Don Sinclair Davis, PhD was an American character actor best known for playing
General George S. Hammond in the television series Stargate SG-1, and
earlier for playing Major Garland Briggs on the television series Twin Peaks. He
was also a theater professor, painter and United States Army captain.
Early life and education Davis was born and raised in Aurora,
Missouri. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in theater and art from
Southwest Missouri State College. He said that "during the Viet Nam era" he
"was with the 7th Infantry in Korea" and at another point was "a personnel and
administration officer; I ran records branches." He was a captain at Fort
Leonard Wood by the time he left the U.S. Army, "and worked with General
Officers, so I've been able to use that in Hammond and other characters."
In 1970 he received a Master's Degree in Theatre from the Southern Illinois
University Carbondale; his thesis was "Design and Construction of Stage
Settings for Black Comedy and The Two Executioners". He taught for several
years before returning to SIU to complete a Ph.D. in Theatre; his
dissertation was The Evolution of Scenography in the Western Theater.
He began working in the film industry in the 1980s, while teaching at the
University of British Columbia. In 1987 he stopped teaching in order to pursue
acting full-time. Career
He got the role of the eloquently spoken Major Briggs, he said, when "I was
living in Vancouver and doing local work. But because of my accent in the
'80s I couldn't play a Canadian in commercials. So someone suggested that I
get an agent in Seattle. I did and was able to get commercial work and acting
jobs there. I had a good resume. So when they were casting the Twin Peaks pilot
my agent sent me out of the audition. I met [series creator] David [Lynch] and
didn't actually read for him — we just visited. ... David liked me and started
writing for me. He liked the chemistry I had with other players. I did three days
on the pilot and then went on to the series. That was the luckiest break I
could have had. There are at least a dozen people from that show who are
lifelong friends because of that show. It was a life-changing experience."
In the TV show MacGyver, Davis was the stunt/photography double for Dana Elcar.
He was often mistaken for Elcar, and vice versa. Davis did appear in two
episodes of MacGyver, as a different character each time. His first
appearance was as a cement truck driver in the episode "Blow Out", and his
second appearance was as the poacher Wyatt Porter in "The Endangered". He
also played Dana Scully's father in the series The X-Files. Canadian audiences
may also be familiar with Davis thanks to his appearance in one of the famous
Heritage Minutes, in which he played an arrogant American gold prospector who
pulls a gun on Mountie Sam Steele. He also played the role of the Racine
Belles' manager in the movie A League of Their Own. He also had a guest-starring
role in the pilot episode of the comedy-drama television series Psych,
playing the character of Mr. McCallum. He was a member of the main cast of
Stargate SG-1 during the first seven seasons of that television series,
portraying General George Hammond, commander of Stargate Command. He
appeared in a recurring role during Seasons 8 to 10, cutting back his
commitment due to health problems. He also played the character in one episode
of the Stargate spin-off series Stargate Atlantis.
Later life and death Davis, who was living in Gibsons,
Canada, died on June 29, 2008, of a heart attack. His ashes were scattered
into the Pacific Ocean. The writers of Stargate Atlantis paid
him homage by mentioning the death of his character in the same manner, and
naming a starship after him, in the final episode of Stargate: Atlantis,
which aired on January 9, 2009. He was again honored in October 2009, with the
appearance of the starship Hammond in the pilot episode of Stargate Universe.
Coincidentally, in episode 16 of season 4 of SG-1, "2010", it is stated that
Gen. Hammond had died of a heart attack. Personal life
Davis married Ruby Fleming in 2003, by which time he had a son from a previous
marriage. He was also a visual artist, spending most of his free time painting
or carving. Davis grew up painting, sculpting and drawing. He continued to
pursue these crafts his entire life, supplementing his income with design
commissions and art sales. On the DVD commentary track for Stargate SG-1
season 6 episode 17, Davis said he once worked carving wooden cigar store
Indians that were sold at Silver Dollar City. He also said his PhD is in
"dramatic theory and criticism." Filmography
Woodshop — Principal Jamison Stargate SG-1: Children of the Gods -
Final Cut — Maj. Gen. George Hammond The Uninvited
Wyvern as the Colonel Burn Up
Vipers — Dr. Silverton Beyond Loch Ness — Neil Chapman
Far Cry — General Roderick Stargate: Continuum — Lt. Gen. George
Hammond The Unquiet — Bud Rollins
Flash Gordon — Mr. Mitchell Supernatural — Trotter
Beneath — Joseph Stargate SG-1 — Maj. Gen./Lt. Gen.
George Hammond Psych
The West Wing — Reverend Don Butler G.I. Joe: Valor vs. Venom — Wild Bill
Meltdown — NRC Carl Mansfield Miracle — Bob Fleming
NCIS — MTAC Control Officer Andromeda — Avineri
Stargate Atlantis — Maj. Gen. George Hammond
Savage Island — Keith Young G.I. Joe: Spy Troops — The Movie — Wild
Bill The Twilight Zone — Dr. Tate
The Chris Isaak Show — Del Just Cause — Thornton
Deadly Little Secrets — The Chief Hostage Negotiator — Alexander Daniels
The 6th Day — Cardinal de la Jolla Best in Show — Mayflower Best in Show
Judge Everett Bainbridge Suspicious River — Golf shirt man
Atomic Train — General Harlan Ford The Lost World: Jurassic Park — Harbor
Dispatcher Con Air — Man driving Volvo hit by
falling body from plane Dad's Week Off — Hank
Viper — Lloyd Prisoner of Zenda, Inc. — Colonel Zapf
The Fan — Stook Alaska — Sergeant Grazer
Poltergeist: The Legacy — Harold Taggart In Cold Blood
The Ranger, the Cook and a Hole in the Sky — Mr. Smith
The Outer Limits — Army General The Outer Limits — Detective
The X-Files — Captain William Scully Needful Things — Reverend Willie Rose
Cliffhanger — Stuart Highlander: The Series — Palance
Columbo: A Bird in the Hand — Bertie A League of Their Own — Charlie Collins
Hook — Dr. Fields Mystery Date - Doheny
The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw — Rodeo announcer
Omen IV: The Awakening — Jake Madison Look Who's Talking Too — Dr. Fleischer
Twin Peaks — Major Garland Briggs Cadence — Haig
Look Who's Talking — Dr. Fleischer Booker - Sheriff
21 Jump Street - Frank Stakeout — Prison Gate Guard
21 Jump Street - Principal Harris The Journey of Natty Gann - Railroad
Brakeman MacGyver — Stunt Double for Dana Elcar
Joanie Loves Chachi — Benny References
External links www.donsdavisart.com — Don S. Davis art
site Don S. Davis at Find a Grave
Don S. Davis at the Internet Movie Database