Jim Davis (born Marlin Otho Davis; August 26, 1909 – April 26, 1981) 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. In 1981, his performance on the series earned him a posthumous nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.Emmys.com list of 1981 Nominees & Winners
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" (May 14, 1963), he guest-starred with Tommy Sands, Claude Akins, and Mona Freeman. In the story line, Slim Sherman (John Smith) finds an injured female kidnap victim in the woods (Freeman). 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 (Barton MacLane). 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 (1970) and Big Jake (1971).
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 from multiple myeloma, on April 26, 1981, aged 71. He is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.Getty Images
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 +Film Year Title Role Notes1942CairoSergeantUncredited1942Northwest RangersMountieUncredited1942Keep 'Em SailingJoseph CumminsShort film1942White CargoSeaplane PilotUncredited1942Tennessee JohnsonReporterUncredited1942Stand By for ActionTalkerUncredited1943Three Hearts for JuliaDaily Globe Staff MemberUncredited1943Pilot #5Military PolicemanUncredited1943Salute to the MarinesPrivate SaundersUncredited1943Swing Shift MaisieInvestigatorUncredited1945What Next, Corporal Hargrove?Sgt. Hill1946Up Goes MaisieMatthewsUncredited1946Gallant BessHarry1947The Beginning or the EndPilot at Tinian1947The Romance of Rosy RidgeBadge Dessark1947Merton of the MoviesVon Strutt's AssistantUncredited1947The Fabulous TexanSam Bass1948Winter MeetingSlick Novak1949Red Stallion in the RockiesDave Ryder1949HellfireGyp Stoner1949Yes Sir, That's My BabyJoe Tascarelli1949BrimstoneNick Courteen1950The Savage HordeLt. Mike Baker1950Hi-JackedJoe Harper1950The Cariboo TrailBill Miller1950The ShowdownCochran1950California PassageLincoln Corey1951Three Desperate MenFred Denton1951Oh! SusannaIra Jordan1951Cavalry ScoutLt. Spaulding1951Little Big HornCpl. Doan Moylan1951Silver CanyonWade McQuarrie1951The Sea HornetTony Sullivan1952Rose of CimarronWillie Whitewater1952Woman of the North CountrySteve Powell1952The Big SkyStreak1952Ride the Man DownRed Courteen1953Bandit IslandBrad BellowsShort film1953Woman They Almost LynchedCole Younger1953The President's LadyJason RobardsUncredited1954Jubilee TrailSilky1954The Big ChaseBrad Bellows1954The OutcastMajor Linton Cosgrave1954The Outlaw's DaughterMarshal Dan Porter1954Hell's OutpostSam Horne1955TimberjackPoole1955The Last CommandBen Evans1955The Vanishing AmericanGlendon1955Last of the DesperadosChief Deputy John Poe1956The Bottom of the BottleGeorge Cady1956The Wild DakotasAaron Baring1956The Maverick QueenThe Stranger / Jeff Younger1956Blonde BaitNick RandallUncredited (USA version)1956Frontier GamblerTony Burton1957Duel at Apache WellsDean Cannary1957The Quiet GunRalph Carpenter1957The Badge of Marshal BrennanJeff Harlan / The Stranger1957Monster from Green HellDr. Quent Brady1957The Restless BreedNewton1957The Last Stagecoach WestBill Cameron1957Apache WarriorBen Ziegler1957Raiders of Old CaliforniaCaptain Angus Clyde McKane1958The Toughest Gun in TombstoneJohnny Ringo1958Wolf DogJim Hughes1958Flaming FrontierCol. Hugh Carver1958A Lust to KillMarshal Matt Gordon1959Alias Jesse JamesFrank James1960Noose for a GunmanCase Britton1960The Magnificent SevenGunmanUncredited1961Frontier UprisingJim Stockton1961The Gambler Wore a GunCase Silverthorne1964Iron AngelSgt. Walsh1965Zebra in the KitchenAdam Carlyle1966Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's DaughterMarshal MacPhee1966El DoradoJim Purvis (Bart Jason's foreman)1967Fort UtahScarecrow1967Border Lust1968The Road HustlersNoah Reedy1968They Ran for Their LivesVince Ballard1969The Ice HouseJake1970Five Bloody GravesClay Bates1970Monte WalshCal Brennan1970Rio LoboRiley1971VanishedCapt. CooledgeTV movie1971Big JakeHead of the Lynching Party1971Dracula vs. FrankensteinSgt. Martin1971The TrackersSheriff NaylorTV movie1972The HonkersSheriff Potter1972Bad CompanyMarshal1973One Little IndianTrail Boss1973Deliver Us from EvilDixieTV movie1974The Parallax ViewGeorge Hammond1974Inferno in ParadiseRocky Stratton1975Satan's TriangleHal BancroftTV movie1975The Runaway BargeCapt. Buckshot BatesTV movie1976Law of the LandSheriff Pat LambroseTV movie1977The Legend of Frank WoodsDeputy1977EnigmaColonel ValentineTV movie1977Just a Little InconvenienceDave EricksonTV movie1977The ChoirboysCapt. Drobeck1978Killing StoneSen. Barry TylerTV movie1978Comes a HorsemanJulie Blocker1980The Day Time EndedGrant Williams1981Don't Look Back: The Story of Leroy 'Satchel' PaigeMr. WilkensonTV movie (final film role)