David Ogden Stiers

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

David Ogden Stiers
Born October 31, 1942 (1942-10-31) (age 65)
Peoria, Illinois
Occupation Actor, Director, Conductor, Narrator, Voice Overs
Years active 1971-present

David Ogden Stiers (born October 31, 1942) is an American actor, voice actor and musician, noted for his role in the television sitcom M*A*S*H, and the science fiction drama The Dead Zone. A connoisseur of classical music, Stiers has been a guest conductor for over 50 orchestras in North America and maintained a position as Associate Conductor of The Newport Symphony Orchestra and the Ernest Bloch Music Festival.[1][2]

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Stiers was born in Peoria, Illinois, the son of Margaret Elizabeth (née Ogden) and Kenneth Truman Stiers.[3] He attended Urbana High School, along with film critic Roger Ebert.[4] He later relocated to Eugene, Oregon, where he graduated high school and briefly attended University of Oregon.[5] He later ventured to San Francisco where he performed with the California Shakespeare Company, San Francisco Actors Workshop, and the improv group, The Committee, whose members included Rob Reiner and Howard Hesseman. Soon after, Stiers studied drama at Juilliard. During his studies, Stiers was mentored by accomplished theater actor John Houseman and would later join his City Center Acting Company.

[edit] Early acting credits

Despite success in New York, Stiers returned to California and transitioned into television. His early credits included The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Kojak, and Rhoda. Stiers also appeared in the pilot of Charlie’s Angels and was offered a role on the show, however, Stiers turned down the opportunity.[2]

[edit] M*A*S*H

In 1977, Stiers joined the iconic television juggernaut M*A*S*H. As Major Charles Emerson Winchester III, Stiers filled the void created by the departure of Larry Linville’s Frank Burns. In contrast to Linville's Burns character, Stiers was a different type of foil to Alan Alda's Hawkeye Pierce and Mike Farrell's B.J. Hunnicutt. For his portrayal of the pompous but nonetheless three-dimensional Boston aristocrat, Stiers received two Emmy Award nominations.

[edit] Other television work

Following the completion of M*A*S*H, Stiers expanded his work on television with regular guest appearances in North and South, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Murder She Wrote and Frasier. He also appeared in two unsuccessful television projects, Love & Money and Justice League of America as the Martian Manhunter. In 2002, Stiers started a recurring role as Reverend Purdy on the successful USA Network show The Dead Zone with Anthony Michael Hall. In 2006, he was cast as the recurring character Oberoth in Stargate Atlantis. In 1988 he appeared in the TV Sitcom ALF in the Thanksgiving Special as Pete Finnigan, a.k.a., "Flaky Pete."

[edit] Film work

With a vast television resume, Stiers expanded into film as well. His early films included Jack Nicholson’s Drive, He Said and the George Burns comedy, Oh, God!. He followed up with roles in Better Off Dead, The Accidental Tourist, Doc Hollywood and Krippendorf's Tribe. During the 1990s, Stiers joined Woody Allen’s ensemble cast in Shadows and Fog, Mighty Aphrodite, Everyone Says I Love You and The Curse of the Jade Scorpion. His most recent film appearance was in the 2001 Frank Capra-esque film The Majestic with Jim Carrey.

[edit] Voice work

With a distinct, authoritative voice, Stiers has provided voice work for dozens of film and television projects. His first work was on George Lucas’ critically acclaimed THX 1138. Stiers has also narrated PBS documentary films such as Ric Burns’ project New York: A Documentary Film and the television series of documentaries titled The American Experience.[6] directed by Ric Burns. Furthermore, he has collaborated with Disney on eight animated features such as Beauty and the Beast, "Pocahontas" and Spirited Away. In recent years, Stiers has lent his voice to several video games, including Icewind Dale, Kingdom Hearts II, Uru: Ages Beyond Myst, and Myst V: End of Ages. Recently lent his voice in Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman as The Penguin. and the Blue Yonder Films / Weinstein film, Hoodwinked!as Nicky Flippers.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Daily News Dot Com Interview
  2. ^ a b Hollywood Dot Com Biography
  3. ^ http://www.filmreference.com/film/94/David-Ogden-Stiers.html
  4. ^ http://davidogdenstiers.com/bio/index.shtml
  5. ^ USA Network's Five Questions With David Ogden Stiers
  6. ^ Ansel Adams: A Documentary Film

[edit] External links