Willard "Digger" Barnes is a fictional character in the popular
American television series Dallas, played by David Wayne (1978),
Keenan Wynn (1979-1980), and David Marshall Grant in Dallas: The Early
Years. As the patriarch of the Barnes family, Digger Barnes was the
father of Cliff Barnes and Pamela Barnes Ewing. Digger shocked Pamela
on his deathbed by revealing that Hutch McKinney was her biological
father but, that he had always loved her as though she were his
own.Willard Barnes' father, Henry Barnes, was best friends with Aaron
Southworth, the father of Ellie Southworth. In fact, Henry saved
Aaron's life so Aaron took care of young Willard throughout much of
his adolescence. Willard first started dating Ellie in 1930, when
Ellie was fifteen years old. However, after being caught with Ellie by
her brother, Garrison, Willard decided to try his fortune at
wildcatting. As a result, he met Jock Ewing while riding in a train
boxcar on the way to the oil fields, and the two became friends.
Willard, Jock and Jock's brother Jason all became wildcatters and
began drilling their own fields. Willard had a unique ability to smell
oil underground, earning him the nickname "Digger", which over time
became the name that people used more and more (even his children
would sometimes call him "Digger", in addition to "Daddy"), eventually
getting to the point where virtually nobody called him "Willard"
anymore.Digger's brilliant ability to sniff oil, combined with Jock's
brilliant business skills, enabled them to start making a fortune.
Digger and Jason had a lot of disagreements and didn't get on, but
Jock would always stand up for Digger at this time. Jason soon left
Texas to wildcat in Alaska, where he married a woman named Nancy Shaw,
and fathered two children, a son named Jack and a daughter named
Jamie. Digger and Jock returned to Dallas where they started, and they
soon became rivals over Digger's girlfriend, Ellie Southworth.
Digger's love for Miss Ellie had only grown since their initial brief
romance in 1930, but Digger's drinking, gambling and undependability
eventually made Miss Ellie see that Digger would never change and that
he was not the type of man to marry. Jock and Ellie became a couple in
the fall of 1935, and Jock married a pregnant Miss Ellie in 1936,
putting the first serious dent in Digger's and Jock's
friendship.Digger wandered across the country for years after he lost
Ellie to Jock, although he still did business deals with Jock
regarding their oil ventures for a few more years. Even as late as
1939, Jock and Digger both signed a deal to share the profits of Ewing
23 between themselves and their heirs in perpetuity. However, when
Ewing 6 came in, Jock put the field in his name only, to prevent
Digger from gambling and drinking his half away. Digger was furious
and he claimed that Jock had stolen the wells for himself, ending
their friendship and business relationship. While Digger was known for
his liking of alcohol even when he was still on good terms with Jock,
it was in the years following his fallout with Jock that Digger's
wandering and drinking worsened considerably, causing the alcoholic
troubles that would end his life many decades later, although he would
have some periods of sobriety in between. Willard "Digger" Barnes Biography, NetWorth, Height, Age, Weight, Family, Married, Son, Daughter