David Ogden Stiers Net Worth

David Ogden Stiers's Quotes

• Why he chose to come out as gay, May, 2009: I could claim noble reasons as coming out in order to move gay rights forward, but I must admit it is for far more selfish reasons. Now is the time I wish to find someone and I do not desire to force any potential partner to live a life of extreme discretion for me.
• [on creating the voice of Cogsworth in Belle en het Beest (1991)] I, at first, imagined a grandfather clock with a deep booming voice. Because he was smaller his vocal chords were also smaller and so the vocal quality became tighter. Then I tried to add a little bit of an uptight, pompous aspect and so that was the voice.
• The simple fact of it is, in the British tradition, you're an actor who happens to be in a film or on television or on the stage. In America, annoyingly, you're identified as a film actor or a TV actor or a whatever actor. Early in my career, I decided to stop paying attention to the labels.
• What's next is what I really really like to regard. I don't care if it's voice over work, or commercial, or directing a play, or doing a guest appearance with an orchestra, or going into some sort of ear training for a movie, or what is next. That I keep working just astonishes me. I never take it for granted.
• I enjoy working and even though many have this idealistic belief that the entertainment industry and studios like Walt Disney are gay friendly. For the most part they are, but that doesn't mean for them that business does not come first. It's a matter of economics. Most of my more notable work in the last two decades has been as a voice actor. Certainly, I've done television appearances, be they recurring or guest roles, and numerous motion picture and documentary stints, but a lot of my income has been derived from voicing Disney and family programming. What they might allow in a more known actor, they prefer not having to deal with in minor players.

Interesting Facts about David Ogden Stiers

1. Has conducted 70 orchestras in over 100 appearances. He is resident conductor of the Newport Symphony Orchestra in Newport, Oregon.
2. Some of the M*A*S*H (1972) actors jokingly had his dressing room painted orange and purple while Stiers was off for Thanksgiving break.
3. Was a high school classmate of Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert.
4. Cogswoth's advice to the Beast on what to give Belle, "Flowers, chocolates, promises you don't intend to keep..." in Belle en het Beest (1991) was his own creation.
5. He is often given small roles in Woody Allen films for which he receives high billing considering his screen time.
6. On M*A*S*H (1972), he played an Harvard alum and in real life, Stiers taught theater games at Harvard.
7. Didn't learn to drive until 1975, when his role on the Kojak (1973) episode, Kojak: Money Back Guarantee (1975), called for him to be seen driving.
8. Has a son from a relationship in the 1960s.
9. Graduated High School at North Eugene High School, Oregon.
10. Played French horn in the orchestra at Juilliard, which is rather more amusing considering an episode of M*A*S*H (1972) where he bothers Hawkeye and B.J. with persistent bad horn playing.
11. His last name is pronounced "styers".
12. Best known by the public for his role as Major Charles Winchester on M*A*S*H (1972).
13. His acting mentor was the late Harry Morgan.
14. Originally went into audition for the role of Lumiere the candlestick in Belle en het Beest (1991). He got the role of Cogsworth, his clock friend and sparring partner, instead.
15. Is the only actor to be a part of both the cast of Belle en het Beest (1991) and its 1994 Broadway cast. In both he provides the atmospheric narration for the respective prologues.
16. He appeared in five films directed by Woody Allen: Another Woman (1988), Shadows and Fog (1991), Mighty Aphrodite (1995), Everyone Says I Love You (1996) and The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001).
17. Sadly, he passed away just three days after the 35th anniversary of the milestone episode M*A*S*H: Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen (1983), which he had appeared in.
18. His remains were cremated. His ashes were sprinkled into the Pacific Ocean.
19. He provided his voice to 5 films in the Walt Disney Animation Studios canon: Belle en het Beest (1991), Pocahontas (1995), De klokkenluider van de Notre Dame (1996), Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001), and Lilo & Stitch (2002). This is only the main theatrical films and does not contain any direct to home video sequels, prequels, or spin-offs.