Photo of Jim Davis
Acting

Jim Davis

Profession
Acting
Born
August 26, 1909 · Edgerton, Platte County, Missouri, USA
Died
April 26, 1981

Biography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jim Davis (born Marlin Davis, August 26, 1909 – April 26, 1981) was an American actor, best known for his role as Jock Ewing in the CBS prime-time soap opera, Dallas, a role which continued until he was too ill from a terminal illness to perform. 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,[3] a lavish failure for which he was lambasted in the press as being too inexperienced to play the part properly. 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 performed in numerous television series episodes in the 1950s-1970s. After years of relatively low-profile roles, Davis was cast as family patriarch Jock Ewing on Dallas, which debuted in 1978. During season four, he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma but continued to film the show as long as he could. In many scenes as the season progressed he was shown seated, and his voice became softer and more obviously affected by his illness. He wore a hairpiece to cover the hair he'd lost from chemotherapy. A season four storyline regarding the Takapa development and Jock's separation from Miss Ellie was ended abruptly at the end of season four. The writers depicted the couple suddenly leaving to go on an extended second honeymoon when it became obvious that Davis could no longer continue to work. Their departure in a limousine in the episode "New Beginnings" was Davis' only scene in that episode, and his condition was so poor that close watching reveals (based on his unsynchronized lip movement) that he overdubbed his one last line of dialogue. It was his final appearance on the show. He died of complications from his illness while season four was being aired.

Known for

The Magnificent Seven poster
The Magnificent Seven
Film · 1960 · ★ 7.5
El Dorado poster
El Dorado
Film · 1966 · ★ 7.4
Bonanza poster
Bonanza
Series · 1959 · ★ 7.5
The Parallax View poster
The Parallax View
Film · 1974 · ★ 6.8
Rio Lobo poster
Rio Lobo
Film · 1970 · ★ 6.5
Big Jake poster
Big Jake
Film · 1971 · ★ 6.8
Dallas poster
Dallas
Series · 1978 · ★ 6.9
Kung Fu poster
Kung Fu
Series · 1972 · ★ 7.7
The Time Tunnel poster
The Time Tunnel
Series · 1966 · ★ 7.7
Perry Mason poster
Perry Mason
Series · 1957 · ★ 7.7
Gunsmoke poster
Gunsmoke
Series · 1955 · ★ 6.7
Night Gallery poster
Night Gallery
Series · 1970 · ★ 7.8

Filmography