How Christopher Judge Felt About Working With Don S. Davis On Stargate SG-1

Don S. Davis played General George Hammond, commander of Stargate Command,  throughout the ten-season run of "Stargate SG-1," initially as a main cast member for the first seven seasons before taking on a recurring role in the eighth. Davis' Hammond temporarily left "SG-1" and only guested in seasons 9 and 10, but even with that in mind, the actor was an indispensable part of the series throughout its 10 years on-air. He sadly passed away from a heart attack in June 2008, at the age of 65, but he at least left his co-star Christopher Judge with absolutely nothing but fond memories.

Judge, who played reformed Jaffa warrior Teal'c for ten seasons of "SG-1," was asked about Davis during a 2011 interview with GateWorld in which he said that every memory he had of the late actor was "great," adding, "I never made any secrets about how much I loved Donny." Judge also explained how he finds it difficult to rewatch "SG-1" episodes after having lost Davis. "It's hard to watch episodes and just know I'll never hear that southern drawl anymore," he said. "The great thing, though, is he touched so many people. It's just no secret what a beautiful human being he was."

Clearly, then, Judge, whose Teal'c was always a fan-favorite character, was genuinely honored to have shared the screen with Davis. But this went beyond simply getting along with his former colleague, as the actor had plenty more positive things to say about the man behind General Hammond.

Speaking further about Don S. Davis, Christopher Judge told GateWorld that he missed his erstwhile co-star "every day," adding, "I am not kidding. Just the way he conducted himself as a human being. Everything that's wrong about this business, Donny is the opposite of it. Donny was everything that's right about this business. He cared more about other people than he cared about himself. What a great human being." You couldn't get much higher praise than that, especially coming from the actor who had the most appearances in "Stargate SG-1" and became a sort of de facto symbol of the series thanks to his prolific appearances and Teal'c's instantly recognizable forehead symbol.

Judge has also spoken highly of working with the great Louis Gosset Jr., who played Gerak, leader of the new Free Jaffa Nation, in five episodes of the series. But even the Academy Award-winning star of "An Officer and a Gentleman" didn't elicit the sheer reverence Judge had for Davis. As the Teal'c actor went on to tell GateWorld, "One of the greatest things about 'Stargate' for me was that I got to be around Don Davis for ten years. Truly, for me."

Davis, who began his career back in the 1980s, had to step back from "SG-1" in its later years due to his health problems and passed away just one year after the show wrapped up in 2007. But he clearly had a major impact on those who met him, and it's not just Judge who thinks so. As longtime friend Phil Hayes told the Vancouver Sun in the wake of Davis' death, "He was fantastic, very self-effacing. He wouldn't take a compliment." Likewise, Dr. Daniel Jackson actor Michael Shanks remembered the General Hammond actor fondly during a convention after his death (via GateWorld), where he said, "I think any time spent with Don was a plus. The greatest moments were the ones the audience won't see, but the private, intimate moments. Don was one of those people who, every day, along with the rest of our group, we had a good laugh."