David Ogden Stiers

David Allen Ogden Stiers ( STY-ərz; October 31, 1942 – March 3, 2018) was an American actor and conductor. Born and raised in Illinois, Stiers attended the University of Oregon before enrolling at the Juilliard School in New York City, from where he graduated in 1972. He went on to appear in numerous productions on Broadway, and originated the role of Feldman in The Magic Show, in which he appeared for four years between 1974 and 1978. In 1977, he was cast as Major Charles Emerson Winchester III on the television series M*A*S*H, a role he would portray until the series' conclusion in 1983 and which earned him two Emmy Award nominations. He appeared prominently in the 1980s in the role of District Attorney Michael Reston in several Perry Mason television films, and voiced a number of Disney characters during the 1990s and 2000s, most notably Cogsworth in 1991's Beauty and the Beast, Governor Ratcliffe and Wiggins in 1995's Pocahontas, and Dr. Jumba Jookiba in 2002's Lilo & Stitch, its sequel films, and Lilo & Stitch: The Series. He appeared in television again on the supernatural drama series The Dead Zone as Reverend Gene Purdy, a role he portrayed from 2002 to 2007. Stiers continued to contribute voice work for films and television productions in his later years, narrating M. Night Shyamalan's Lady in the Water (2006) and having a recurring role on the animated series Regular Show. Stiers spent his later years as a conductor of the Newport Symphony Orchestra. He died at his home in Newport, Oregon, of bladder cancer on March 3, 2018.