Jim Davis

Davis married Blanche Hammerer in 1945 and the couple were together till his death. They had a daughter, Tara Diane Davis, who tragically died in a car accident when she was only seventeen years old.

He passed away due to complications from multiple myeloma and was buried in ‘Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery’ in Glendale, California.

Jim Davis was born as Marlin Jim Davis to Lucian Davis and Ethyl Offutt Davis in Edgerton, Missouri. His parents were the owners of a funeral home in Dearborn, Missouri. He studied in ‘William Jewell College’ in Liberty, Missouri.

After finishing schooling, he worked as a tent-rigger in a circus. He then worked as a travelling salesman which brought him to Los Angeles.

He auditioned for the production company ‘Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’ with actress Esther Williams and subsequently acted in minor roles in many films for six years.

His first film as a lead actor was ‘Winter Meeting’, which was released in 1948 and starred actress Bette Davis. The film wasn’t successful and Davis was criticised for his performance. Following this, he mostly did supporting roles in ‘B’ rated films, including westerns.

He featured in ten episodes of the western series ‘Death Valley Days’, where he played the character of an ambitious politician from Nevada. He also acted in director Howard Hawks’s western film, ‘The Big Sky’, in 1952.

In 1954, he was cast as a regular in the western TV show ‘Stories of the Century’, which also featured lots of other notable actors like Mary Castle, Sam Bass, Doc Holliday, etc. He played a detective in the show and was also the narrator of every episode.

He landed another regular role as a fireman in the adventure series ‘Rescue 8’, which began in 1958 and was broadcast for two years. Over the next two decades, he made many guest appearances in various TV shows, such as ‘Gunsmoke’, ‘Stoney Burke’, ‘Perry Mason’, ‘Daniel Boone’, ‘Wagon Train’ and ‘Laramie’.

Jim Davis’ most well-known role was in the CBS TV series ‘Dallas’, which was also his last role. He portrayed the character of Jock Ewing, the head of a rich family from Texas. He continued working in the series even after being diagnosed with multiple myeloma. He earned great fame and critical appreciation for the role.