Willard "Digger" Barnes

Digger Barnes
Dallas character
Portrayed by	David Wayne (1978) Keenan Wynn (1979-80)
Duration	1978-80, 1986
First appearance	April 2, 1978 Digger's Daughter
Last appearance	March 23, 1986 Dallas: The Early Years
Created by	David Jacobs
Spin-off appearances	Dallas: The Early Years (1986)
In-universe information Parents Henry Barnes Siblings Maggie Barnes Monahan (sister; deceased) Spouse Rebecca Blake (divorced) Children Tyler Barnes (son; deceased) Catherine Barnes (daughter; deceased) Cliff Barnes (son) Pamela Barnes (legal daughter) Grandchildren Christopher Ewing (adoptive) Pamela Rebecca Barnes Nieces and nephews Jimmy Monahan (nephew; deceased) First cousins Rose

Willard "Digger" Barnes was a 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. Digger Barnes was the father of Cliff Barnes and step-father of Pamela Barnes Ewing, as it was later revealed that Hutch McKinney was Pam's father.

Character's biography

Digger Barnes met Jock Ewing while riding in a train boxcar, and the two became friends. Digger, Jock and Jock's brother Jason all became wildcatters and began drilling their own fields. Digger had a unique ability to smell oil underground, and with Jock's business skills they began making a fortune. Jason married and soon left Texas to wildcat in Alaska, where he married a woman named Nancy Shaw and fathered two children. Digger and Jock returned to Dallas where they started and became rivals over Digger's girlfriend Ellie Southworth. Digger's drinking and undependability made Miss Ellie see that Digger would never change and was not the type of man to marry. Jock and Digger continued with their oil ventures, but 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 claimed Jock had stolen the wells for himself, and their friendship ended.

Jock and Ellie became a couple and later got married, while Digger married a woman named Rebecca, who became the mother of his children, Cliff and Pamela. Rebecca left Digger and her children when they were still young. He became a single father who raised Cliff and Pam with the help of his sister Maggie. It was later revealed that Digger was not Pam's biological father—Hutch McKinney had had an affair with Rebecca. An angry Digger revealed the truth on his death bed: that Hutch was Pam's father. He also admitted that, when he discovered the truth, he murdered Hutch with Jock's gun and buried the body on Southfork, in order to implicate Jock. However, due to his longstanding love for Miss Ellie, and not wanting to devastate her life, as would be the case if Jock were sent to prison, Digger finally confessed to the murder. He died of alcohol poisoning in 1980. Jock claimed that he never cheated Digger out of a fortune but had taken control of the company, because Digger would have squandered any profit. The feud never ended and continued through the years with Digger's son Cliff and Jock's son J.R.