Tall, rangy character actor in many westerns and outdoor dramas. Born and raised in Missouri, Jim Davis' relaxed, easygoing manner and Southern drawl typified the image of the cowboy, and he spent many years at Republic doing just that. He alternated between good-guy and villain roles, one of his better roles being that of the devious, murderous fur trapper working for Kirk Douglas' competition in The Big Sky. He is best known, however, for his role as the Ewing family patriarch Jock in the long-running TV series Dallas.


In the early 1970s, he appeared in a widely aired television commercial for Carnation non-dairy coffee creamer. He played a man who found and used it in an apartment that friends lent him. He was very close to "Dallas" (1978) co-star Victoria Principal, who bore a strong resemblance to his late daughter, and he had Principal's picture along with his daughter's in his pocket when he was buried. Best remembered by the public for his role as Jock Ewing on the 1980s soap opera "Dallas" (1978).