It is a sad thing to hear that Don S. Davis died on Sunday. For those who don’t know of him he’s well known for his part of Major General George Hammond in Stargate and Major Garland Briggs in Twin Peaks.
The following message was provided by Don’s representative and his
wife, Ruby Fleming-Davis:
Dear Fans and Friends of Don S. Davis,
So many of you have been touched by not only the work and art of Don
S. Davis, but by the man himself, who always took the time to be with
you at the appearances he loved, that it is with a tremendous sense of
loss I must share with you that Don passed away from a massive heart
attack on Sunday morning, June 29th.
On behalf of his family and wife, Ruby, we thank you for your prayers
and condolences. A family memorial where Don’s ashes will be scattered
in the ocean will take place in a few weeks, and should you wish to,
please make a donation to the American Heart Association in Don’s memory.
Born August 4, 1942 in Aurora, Missouri and raised there, Don received
a Bachelor of Science degree with a double major in theater and art
from Southwest Missouri State College in 1965. He then served three
years on active duty in the United States Army, entering as a Second
Lieutenant. He rose to the rank of Captain and was stationed in Korea
before completing his required tour of active duty.
Upon leaving the army, Don began working toward a Master’s degree in
theater at Southern Illinois University, in Carbondale, Illinois, and
received his Master’s degree in 1970. He taught at the University of
British Columbia for a decade before returning to SIU to complete his
coursework for a PhD in theater, receiving the degree in 1982.
Don’s list of film and television credits is lengthy, dating back to
1982. He met Stargate co-star Richard Dean Anderson on the set of
MacGyver, where Don worked as a stunt double for actor Dana Elcar.
When production on Stargate SG-1 began in 1997, the producers tapped
Davis to play the base commander—originally written to be a
by-the-book antagonist, but quickly softened by Don’s own personality
and experience.
In 2003 Don married his soul mate and the great love of his life, Ruby
Fleming-Davis. The two have resided in British Columbia with their
three dogs, Teto, Ming and Charley.
Don’s off-screen career as an artist blossomed especially in the years
since he left Stargate. A look at his Web site, DonSDavisArt.com,
reveals his tremendous gifts in painting, drawing, and woodcarving.
Don’s final Stargate appearance is in Stargate: Continuum, the SG-1
DVD movie that will be released July 29 in North America and August 18
in the United Kingdom. He will also appear in the forthcoming films
“Vipers,” “Woodshop,” and “Far Cry,” according to the Internet Movie
Database.
Many fans of Don’s work have had the opportunity to meet him in
person, as he was also a regular face at fan conventions around the
world. Fans learned that behind General Hammond was a Southern
gentleman with a big heart, a no-nonsense attitude, and all the love
and respect one could imagine.
GateWorld’s editors visited with Don in 2006, where he talked at
length about his career, his time on Stargate, and his feelings about
his fellow cast members. That two-part video interview, “Intimate
Portrait,” may be found in the Interviews archive.
Services for Don S. Davis will be small and private in Vancouver. His
Web sites will be updated this week, and his obituary has been
published in the Vancouver Sun newspaper. In lieu of flowers or gifts,
the family requests that donations be made to the American Heart
Association in Don’s memory.