Linda Gray

Linda Ann Gray (born September 12, 1940) is an American actress, best known for her role as Sue Ellen Ewing, the long-suffering wife of Larry Hagman's character J.R. Ewing on the CBS television drama series Dallas (1978–1989, 1991, 2012–2014). The role also earned her a nomination for the 1981 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series^[2] as well as two Golden Globe Awards nominations.

Gray began her career in the 1960s in television commercials. In the 1970s, she appeared in numerous TV series before landing the role of Sue Ellen Ewing in 1978. After leaving Dallas in 1989, she appeared opposite Sylvester Stallone in the 1991 film Oscar. From 1994 to 1995, she played a leading role in the Fox drama series Models Inc., and also starred in TV movies, including Moment of Truth: Why My Daughter? (1993) and Accidental Meeting (1994). She went on to reprise the role of Sue Ellen in Dallas: J.R. Returns (1996), Dallas: War of the Ewings (1998), and in the TNT series Dallas (2012–2014), which continued the original series.

On stage, Gray starred as Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate in the West End of London in 2001, then on Broadway the following year. In 2007, she starred as Aurora Greenaway in the world premiere production of Terms of Endearment at the Theatre Royal, York and stayed with the production when it toured the United Kingdom. After the second Dallas was cancelled in 2014, Gray again took to the stage, this time in the role of the Fairy Godmother in a London production of Cinderella.^[3][4]

Early life

Linda Gray was born in 1940^[1] in Santa Monica, California. She grew up in Culver City, California, where her father, Leslie, who was a watchmaker, had a shop.^{[citation needed]}

Before acting, Gray worked as a model in the 1960s and began her acting career in television commercials, nearly 400 of them^[5]—and also made brief appearances in feature films, such as Under the Yum Yum Tree and Palm Springs Weekend in 1963.^[6]

Career

Gray began her professional acting career in the 1970s with guest roles on many television series such as Marcus Welby, M.D., McCloud, and Switch, prior to signing with Universal Studios in 1974. She also appeared in the films The Big Rip-Off (1975) and Dogs (1976). In 1977, she was cast as fashion model Linda Murkland, the first transgender series regular on American television,^[7] in the television series All That Glitters.^[8] The show, a spoof of the soap-opera format, was cancelled after just 13 weeks. Gray was then cast as suspicious wife Carla Cord in the 1977 television movie Murder in Peyton Place.

Dallas

Gray achieved stardom for her role as Sue Ellen Ewing, J.R.'s long-suffering alcoholic wife, in the CBS drama series Dallas (1978–1989, 1991).^[6] Initially a recurring guest role for the five episodes (credited as the first season) in the original series, Gray became a series regular in the second season (1978–1979) and remained with the show until her departure in 1989. Her character was well received by television critics. The Biography Channel stated "Who could ever forget Dallas with the vodka-swilling Sue Ellen Ewing, replete with shoulder pads long before Dynasty, staggering around Southfork Ranch with a permanently tearful expression as she suffered the brunt of J.R. Ewing’s evil ways?"^[9] The Boulevard stated "It may be 2009 and seventeen years since the primetime drama Dallas went off the air, but memories of the Ewing family still linger. Corruption and betrayal, lies, greed, affairs and scandal—all were just part of another day at the Southfork Ranch. At the center of it all was one of our favorite Ewings, the person we couldn't help but root for each week as she drank and slept her way through one ordeal after another. This, of course, was the tortured and (sometimes) villainous Sue Ellen Shepard Ewing, former Texas beauty queen and trophy wife of the womanizing rogue J.R. Ewing, played to perfection by actress Linda Gray."^[10] Gray was nominated for two Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama and Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her performance on Dallas.^{[citation needed]} She also received numerous international awards including Germany's Bambi Award, Italy's Il Gato and she was named Woman of the Year by the Hollywood Radio & Television Society in 1982.^[11]

After Dallas

After Dallas, Gray appeared in the 1991 comedy film, Oscar with Sylvester Stallone and then made guest appearances in British drama Lovejoy (starring her co-star and love interest from her final season on Dallas, Ian McShane). She also starred in several made-for-TV movies, including 1991's The Entertainers (with Bob Newhart), Bonanza: The Return (1993), Moment of Truth: Why My Daughter (1993), and Accidental Meeting (1994). In 1994, she made several guest appearances on the Fox prime time soap opera Melrose Place, starring as Hillary Michaels, the mother of Amanda Woodward (Heather Locklear). She continued the role in the Melrose Place spin-off Models Inc.,^[12] where her character Hillary ran a modelling agency, but the show was cancelled after one season. Gray appeared in the Dallas reunion television movies Dallas: J.R. Returns (1996) and Dallas: War of the Ewings (1998), but in the following years did not appear in movies or on television.

In 2001, Gray portrayed Mrs. Robinson in the West End theatre production of Charles Webb's The Graduate.^[13] This brought her full circle, as her legs (not Anne Bancroft's) had appeared in the poster for the 1967 film version of The Graduate, showing Mrs. Robinson's legs being admired by Dustin Hoffman.^[14] She also briefly played the role in the Broadway production, when she filled-in for Kathleen Turner in September 2002. Gray made her theater directing debut with the play Murder in the First, and other stage acting work includes: Terms of Endearment, The Vagina Monologues, Agnes of God and Love Letters.^[11]

Recent years

Gray returned to television in 2004 as a guest star in five episodes of the daytime soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful, playing Priscilla Kelly. Gray starred in several independent films, including the award-winning drama Reflections of a Life (2006), where she played the best friend of a woman undergoing treatment for breast cancer; Expecting Mary (2010); The Flight of the Swan (2011); and Hidden Moon (2012).

In 2008, Gray appeared in The CW series 90210, which, like Melrose Place and Models Inc. before it, is a spin-off from the original Beverly Hills, 90210. Gray has now appeared in three of the five series in the franchise, though her role in 90210 was not Hillary Michaels, the character she played on Melrose Place (1992) and Models Inc.

In 2012, Gray reprised her role as Sue Ellen Ewing in the TNT drama series Dallas, a continuation of the original series.^[15] In 2013, she was listed as one of the fifty best-dressed over 50s by the Guardian.^[16] In April 2013, she was listed in People magazine's annual Most Beautiful Woman list.^[17]

Over Christmas 2014, she performed in pantomime in London, playing the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella.^[18] In 2015, she starred in the Hallmark Channel film A Perfect Wedding, and was cast as grandmother in The CW summer comedy series, Significant Mother.^[19] She also appeared as Joanna Winterthorne in the soap opera web series Winterthorne.^[20][21][22]

On August 17, 2016, it was announced that Gray would join the cast of the British Channel 4 soap opera, Hollyoaks, as Tabitha Maxwell-Brown, the mother of recently established character Marnie Nightingale, played by Lysette Anthony. Gray made her first appearance as Tabitha on November 15, 2016, and departed on November 22, 2016. It was later announced that Gray had signed a contract with Hollyoaks in order for her to appear on the soap opera for a longer period of time. The character of Tabitha returned on February 27, 2017, before departing again on February 28, 2017.

In 2017, Gray joined the cast of Amazon Studios drama series, Hand of God, starring opposite Ron Perlman and Dana Delany.^[23]

On October 3, 2023, it was announced that Gray would feature in the Lifetime film, Ladies of the '80s: A Divas Christmas. According to the official synopsis, the movie follows five soap opera divas readying for a reunion show who take on playing cupid during Christmas to bring together their director and producer as they all learn the meaning of true Christmas spirit. The ensemble cast is made up of Gray, Loni Anderson, Morgan Fairchild, Donna Mills, and Nicollette Sheridan.^[24]

Personal life

Gray was married from 1962 to 1983 to Ed Thrasher,^[25] an art director and photographer.^[26] The marriage resulted in two children: Jeff Thrasher and Kehly Sloane (an actress who appeared in the original Dallas as Sue Ellen's secretary when she ran Valentine Lingerie); Jeff died of leukemia in November 2020.^[25] Gray has two grandsons.^[27] Her younger sister, Betty, died from breast cancer in 1989.^[28] She resides in Los Angeles, California.^[29]

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

1. ^ Hellmann, Paul T. (February 14, 2006). Historical Gazetteer of the United States. Routledge. p. 118. ISBN 978-1-135-94859-7.
2. ^ Moir, Jan (July 10, 2006). "I was the very first desperate housewife". Daily Telegraph. Archived January 12, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
3. ^ "'Dallas' Star Linda Gray Set for Cinderella at London's New Wimbledon Theatre". Playbill. Archived October 24, 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
4. ^ Neil Cheesman (October 23, 2014). "DALLAS sensation LINDA GRAY to star in CINDERELLA". London Theatre1.com. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
5. ^ Linda Gray on AllMovie Linda Gray, AllMovie, Retrieved March 31, 2012
6. ^ Linda Gray- Biography, Yahoo!, Retrieved March 31, 2012
7. ^ Stein, p. 177
8. ^ Clarke, Gerald (April 25, 1977). "Eve's Rib and Adam's Yawn". TIME. Archived from the original on December 15, 2008. Retrieved November 25, 2008.
9. ^ "Linda Gray- Biography on Gray". Biography.com. United States: The Biography Channel. Archived from the original on December 8, 2012. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
10. ^ "Linda Gray: An Accomplished Actress with Knockout Star Power". Ruth Bashinsky. United States: The Boulevard Magazine. March 2009. Archived from the original on January 27, 2013. Retrieved March 25, 2012.
11. ^ Linda Gray official website – Biography Archived April 15, 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved March 31, 2012
12. ^ "'Models Inc.': Perfect for SGTV : SG Stands for Superb Garbage, Raised Here to an Art Form". The Los Angeles Times. July 6, 1994. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
13. ^ "The Graduate's London term ends". BBC News. January 18, 2002. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
14. ^ "Linda Gray's Leg Has Long History in The Graduate". Playbill. September 20, 2001. Archived from the original on November 27, 2012. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
15. ^ Joyce Eng, TNT Orders Dallas Reboot to Series, Will Offer Sneak Peek Next Week, TV Guide, July 8, 2011, Retrieved March 31, 2012
16. ^ Cartner-Morley, Jess; Mirren, Helen; Huffington, Arianna; Amos, Valerie (March 28, 2013). "The 50 best-dressed over 50s". The Guardian
17. ^ "People Magazine Names Gwyneth Paltrow Most Beautiful Woman". ABC News. April 24, 2013. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
18. ^ "Cinderella - New Wimbledon Theatre - ATG Tickets". Retrieved February 19, 2017.
19. ^ "Linda Gray to Guest Star in CW's 'Significant Mother' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. June 8, 2015.
20. ^ "Watch The Winterthorne First Trailer ... Where Candy and Drama Come Together!". Michael Fairman On-Air On-Soaps. May 22, 2015. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
21. ^ Mulcahy, Kevin Jr. (August 27, 2015). "Watch the Premiere of Michael Caruso's Winterthorne". We Love Soaps. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
22. ^ Kerr, Luke (May 22, 2015). "Winterthorne Debuts Epic First Trailer". Daytime Confidential. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
23. ^ Schwartz, Ryan (February 15, 2017). "Hand of God Gets Final Season Premiere Date at Amazon". Retrieved February 19, 2017.
24. ^ "Legendary Actresses Loni Anderson, Morgan Fairchild, Linda Gray, Donna Mills and Nicollette Sheridan Join Together for "Ladies of the '80s: A Divas Christmas" for Lifetime's It's a Wonderful Lifetime Holiday Slate". The Futon Critic. October 3, 2023. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
25. ^ Sarah Carty: Dallas actress Linda Gray's son, Jeff Thrasher, 56, has died, >ahoo, November 25, 2020d]
26. ^ David Wallace (March 21, 1983). "She's Back with J.r., but Linda Gray's 20-Year Marriage Takes a Bath". People. Archived January 10, 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 6, 2013.
27. ^ Aby Rivas: Meet the Children and Grandchildren of ‘Dallas’ Star Linda Gray, amomama.com, October 8, 2019
28. ^ Linda Gray Reveals What She’s Learned at Age 75!, Closer Weekly, September 12, 2015
29. ^ Linda Gray- Biography Archived December 8, 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Sky Digital, Retrieved March 31, 2012
30. ^ "USA Film Festival lineup includes visits from Ed Harris, Linda Gray, John Turturro | Dallas Morning News". Popcultureblog.dallasnews.com. Archived from the original on April 11, 2014. Retrieved April 10, 2014.

External links

• Linda Gray Official Fan Club
• Linda Gray at IMDb
• BBC interview with Linda Gray and a review of her performance on stage in Terms of Endearment