Jim Davis

Biography

Jim Davis, born Marlin Davis on August 26, 1909, was a notable American actor renowned for his portrayal of Jock Ewing in the iconic CBS soap opera, Dallas, which he starred in until illness prevented him from continuing.

Davis adopted his stage name by the time he landed his first significant role alongside Bette Davis in the 1948 melodrama Winter Meeting. Unfortunately, the film was a critical flop, and he faced harsh criticism for being deemed too inexperienced for his role. Despite this rocky start, he built a career primarily in B movies, particularly in the western genre, but made a memorable appearance as a U.S. senator in the conspiracy thriller The Parallax View, directed by Warren Beatty.

Throughout the 1950s to the 1970s, Davis appeared in numerous television shows, but it was his role as the family patriarch on Dallas, which premiered in 1978, that brought him widespread recognition. During the show's fourth season, he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. Despite his declining health, he continued to film, often seated and with a softer voice due to his condition. To conceal his hair loss from chemotherapy, he wore a hairpiece. As his health deteriorated, the show's writers hastily wrote his character and Miss Ellie out, leading to their departure in the episode "New Beginnings." Tragically, Davis passed away from complications related to his illness on April 26, 1981, while the fourth season was still airing.