On television he has played major roles in M*A*S*H, The Innocents Abroad, and Murder She Wrote.

The fictional "Beacon Street Pizza" was based on a real pizza restaurant named Theo's Pizza in Teele Square, Somerville, Massachusetts, where show creator Kenny Schwartz worked while attending nearby Tufts University.

Later his early credits include The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Kojak, and Rhoda.

Stiers also appeared in the pilot of Charlie's Angels as the team's chief back-up.

Why are we supposed to care that David Ogden Stiers is gay?

But back to Ogden Stiers: I don't give a whit about all this - and his gayness has nothing to do with it.

, The Accidental Tourist, Beauty and the Beast, and Mighty Aphrodite.Stiers later ventured to San Francisco, where he performed with the California Shakespeare Theater, San Francisco Actors Workshop, and the improv group The Committee, whose members included Rob Reiner (who would later star as "Mike Stivic" of CBS's "All In The Family") and Howard Hesseman (who would later play "Johnny Fever" of CBS-TV's "WKRP in Cincinnati" and ABC-TV's "Head of The Class" fame). During his studies, Stiers was mentored by actor John Houseman and would later join his City Center The Acting Company.Stiers first appeared in the Broadway production The Magic Show in 1974 in the minor role of Feldman.That was the big news out of Hollywood yesterday: " 'M*A*S*H' Star David Ogden Stiers Reveals He's Gay." That headline blasted not from a gossip Web site, but ABC News - which, once upon a time, actually reported actual national news.Frankly, I don't care to think about the sexcapades of many people, certainly not those of a 66-year-old.