M*A*S*H actor David Ogden Stiers dies at 75

M*A*S*H actor David Ogden Stiers died of cancer on Saturday, his agent confirmed. He was 75.

“I am very sad to report that David died this morning March 3, 2018 peacefully at his home in Newport, Oregon after a courageous battle with bladder cancer,” Stiers’ agent, Mitchell K. Stubbs tweeted. “His talent was only surpassed by his heart.”

Stiers earned two Emmy nominations for his role on M*A*S*H as Major Charles Winchester III, a talented surgeon who filled the void left when Larry Linville’s Frank Burns left the series. Stiers starred on the series from 1977 to 1983 and followed it with regular appearances on North and South, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Matlock, Touched by an Angel, and Frasier, as well as a memorable performance as the father, Al Meyer, in 1985’s Better Off Dead…. He earned a third Emmy nomination in 1984 for his portrayal of United States Olympic Committee founder William Milligan Sloane in the NBC miniseries The First Olympics: Athens 1896.

The actor had a prolific voice acting career which included the roles of Cogsworth in Beauty and the Beast, Governor Ratcliffe and Wiggins in Pocahontas, Jumba in Lilo & Stitch, and the narrator in M. Night Shyamalan’s Lady in the Water.

Stiers began his career in 1974 in a minor role in Broadway’s The Magic Show. Several small gigs in The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Charlie’s Angels, and Kojak followed before he earned his place on M*A*S*H.

Stiers was also musically inclined: He served as the associate conductor for the Newport Symphony Orchestra in Oregon and guest-conducted dozens of orchestras around the world.