David Allen Ogden Stiers ( ; 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 ''M*A*S*H'' (an acronym for Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richa ...

'', a role he portrayed until the series' conclusion in 1983, and which earned him two

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

nominations. He appeared prominently in the 1980s in the role of

District Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

Michael Reston in several '' Perry Mason'' television films, and voiced a number of

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

characters, including Cogsworth in 1991's ''

Beauty and the Beast "Beauty and the Beast" is a fairy tale written by the French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in (''The Young American and Marine Tales''). Villeneuve's lengthy version was abridged, rewritten, and publish ...

'', Governor Ratcliffe and Wiggins in 1995's ''

Pocahontas Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, also known as Matoaka and Rebecca Rolfe; 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. S ...

'', and Dr. Jumba Jookiba in the ''

Lilo & Stitch ''Lilo & Stitch'' () is a 2002 American animated Science fiction film, science fiction comedy-drama film, comedy-drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation for Walt Disney Pictures. It was written and directed by Chris Sanders and De ...

'' franchise. He also voiced Kamaji in the English-language version of ''

Spirited Away is a 2001 Japanese Anime film, animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. It was produced by Toshio Suzuki, animated by Studio Ghibli, and distributed by Toho.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 Manoj Nelliyattu M. Night Shyamalan ( ; born August 6, 1970) is an American filmmaker. His films often employ supernatural plots and twist endings. The cumulative gross of his films exceeds $3.3 billion globally. Shyamalan has received vario ...

's ''

Lady in the Water ''Lady in the Water'' is a 2006 American fantasy psychological thriller film written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, who produced with Sam Mercer. The film features the starring cast of Paul Giamatti and Bryce Dallas Howard with Bob Ba ...

'' (2006) and having a recurring role on the animated series ''

Regular Show ''Regular Show'' (known as ''Regular Show in Space'' during its Regular Show season 8, eighth season) is an American animated sitcom created by J. G. Quintel for Cartoon Network. It ran from September 6, 2010, to January 16, 2017, over the cours ...

''. 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 Peoria ( ) is a city in Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. Located on the Illinois River, the city had a population of 113,150 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Ill ...

, 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 Eugene ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lane County, Oregon, United States. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie River (Oregon), McKenzie and Willamette River, Willamette rivers, ...

, where he graduated from North Eugene High School, and briefly attended the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...

. 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 Robert Reiner (born March 6, 1947) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and liberal activist. As an actor, Reiner first came to national prominence with the role of Michael Stivic, Mike "Meathead" Stivic on the CBS sitc ...

Howard Hesseman Howard Hesseman (February 27, 1940 – January 29, 2022) was an American actor known for his television roles as burned-out disc jockey Dr. Johnny Fever on '' WKRP in Cincinnati'' and the lead role of history teacher Charlie Moore on '' Head ...

, and

Peter Bonerz Peter Roman Bonerz (, born August 6, 1938) is an American actor and director. Early life Bonerz was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to Elfrieda (née Kern) and Christopher Bonerz. He grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he attended Marquet ...

. In California, he worked for the Santa Clara Shakespeare Festival for seven years. It was while he was performing in California that Stiers was spotted by

John Houseman John Houseman (born Jacques Haussmann; September 22, 1902 – October 31, 1988) was a Romanians, Romanian-born British Americans, British-American theatre and film producer, actor, director, and teacher. He became known for his highly publ ...

. Houseman invited Stiers to relocate to New York City to study at the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...

(Drama Division ''Group 1'': 1968–1972), from which he graduated in 1972. Following graduation, Stiers was one the founding members of the City Center Acting Company. Stiers appeared in many Acting Company productions including '' The Three Sisters'' and ''

The Beggar's Opera ''The Beggar's Opera'' is a ballad opera in three acts written in 1728 by John Gay with music arranged by Johann Christoph Pepusch. It is one of the watershed plays in Augustan drama and is the only example of the once thriving genre of sati ...

''.

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 ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (also known simply as ''Mary Tyler Moore'') is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns and starring actress Mary Tyler Moore. The show originally aired on CBS from September 19, 1970 ...

'', ''

Kojak ''Kojak'' is an American Action film, action Crime film, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theophilus "Theo" Kojak. Tak ...

'', and '' Rhoda''. Stiers also appeared in the pilot of ''

Charlie's Angels ''Charlie's Angels'' is an American crime drama television series created by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts for ABC. It originally aired from September 22, 1976, to June 24, 1981, airing for five seasons consisting of 115 episodes. It was produ ...

'' 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.

''MAS*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 Frank Burns may refer to: * Frank Burns (Pennsylvania politician) (born 1975), Pennsylvania politician * Frank Burns (Delaware politician), Delaware state representative * Frank L. Burns (1939–2003), director of the US Army's Delta Force leadersh ...

character. In contrast to the buffoonish Burns, Winchester was articulate and socially sophisticated, and a highly talented surgeon who presented a very different type of foil to

Alan Alda Alan Alda (; born Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo; January 28, 1936) is an American actor. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner and a three-time Tony Award nominee, he is best known for playing Captain Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pier ...

's Hawkeye Pierce and

Mike Farrell Michael Joseph Farrell Jr. (born February 6, 1939) is an American actor, best known for his role as Captain B.J. Hunnicutt on the television series '' M*A*S*H'' (1975–83). In addition, Farrell was a producer of '' Patch Adams'' (1998) starr ...

's B.J. Hunnicutt. Burns usually served as the butt of practical jokes instigated by Pierce or Hunnicutt, was frequently inundated by 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 Harry Morgan (born Harry Bratsberg; April 10, 1915 – December 7, 2011) was an American actor whose television and film career spanned six decades. Morgan's major roles included Pete Porter in both '' December Bride'' (1954–1959) and '' Pet ...

'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 ''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The series f ...

''; '' Matlock''; ''

Touched by an Angel ''Touched by an Angel'' is an American drama television series that premiered on CBS on September 21, 1994, and ran for 211 episodes over nine seasons until its conclusion on April 27, 2003. Created by John Masius and executive produced by Ma ...

''; '' Wings''; '' ALF'' and ''

Frasier ''Frasier'' () is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for 11 seasons from September 16, 1993, to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey (screenwriter), Peter Casey, and David Lee (scr ...

'', along with a regular role in the first season of ''

Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place 2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and the only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many ...

'' as Mr. Bauer. In 1984, he portrayed

United States Olympic Committee The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) is the National Olympic Committee (NOC) and the National Paralympic Committee (NPC) for the United States. It was founded in 1895 and is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado ...

founder William Milligan Sloane in the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...

'' 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 The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in '' The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived t ...

'' (as

Martian Manhunter The Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz) is a superhero in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Joseph Samachson and artist Joe Certa, the character first appeared in the story "The Manhunter from Mars" in ''Detective Comics ...

). 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 USA Network (or simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Media Group division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It was launched in 1977 as Madison Square Garden Sports Network, one of the first national sports ...

series '' The Dead Zone'' with

Anthony Michael Hall Anthony Michael Hall (born Michael Anthony Thomas Charles Hall; April 14, 1968) is an American actor, producer and comedian. After his film debut in ''Six Pack (film), Six Pack'' (1982) and a supporting role as Russell "Rusty" Griswold in ''Nat ...

. In 2006, he was cast as the recurring character Oberoth in ''

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

''.

Voice acting

Stiers provided voice work for dozens of film and television projects. His first work was on one of

George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker and philanthropist. He created the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founded Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairman ...

's earliest films, the critically acclaimed ''

THX 1138 ''THX 1138'' is a 1971 American social science fiction film co-written and directed by George Lucas in his feature directorial debut. Produced by Francis Ford Coppola and co-written by Walter Murch, the film stars Robert Duvall and Donald Pl ...

'', 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 The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Foster Peabody, George Peabody, honor what are described as the most powerful, enlightening, and in ...

winner '' The Lord is Not on Trial Here Today'', and several episodes of the documentary television series ''

American Experience ''American Experience'' is a television program airing on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in the United States. The program airs documentaries, many of which have won awards, about important or interesting events and people in American his ...

'', including

Ansel Adams Ansel Easton Adams (February 20, 1902 – April 22, 1984) was an American landscape photographer and environmentalist known for his Monochrome photography, black-and-white images of the American West. He helped found Group f/64, an association ...

(2002), also directed by Ric Burns. He voiced Mr. Piccolo in the animated English-dubbed version of

Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation studio based in Koganei, Tokyo."Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment". ''Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment''. Retrieved 2020-12-14. It has a strong presence in the animation industry and has exp ...

's 1992 film ''

Porco Rosso is a 1992 Japanese Anime, animated Adventure film, adventure fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, based on his 1989 manga ''Hikōtei Jidai''. The film stars the voices of Shūichirō Moriyama, Tokiko Kato, Akemi Okamura and Akio ...

'', as well as Kamaji in the English dub of the studio's 2001 film ''

Spirited Away is a 2001 Japanese Anime film, animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. It was produced by Toshio Suzuki, animated by Studio Ghibli, and distributed by Toho.Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

on eight animated features, including 1991's ''Beauty and the Beast'' (as Cogsworth, also providing the opening narration), 1995's ''

'' (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 ''

'' (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 ''Stitch! The Movie'' is a 2003 American direct-to-video animation, animated science fiction comedy film, comedy film produced by Disney Television Animation, Walt Disney Television Animation and Rough Draft Korea, released on August 26, 2003. ...

'', 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 Penguins are a group of aquatic flightless birds from the family Spheniscidae () of the order Sphenisciformes (). They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere. Only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is equatorial, with a sm ...

. Stiers did voice work for Solovar in a two-part episode, "The Brave and The Bold" of ''

Justice League The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived the ...

'' and voiced Solovar again in a ''

Justice League Unlimited ''Justice League Unlimited'' (''JLU'') is an American superhero animated series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation with DC Comics in season 3 and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Universe, and ...

'' 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 ''

'', which debuted in 2010. Stiers had voices in several video games, including '' Icewind Dale'', ''

Kingdom Hearts II ''Kingdom Hearts II'' is a 2005 action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix in collaboration with Disney Interactive Studios, Buena Vista Games for the PlayStation 2 video game console. The game is a sequel to ''Kingdom Hear ...

'', '' 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 Thomas Kennerly Wolfe Jr. (March 2, 1930 – May 14, 2018)Some sources say 1931; ''The New York Times'' and Reuters both initially reported 1931 in their obituaries before changing to 1930. See and was an American author and journalist widely ...

's '' A Man in Full'' (1998), and

Colleen McCullough Colleen Margaretta McCullough (; married name Robinson, previously Ion-Robinson; 1 June 193729 January 2015) was an Australian author known for her novels, her most well-known being '' The Thorn Birds'' and '' The Ladies of Missalonghi''. Lif ...

'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 Newport Symphony. He guest-conducted over 70 orchestras around the world, including the Oregon Mozart Players, the Vancouver Symphony, the Virginia Symphony, 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 back 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 John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (November 15, 2022)Classic Connection review, ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...

Pierre Boulez Pierre Louis Joseph Boulez (; 26 March 19255 January 2016) was a French composer, conductor and writer, and the founder of several musical institutions. He was one of the dominant figures of post-war contemporary classical music. Born in Montb ...

, and Sir

Georg Solti Sir Georg Solti ( , ; born György Stern; 21 October 1912 – 5 September 1997) was a Hungarian-British orchestral and operatic conductor, known for his appearances with opera companies in Munich, Frankfurt, and London, and as a long-servi ...

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

Personal life

Stiers came out as gay in 2009, telling

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

blog '' Gossip Boy'' that he feared coming out would hurt his career and that "a lot of my income has been derived from voicing

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 Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Not ...

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 Newport is a city in Lincoln County, Oregon, Lincoln County, Oregon, United States. It was incorporated in 1882, though the name dates back to the establishment of a post office in 1868. Newport was named for Newport, Rhode Island. As of the 2010 ...

, on March 3, 2018, at the age of 75, from complications related to

bladder cancer Bladder cancer is the abnormal growth of cells in the bladder. These cells can grow to form a tumor, which eventually spreads, damaging the bladder and other organs. Most people with bladder cancer are diagnosed after noticing blood in thei ...

. His will made provisions for bequests to several arts organizations in his area, including the Newport Symphony, Newport Public Library, and the Oregon Coast Council for the Arts, among others.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Theme parks

Broadway stage credits

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stiers, David Ogden 1942 births 2018 deaths 20th-century American LGBTQ people 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American LGBTQ people 21st-century American male actors American conductors (music) American gay actors American LGBTQ comedians American male comedians American male conductors (music) American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors American male video game actors American male voice actors Audiobook narrators Burials at sea Classical musicians from Illinois Comedians from Illinois Comedians from Oregon Deaths from bladder cancer in the United States Deaths from cancer in Oregon Disney people Gay comedians Illinois Democrats Juilliard School alumni LGBTQ conductors (music) LGBTQ people from Illinois Male actors from Eugene, Oregon Male actors from Peoria, Illinois Musicians from Peoria, Illinois Oregon Democrats People from Chillicothe, Illinois People from Newport, Oregon People from Urbana, Illinois University of Oregon alumni