David Ogden Stiers

David Ogden Stiers (born October 31, 1942, died March 3, 2018) was an American actor, vocal actor, and musician, noted for his role in the television sitcom M*A*S*H as Major Charles Emerson Winchester III and the science fiction drama The Dead Zone as Reverend Gene Purdy. A connoisseur of classical music, Stiers was 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.

Early life
Stiers was born in Peoria, Illinois, the son of Margaret Elizabeth (née Ogden) and Kenneth Truman Stiers. He attended Urbana High School, at the same time as film critic Roger Ebert. He later relocated to Eugene, Oregon, where he graduated from North Eugene high school and briefly attended the University of Oregon. He later ventured to San Francisco, where he performed with the California Shakespeare Theater, 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.

Early acting credits
Stiers first major Broadway role was in The Magic Show as Goldfarb, the rival magician to protagonist Doug Henning. Despite success in New York, Stiers returned to California and made the transition into television. His early credits include The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Kojak, and Rhoda. Stiers also appeared in the pilot of Charlie’s Angels and was reportedly offered a role on the show; however, Stiers turned down the opportunity. Another source indicates rather that his character was written out of the show following the pilot, a not uncommon occurrence in the world of television.

M*A*S*H (1977-1983)
In 1977, Stiers joined the cast of the now iconic CBS-TV sitcom M*A*S*H. As Major Charles Emerson Winchester III, Stiers filled the void created by the departure of actor Larry Linville's Frank Burns character. In contrast to Burns, Winchester presented a different type of foil to Alan Alda's Hawkeye Pierce and Mike Farrell's B.J. Hunnicutt. Burns usually served as the butt of practical jokes instigated by Hawkeye or B.J., and his surgical skills were often harshly criticized. Charles, however, presented a challenge for his colleagues because his surgical skills could match or even outshine theirs, making him a more difficult target for his fellow surgeons' barbs and jokes. For his portrayal of the pompous but nonetheless multidimensional Boston aristocrat, Stiers received two Emmy Award nominations.

Other television work
Following the completion of M*A*S*H, Stiers expanded his work on television with regular guest appearances on North and South; Star Trek: The Next Generation; Murder, She Wrote; Touched By An Angel; Wings; and Frasier, along with an appearance on Two Guys and a Girl as Mr. Bauer. In 1984, he portrayed United States Olympic Committee founder, William Milligan Sloane in the NBC miniseries, The First Olympics: Athens, 1896. He also had guest appearances on ALF and Matlock. He 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 the 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. Stiers also appeared in several Perry Mason made-for-TV movies in the 1980s as District Attorney Michael Reston.

Film work
With a vast television résumé, 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 Harry's War, Better Off Dead, The Man With One Red Shoe, The Accidental Tourist, Iron Will, Doc Hollywood, Jungle 2 Jungle, and Krippendorf's Tribe. During the 1990s, Stiers joined Woody Allen’s ensemble casts in Another Woman, Shadows and Fog, Mighty Aphrodite, Everyone Says I Love You, and The Curse of the Jade Scorpion. He was in the 2001 Frank Capra-esque film The Majestic, with Jim Carrey. He also voiced the character Kamaji in Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away.

Vocal work
With a distinct authoritative voice, Stiers provided voice work for dozens of film and television projects. His first work was on one of George Lucas’ earliest films, the critically acclaimed THX 1138, in which he was incorrectly billed as "David Ogden Steers". Stiers voiced in PBS documentary films such as Ric Burns’ project New York: A Documentary Film and the television series The American Experience, directed by Ric Burns. Furthermore, he collaborated with Disney on eight animated features, such as Beauty and the Beast (as Cogsworth, also opening narration), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (as the Archdeacon), Pocahontas (as Governor Ratcliffe and Wiggins), Atlantis: The Lost Empire (as Mr. Harcourt), and Lilo and Stitch (as Jumba Jookiba). He also voiced Gryzlikoff in Darkwing Duck and Mr. Jolly in Teacher's Pet. He also voiced the king and prime minister in a short film, The Cat That Looked at a King, in 2004. Stiers lent his voice to several video games, including Icewind Dale, Kingdom Hearts II, Uru: Ages Beyond Myst, and Myst V: End of Ages. He lent his voice in Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman as the Penguin and Hoodwinked! as Nicky Flippers.

Personal life
In May 2009, Stiers came out as gay in an interview published by the blog Gossip Boy. Stiers also had a son from a relationship in the 1960s.

Death
Stiers died at his home in Newport, Oregon, on March 3, 2018, at the age of 75, from complications related to bladder cancer. His will made provisions for bequests to several area arts organizations, including the Newport Symphony, Newport Public Library, and the Oregon Coast Council for the Arts, as well as other groups.