Jim Beaver Jim Beaver is an American actor who portrayed Admiral Daniel Leonard in s pilot episode , . He is perhaps best recognized for his role as prospector Ellsworth on the HBO western series " Deadwood " and Bobby Singer in " Supernatural " . In addition to acting , he is a playwright and screenwriter , as well as a film historian . Biography . He was born James Norman Beaver , Jr . in Laramie , Wyoming , and raised in Irving , Texas . Less than two weeks after graduating from Fort Worth Christian Academy in 1968 , Beaver enlisted in the United States Marine Corps . Trained as a microwave radio relay technician , he began serving as a radio operator in the 1st Marine Regiment near Da Nang , South Vietnam in 1970 and later became supply chief for the division communications company . He was released from active duty as a Corporal after returning to America in 1971 , but remained an active member of the Marine Reserve until 1976 . Following his military service , Beaver attended college at the Central State University ( now known as the University of Central Oklahoma ) in Edmond , Oklahoma . It was here that he began studying acting and theater . Soon after transferring to Central State University ( now the University of Central Oklahoma ) in 1972 , he made his professional stage acting debut in a production of W . Somerset Maugham ' s " Rain " at the Oklahoma Theatre Center in Oklahoma City . He also wrote several plays and even a book on actor . In 1973 , Beaver married a fellow college student , Debbie Young , in August , 1973 . However , they separated four months later and divorced in 1976 . After graduating with a degree in Oral Communications in 1975 , Beaver returned to Irving , Texas , and continued to act in and write plays . He ultimately broke into film and television , accumulating well over 100 appearances in those mediums . This is in addition to his stage acting , playwriting , and screenwriting , as well as his work as a film historian , columnist , and critic . Beaver was the husband of the late Cecily Adams , the actress and casting director who played Ishka on . The two married in 1989 and their daughter , Madeline , was born in 2001 . Tragically , Adams died of lung cancer just three years later . Career . Writing and stage acting . Having returned to Texas after graduating college , Beaver performed in a number of productions for the Shakespeare Festival of Dallas , starting in 1976 . In 1979 , the Actors Theatre of Louisville commissioned Beaver to write the play " Spades " for their company . They would later ask him to write two more , " Sidekick " and " Semper Fi " . Later , Beaver was twice named a finalist in the Actors Theatre ' s national Great American Play Contest for his original plays " Once Upon a Single Bound " and Verdigris " . After moving to New York City in 1979 , Beaver toured the country , performing in productions of such plays as " The Hasty Heart " , " The Rainmaker " , and " Macbeth " . In 1983 , he moved to Los Angeles , California , where he began working more in film and television . In 1985 , his play , " Verdigris " was produced to critical praise . Beaver then began writing television scripts , most notably for the anthology series " Alfred Hitchcock Presents " . Beaver was nominated for a CableACE Award for co - writing an episode of this series called " The Initiation , " which was directed by Robert Iscove . After the 1988 Writers Guild of America strike , Beaver stopped writing for television altogether and focused on acting . Beaver continues to write plays and books . His more recent plays include 2001 ' s " Mockingbird " and 2006 ' s " Night Riders " . He is also writing a memoir on his late wife , Cecily Adams , and the year following her diagnosis of lung cancer in 2003 . Entitled " Life ' s That Way " , the memoir is expected to be published in early 2009 . A long - term project that Beaver has been working on is a biography of actor , for which he has been researching since the late 1970s . In 2005 , he was brought in as a biographical consultant on the film " Hollywoodland " , a drama about Reeves ' death . Films . Beaver made his feature film debut in 1977 with an uncredited role in the comedy " Semi - Tough " . His film acting credits during the 1980s include the 1983 Academy Award - nominated drama " Silkwood " ( also featuring Bill Cobbs , Graham Jarvis , and Bruce McGill ) and the 1988 comedy " Turner & Hooch " ( co - starring Clyde Kusatsu ) . In both of these films , Beaver played the role of a plant manager . He had a supporting role in the 1989 film " In Country " , a drama about Vietnam veterans in which Beaver portrayed the best friend of the lead character ( played by ) . Interestingly , Beaver was the only actual Vietnam veteran in the film ' s principal cast . Beaver has since appeared in such films as " Sister Act " ( starring Whoopi Goldberg ) , " Sliver " ( from Paramount Pictures ) , " Bad Girls " , " Wounded " ( co - starring Mädchen Amick and Robert Costanzo ) , " Magnolia " ( featuring Henry Gibson , Pat Healy , Don McManus , and Michael Shamus Wiles , with cinematography by Robert Elswit ) , " Joy Ride " ( produced by J . J . Abrams and co - starring James MacDonald and Dell Yount ) , " Wheelmen " ( with James Avery ) , and " The Life of David Gale " ( co - starring Leon Rippy ) . He also had supporting roles in two films starring Nicolas Cage , 2002 ' s " Adaptation " and 2007 ' s " Next " . Television . Beaver has made single appearances on numerous television shows . These include " Father Dowling Mysteries " ( in an episode with David Warner ) , " Lois & Clark : The New Adventures of Superman " ( starring K Callan and Teri Hatcher ) , " Home Improvement " ( in an episode with Janet MacLachlan ) , " NYPD Blue " ( starring Gordon Clapp and Sharon Lawrence , in an episode with Lenore Kasdorf and Tony Todd ) , " Melrose Place " ( in an episode directed by Charles Correll and co - starring Celeste Yarnall ) , " The X - Files " ( in an episode directed by Kim Manners ) , " That 70 ' s Show " ( starring Kurtwood Smith and Don Stark ) , " The West Wing " ( with Glenn Morshower ) , " Philly " ( with Bill Cobbs , Alan Dale , Michael Durrell , Deborah Lacey , Kristanna Loken , Cristine Rose , and Cress Williams ) , " Six Feet Under " ( with James Cromwell ) , " The Lyon ' s Den " ( with Gregory Itzin and Robert Picardo ) , " Monk " ( with Michael Ensign ) , " The Unit " ( starring Abby Brammell ) , and " Psych " ( starring Corbin Bernsen ) . In addition , Beaver co - starred with Robert Beltran , John Glover and Branscombe Richmond in the 1990 TV movie " El Diablo " . In 1998 , Beaver appeared with fellow " Star Trek " alumni K Callan , Charles Emmett , Don McManus , Stephanie Niznik , Richard Riehle , Bill Smitrovich , Barbara Tarbuck , Julie Warner and Dell Yount in the two - part 1998 TV movie " Mr . Murder " . Regular and recurring roles . Beaver has made regular appearances on several television shows over the years . In the early 1990s he played homicide detective Earl Gaddis on the NBC drama " Reasonable Doubts " . During the 1994 - 1995 TV season , he starred as the comic sidekick to in the ABC sitcom " Thunder Alley " . Beaver also starred in the short - lived ABC series " The Trouble with Normal " and had recurring roles on the soap operas " The Young & the Restless " and " Days of Our Lives " . He had a recurring role on " 3rd Rock from the Sun " as Happy Doug , the owner of the bar which the characters of that series often frequented in the later seasons . Beaver ' s late wife and fellow " Trek " alum , Cecily Adams , was the casting director for the series at the time . Perhaps Beaver ' s most famous role is that of prospector Whitney Ellsworth on the HBO series " Deadwood " , on which he starred from 2004 through 2006 . His many co - stars on this series included fellow " Trek " veterans Keith Carradine , Larry Cedar , Dennis Christopher , Brad Dourif , Zach Grenier , Alice Krige , Paula Malcomson , Leon Rippy , Titus Welliver and Keone Young . In 2007 , Beaver and many of his " Deadwood " castmates were nominated for an award as Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series by the Screen Actors Guild . Beaver followed " Deadwood " with a recurring role on the short - lived ABC series " Day Break " and a regular role on another HBO series , " John from Cincinnati " . Among his co - stars on the latter series were Willie Garson , Bruce Greenwood , and Matt Winston . In 2006 , Beaver played assaulted tourist Stanley Tanner on two episodes of " CSI " . He worked with Wallace Langham in both episodes . Beaver currently has a recurring role as Bobby Singer on the CW series " Supernatural " . He has been appearing on this series since 2006 ; two of Singer ' s recurring demonic antagonists are played by Matt Frewer and Mark A . Sheppard . One of the directors and producers of " Supernatural " was Kim Manners , who worked on the series from 2005 until his death in . Beaver called Manners " one of the best friends and best directors " he had ever known . In 2009 , Beaver played Sheriff Charlie Mills on the CBS limited series " Harper ' s Island " . In this series , one or more characters are killed in each episode , with all answers being revealed in the thirteenth and final episode . James Whitmore , Jr . , directed the sixth episode of this series ; Beaver ' s character lasted four more episodes before being killed .