David Allen Ogden Stiers (/ˈstaɪ.ərz/STY-ərz;[1] 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 animated series Regular Show. Stiers spent his later years as a conductor of the Newport Symphony Orchestra.
Early life
David Allen Ogden Stiers[2] was born at St. Francis Hospital in Peoria, Illinois, on October 31, 1942,[3] the son of Margaret Elizabeth (née Ogden) and Kenneth Truman Stiers,[4] and grew up in Peoria Heights, Chillicothe, and Urbana, Illinois.[3] 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. In California, he worked for the Santa Clara Shakespeare Festival for seven years.[5]
It was while he was performing in California that Stiers was spotted by John Houseman. Houseman invited Stiers to relocate to New York City to study at the Juilliard School (Drama Division Group 1: 1968–1972),[6] from which he graduated in 1972.[7]
Following graduation, Stiers was one the founding members of the City Center Acting Company.[8] Stiers appeared in many Acting Company productions including The Three Sisters and The Beggar's Opera.[5]
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.[9] 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.[10] 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's Hawkeye Pierce and Mike Farrell's B.J. Hunnicutt.[10] 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's Colonel Sherman T. Potter. For his portrayal of the pompous but emotionally complex Boston aristocrat, Stiers received two Emmy Award nominations.[11]
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.[14] He also 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.[15][16][17]
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, Pierre Boulez, and Sir Georg Solti.[18]
Stiers also performed as Reverend Brock in the 2000 New York City Center's Encores! series[19] presentation of Tenderloin (musical).
Personal life
Stiers came out as gay in 2009,[20][21] telling Oklahoma City blog Gossip Boy that he feared coming out would hurt his career[21] 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."[22] 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."[21]
Death
Stiers died at his home in Newport, Oregon, on March 3, 2018, at the age of 75, from complications related to bladder cancer.[23] 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.[24]
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