family of snakes found in most parts of the world, except for Antarctica, Australia, Hawaii, Madagascar, and various other isolated islands. They are venomous and have long (relative to non-vipers), hinged fangs th ...

'' (2008, TV movie) — Dr. Silverton *''

Far Cry ''Far Cry'' is an anthology franchise of first-person shooter games, all of which have been published by Ubisoft. The first game, '' Far Cry'', was developed by Crytek to premiere their CryEngine software, and released in March 2004. Subsequen ...

'' (2008) — General Roderick *'' The Uninvited'' (2009) — Mr. Henson *''

Wyvern A wyvern ( , sometimes spelled wivern) is a legendary winged dragon that has two legs. The wyvern in its various forms is important in heraldry, frequently appearing as a mascot of schools and athletic teams (chiefly in the United States, Un ...

'' (2008, TV movie) — Colonel Travis Sherman (dedicated to Davis) *'' Stargate SG-1: Children of the Gods - Final Cut'' (2009) — Maj. Gen. George Hammond (dedicated to Davis) *''

Woodshop Vocational education is education that prepares people to work as a technician or to take up employment in a skilled craft or trade as a tradesperson or artisan. Vocational Education can also be seen as that type of education given to an ind ...

'' (2009) — Principal Jamison *'' Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces'' (2014) — Major Garland Briggs

Partial television credits

*''

'' (1985–1991) — stunt double for

*''

21 Jump Street ''21 Jump Street'' is an American police procedural television series that aired on the Fox network and in first run syndication from April 12, 1987, to April 27, 1991, with a total of 103 episodes. The series focuses on a squad of youthful-loo ...

'' (1987) — Principal Harris, and (1988) — Frank *'' Booker'' (1989) — Sheriff *''

L.A. Law ''L.A. Law'' is an American legal drama television series that ran for eight seasons on NBC, from September 15, 1986, to May 19, 1994. Created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher, it centers on the partners, associates and staff of a Los ...

'' (1990) - Judge Richard Bartke *''

'' (1990–1991) — Major Garland Briggs *'' Columbo: A Bird in the Hand'' (1992) — Bertie *'' Highlander: The Series'' (1993) — Palance *''

'' (1994) — Captain William Scully (2 episodes) *'' Madison'' (1994—1996) — Mr. Winslow (7 episodes) *'' Black Fox'' (1995 miniseries) — Sergeant *'' The Outer Limits'' (1995) — General Callahan, Detective Wilson *'' Poltergeist: The Legacy'' (1996) — Harold Taggart *'' In Cold Blood'' (1996 miniseries) *''

Viper The Viperidae (vipers) are a family of snakes found in most parts of the world, except for Antarctica, Australia, Hawaii, Madagascar, and various other isolated islands. They are venomous and have long (relative to non-vipers), hinged fangs tha ...

'' (1996) — Lloyd *''

'' (1997–2007) — Major General/Lieutenant General George Hammond *'' Atomic Train'' (1999 miniseries) — General Harlan Ford *''

The Chris Isaak Show ''The Chris Isaak Show'' is an American television sitcom that follows a fictionalized version of the life of American rock musician Chris Isaak. The show portrays Isaak and his band members as everyday people with everyday problems. The series w ...

'' (2002) — Del *'' Just Cause'' (2002) — Thornton *''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, sup ...

'' (2003) — Dr. Tate *''

'' (2004) — Major General George Hammond *'' Andromeda'' (2004) — Avineri *'' NCIS'' (2004) — MTAC Control Officer *''

The West Wing ''The West Wing'' is an American serial political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White Hous ...

'' (2005) — Reverend Don Butler *'' The Dead Zone'' (2005) — Senator Harlan Ellis (3 episodes) *'' Psych'' (2006) - Mr. McCallum *'' Supernatural'' (2007) — Trotter *'' Flash Gordon'' (2007) — Mr. Mitchell *'' Burn Up'' (2008 miniseries) — The Man *'' Twin Peaks: The Return'' (2017) — Major Garland Briggs (archival footage)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Don S. 1942 births 2008 deaths Male actors from Missouri American male film actors American male television actors American male voice actors Missouri State University alumni People from Aurora, Missouri Southern Illinois University Carbondale alumni United States Army officers University of British Columbia faculty 20th-century American male actors