Davis was a rugged character and supporting actor. A leading man in the '40s, briefly hyped as a threat to Clark Gable; he first appeared onscreen in White Cargo (1942). His best opportunity came when Bette Davis personally chose him as her co-star in Winter Meeting (1948), his only romantic lead (he portrayed an embittered war hero). He went on to appear primarily in routine "B"-movies, often in the action genre. Late in his career he became well-known as silver-haired, gravelly voiced Jock Ewing, the patriarch of the Ewing family in the hit TV series Dallas.