David Ogden Stiers

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, 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.

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) Cast photo from M*A*S*H for 1977: Front row from left – Loretta Swit, Harry Morgan, Alan Alda, Mike Farrell. Back row from left – William Christopher, Gary Burghoff, David Ogden Stiers, and Jamie Farr 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.

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 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 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 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."

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1971 THX 1138 Announcer Voice, credited as David Ogden SteersDrive, He Said Pro Owner 1977 Oh, God! Mr. McCarthy, District Produce Manager A Circle of Children Dan Franklin Television film 1978 The Cheap Detective Captain Magic Todson 1979 Breaking Up Is Hard to Do Howard Freed Television film 1981 Harry's War Ernie 1985 The Bad Seed Emory Breedlove Television filmThe Man with One Red Shoe The Conductor Better Off Dead... Al Meyer Creator Dr. Sid Kullenbeck 1986 Mrs. Delafield Wants to Marry Horton Delafield Television film 1987 The Alamo: 13 Days to Glory Colonel BlackJ. Edgar Hoover Franklin D. RooseveltPerry Mason: The Case of the Lost Love D.A. Michael RestonPerry Mason: The Case of the Murdered MadamPerry Mason: The Case of the Notorious NunPerry Mason: The Case of the Scandalous ScoundrelPerry Mason: The Case of the Shooting StarPerry Mason: The Case of the Sinister Spirit 1988 Another Woman Young Marion's Father The Accidental Tourist Porter Leary Perry Mason: The Case of the Avenging Ace D.A. Michael Reston Television filmPerry Mason: The Case of the Lady in the Lake 1989 Day One Franklin D. RooseveltThe Final Days Alexander Haig 1990 The Kissing Place Charles Tulane Television film 1991 Doc Hollywood Mayor Nick Nicholson Beauty and the Beast Cogsworth and narrator Voice Wife, Mother, Murderer John Homan Television filmShadows and Fog Hacker 1992 The Last of His Tribe Dr. Saxton Pope Porco Rosso Grandpa Piccolo Voice, English dub 1993 Taking Liberty Benjamin Franklin 1993 Without a Kiss Goodbye Gerald Orr Television film 1994 Iron Will J.W. Harper Past Tense Dr. Bert James Television film 1995 Bad Company Judge Beach Napoleon Koala, Owl Voice 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

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