David Ogden Stiers was born in Peoria, Illinois, moved with his family to Eugene, Oregon during high school and began his acting career in Northern California, acting in the Actor's Workshop and California Shakespeare Festival. He later moved to New York, where he studied drama at Juilliard, and joined the Houseman Acting Company at its outset...
Show more »
David Ogden Stiers was born in Peoria, Illinois, moved with his family to Eugene, Oregon during high school and began his acting career in Northern California, acting in the Actor's Workshop and California Shakespeare Festival. He later moved to New York, where he studied drama at Juilliard, and joined the Houseman Acting Company at its outset. He often lends his voice to animated films, with Lilo & Stitch (2002) being his 25th theatrically-released Disney animated film. He is also an avid fan of classical music, and has conducted many orchestras, including the Yaquina Chamber Orchestra in Newport, Oregon, where he is the principal guest conductor. Show less «
What's next is what I really really like to regard. I don't care if it's voice over work, or commerc...Show more »
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. Show less «
The simple fact of it is, in the British tradition, you're an actor who happens to be in a film or o...Show more »
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. Show less «
I enjoy working and even though many have this idealistic belief that the entertainment industry and...Show more »
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. Show less «
Why he chose to come out as gay, May, 2009: I could claim noble reasons as coming out in order to mo...Show more »
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. Show less «
[on creating the voice of Cogsworth in Beauty and the Beast (1991)] I, at first, imagined a grandfat...Show more »
[on creating the voice of Cogsworth in Beauty and the Beast (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. Show less «