Jim Davis (actor)

Jim Davis was an American actor, best known for his roles in television Westerns. In his later career, he became famous as Jock Ewing in the CBS primetime soap opera Dallas, a role he continued until he was too ill from multiple myeloma to perform.

Life and career

Born in Edgerton in Platte County in northwestern Missouri, Davis attended high school in Dearborn, and the Baptist-affiliated William Jewell College in Liberty. At WJC, he played tight end on the football team and graduated with a degree in political science. He served in the United States Coast Guard during World War II.
He was known as Jim Davis by the time of his first major screen role, which was opposite Bette Davis in the 1948 melodrama Winter Meeting. His subsequent film career consisted of mostly B movies, many of them Westerns, although he made an impression as a U.S. Senator in the Warren Beatty conspiracy thriller The Parallax View.
Davis appeared 13 times on Death Valley Days. In 1954–1955, Davis starred and narrated Stories of the Century. He portrayed Matt Clark, a detective for the Southwest Railroad. In 1957 he played an outlaw with scruples in the 16th episode of Tales of Wells Fargo, entitled "Two Cartridges", with Dale Robertson.
From 1958-1960, Davis starred as Wes Cameron opposite Lang Jeffries in the role of Skip Johnson in the syndicated adventure series Rescue 8. About this time, he guest-starred on the syndicated crime drama, U.S. Marshal, starring John Bromfield.
Davis made two guest appearances on Perry Mason, as George Tabor in the season-six episode of "The Case of the Fickle Filly", and as murder victim Joe Farrell in the 1964, season-eight episode of "The Case of a Place Called Midnight". He also appeared on the Jack Lord adventure series, Stoney Burke. In 1964, Davis played Wyatt Earp in the episode "After the OK Corral" on Death Valley Days; William Tannen played the part of rancher and gunfighter Ike Clanton in the same episode.
Davis appeared eleven times on Gunsmoke and four times each on Daniel Boone, Wagon Train, and Laramie. In the next-to-the-last Laramie episode, entitled "Trapped", he guest-starred with Tommy Sands, Claude Akins, and Mona Freeman. In the story line, Slim Sherman finds an injured female kidnap victim in the woods. Dennis Holmes, as series-regular Mike Williams, rides away to seek help, but the kidnappers reclaim the hostage. Slim pursues the kidnappers, but is mistaken as a third kidnapper by the girl's father. Sands plays the girl's boyfriend, who had been ordered by her father to stop seeing her. Davis also appeared in an episode of The High Chaparral and in small roles in the 1971 John Wayne vehicles Rio Lobo and Big Jake.
In 1974, he starred as Marshal Bill Winter in a short-lived ABC Western series The Cowboys, based on a 1972 film of the same name starring John Wayne.

''Dallas'' and last years

After years of relatively low-profile roles, Davis was cast as family patriarch Jock Ewing on Dallas, which debuted in 1978.
The decision had already been made prior to Davis' death not to recast the character with another actor. Furthermore, after he died the producers strongly considered leaving his name and photos in the opening credits for the duration of the series.
The fifth-season episode "The Search", which confirmed the character's death in a helicopter crash on his way home to Dallas from South America, was broadcast on January 8, 1982, and contained flashback scenes of the character as well as a dedication to him prior to the closing credits.

Personal life

In 1949, after two short failed marriages, he met Blanche Hammerer at the club "Mocambo" on the Sunset Strip. They later married and remained together for more than 30 years, until Davis's death in 1981.
Their only child, daughter Tara Diane Davis, was killed in an automobile accident at the age of 17. Davis later became close to his Dallas co-star Victoria Principal, who had a physical resemblance to his late daughter.

Death

Davis died at his home in Northridge, California, on April 26, 1981, aged 71. He is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.

Recognition

In February 1960, having already appeared as a guest star on 50 episodes across 20 different television series and having been the series lead of both Stories of the Century and Rescue 8, Davis received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at 6290 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood, California.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1951–1954	Fireside Theatre	Col. Streeter Luther Wesley Dean	9 episodes
1952	Dangerous Assignment	Bill Norton Walter Norton Lt. Makam Holcomb Guard	5 episodes
1952	Gang Busters	Capt. Bob Stewart	Episode: "The Barrow Gang"
1952	The Unexpected	Detective	Episode: "Leopards in Lighting"
1952–1953	Cowboy G-Men	Tom Owens Sheriff Jack Wardlow Wilson Dance / Shafer Henchman	Episode: "Running Iron" Episode: "Silver Shotgun" Episode: "Stolen Dynamite" Episode: "Double Crossed"
1953	Death Valley Days	Congressman Mark Tabor	Season 2, Episode 2, "Little Washington"
1953–1969	Death Valley Days	Pony Cragin Luke Campbell Manly The Sheriff Col. William Butler	9 other episodes
1954–1955	Stories of the Century	Matt Clark	39 episodes
1955	Cavalcade of America	J. L. Armstrong	Episode: "The Texas Rangers"
1957	The Millionaire	Jim Driskill	Episode: "The Jim Driskill Story"
1957	Playhouse 90	Sheriff	Episode: "Four Women in Black"
1957–1958	The Silent Service	Walter Ruhe	Episode: "Boomerang" Episode: "Cargo for Crevalle" Episode: "The Sea Devil Attacks Puget Sound"
1957 1961 1962	Tales of Wells Fargo	Al Porter Sam Horne Jonus Sawyer	Episode: "Two Cartridges" Episode: "The Lobo" Episode: "Don't Wake a Tiger"
1958	26 Men	Father Diego	Episode: "The Bells of St. Thomas"
1958	M Squad	Harry Evans / Mickey Seville	Episode: "The Case of the Double Face"
1958–1960	Rescue 8	Wes Cameron	78 episodes
1958 1960	General Electric Theater	Fitz Cole Treuitt	Episode: "The Castaway" Episode: "Journey to a Wedding"
1959	U.S. Marshal	Harvey Granger	Episode: "Federal Agent"
1959	Yancy Derringer	Bullet Pike	Episode: "Two Tickets to Promontory"
1960	Markham	Neal Holland	Episode: "The Snowman"
1960	The Tall Man	Bob Orringer	Episode: "Forty-Dollar Boots" Episode: "The Lonely Star"
1960 1962–1963	Laramie	Hake Ballard Ben McKittrick Joe Jim Genoway	Episode: "Trail Drive" Episode: "Shadow of the Past" Episode: "The Dispossessed" Episode: "Trapped"
1960 1962 1963 1964	Wagon Train	Gabe Henry Dan Ryan Clyde Hubble Rudd Basham	Episode: "The Candy O'Hara Story" Episode: "The Eve Newhope Story" Episode: "The Jim Whitlow Story" Episode: "The Melanie Craig Story"
1961	Manhunt	Catlin Otto	Episode: "Kidnapped" Episode: "The Guest of Honor
1961	The Deputy	Trace Phelan	Episode: "The Lonely Road"
1961	Coronado 9	Barton Kincaid	Episode: "Gone Goose"
1961	Outlaws	Steed	Episode: "The Brothers"
1961	Gunslinger	Jeb Crane	Episode: "New Savannah"
1961	The Aquanauts	Sam Hogarth	Episode: "The Diana Adventure"
1961	Whispering Smith	Sam Chandler	Episode: "The Homeless Wind"
1961 1965 1968	Bonanza	Sam Wolfe Johnny Sam Butler	Episode: "The Gift" Episode: "Lothario Larkin" Episode: "The Arrival of Eddie"
1962	Thriller	The Marshal	Episode: "'Til Death Do Us Part"
1962	Lassie	Ed Bates	Episode: "Quick Brown Fox"
1962	Stoney Burke	Shep Winters	Episode: "Cousin Eunice"
1962	Have Gun – Will Travel	Al Long	Episode: "The Treasure"
1962 1964	Perry Mason	George Tabor Joe Farrell	Episode: "The Case of the Fickle Filly" Episode: "The Case of a Place Called Midnight"
1962 1965	Rawhide	Sheriff Sam Jason	Episode: "The Greedy Town" Episode: "The Pursuit"
1963	The Donna Reed Show	Red	Episode: "Pioneer Woman"
1963	Alcoa Premiere	Tim	Episode: "Jenny Ray"
1964	The Littlest Hobo	Danny Kilgarren	Episode: "Double-Cross"
1965	The Lucy Show	Cardenas	Episode: "Lucy Goes to Vegas"
1965	Laredo	Sheriff Wes Cottrell	Episode: "The Golden Trail"
1965 1966	Branded	Malachi Murdock Wheeler James Swaney	Episode: "One Way Out" Episode: "Salute the Soldier Briefly" Episodes: "The Assassins: Part 1 & 2"
1966	The Time Tunnel	Col. Jim Bowie	Episode: "The Alamo"
1966 1967 1969	Daniel Boone	Carpenter Sam Ralston Scud Tumbrill Rafe Carson	Episode: "River Passage" Episode: "The Ordeal of Israel Boone" Episode: "A Pinch of Salt" Episode: "The Road to Freedom"
1967	Hondo	Krantz	Episode: "Hondo and the Eagle Claw" Episode: "Hondo and the War Cry" Episode: "Hondo and the War Hawks"
1966–1974	Gunsmoke	Wes Cameron Sheriff Shackwood Amos Carver Dave Carpenter Luke Rumbaugh Ciell Williams	11 episodes
1967	Cimarron Strip	Clo Vardeman	Episode: "The Search"
1968	The Guns of Will Sonnett	Sheriff Hawks	Episode: "The Warriors"
1968	The Virginian	McKinley	Episode: "The Heritage"
1970	The High Chaparral	Robbins	Episode: "New Hostess in Town"
1971	The Men from Shiloh	Roper	Episode: "The Politician"
1972	Night Gallery	Abe Bennett	Episode: "The Waiting Room"
1972	The Bold Ones: The New Doctors	Peter Merlino	Episode: "Discovery at Fourteen"
1972	The Sixth Sense	Anson Beige	Episode: "Echo of a Distant Scream"
1972	The F.B.I.	Ellis Bengston	Episode: "The Runner"
1972	The Wonderful World of Disney	Col. Porter	Episode: "The High Flying Spy" Part 1
1973	Cannon	Henry Rawdon	Episode: "The Seventh Grave"
1973	Kung Fu	Joe Walker Sheriff Grogan	Episode: "The Soul is the Warrior" Episode: "The Well"
1973	Banacek	Ed McKay	Episode: "If Max is So Smart, Why Doesn't He Tell Us Where He Is?"
1973 1974	The Streets of San Francisco	Reid Bradshaw Roy Johnson	Episode: "Shattered Image" Episode: "The Hard Breed"
1974	The Cowboys	Marshal Bill Winter	12 episodes
1975	Caribe	David Mayfield	Episode: "Lady Killer"
1976	The Blue Knight	Daniels	Episode: "Death Echo"
1976	The Quest	Marshal Pulman	Episode: "Prairie Woman"
1977	The Oregon Trail	J. D. Price	Episode: "Evan's Vendetta"
1977	Hunter	Raymond Spencer	Episode: "The Hit"
1978	Project U.F.O.	Earl Clay	Episode: "Sighting 4002: The Joshua Flats Incident"
1979	The Wonderful World of Disney	Pop Apling	Episode: "Trail of Danger" Parts 1 & 2
1978–1981	Dallas	Jock Ewing	77 episodes