Roger Davis (television actor)

Jon Roger Davis (born April 5, 1939) is an American actor. The sandy-haired Davis is best known for his boyish good looks, and lilting, Henry Fonda-like voice. He came to fame in such television series as Dark Shadows and Alias Smith and Jones. Davis was born in Louisville, Kentucky.

Show business career
Davis first appeared on television in 1962 and garnered attention playing multiple characters on the daytime gothic soap opera, Dark Shadows. Also in 1962-63, he portrayed Pvt. Roger Gibson in the ABC television series The Gallant Men. In 1963, he co-starred with Richard Egan in the NBC Western drama Redigo, which was the renamed second season of the previous Empire television series, both set on a ranch in New Mexico.

In 1971, Davis narrated the voice-over theme sequence for the western series Alias Smith and Jones, starring Pete Duel as Hannibal Heyes/Joshua Smith and Ben Murphy as Kid Curry/Thaddeus Jones. He also appeared in one of the episodes ("Smiler with a Gun") as slick gunfighter Danny Bilson. Bilson has the distinction of being the only character kind-hearted Kid Curry was ever driven to kill during the series.

When Pete Duel committed suicide at the end of 1971, Davis replaced him as Hannibal Heyes. However, after Davis completed just seventeen episodes it was clear the show would never achieve the same level of popularity as it had with Pete Duel. The series subsequently ended in 1973. Competition from NBC's popular Flip Wilson Show siphoned the show's ratings.

Davis continued to act in guest starring roles on TV series and movies throughout the 1970s, and he has been the voiceover artist for thousands of TV and radio commercials (Roger Davis Official Website).

After show business
Davis develops land and builds luxury homes in southern California, and owns an interest in movie developer Lonetree Entertainment in Los Angeles. Roger also renovated the famous Seelbach Hotel in Louisville and built an outstanding apartment building known as The Willows. His family owned Davis Tire Company in Louisville.

Personal life
In 1968, Davis married actress Jaclyn Smith. After a long separation, they divorced in 1978.