Linda Gray
Encyclopedia
Linda Ann Gray is an American actress, best known for her role as Sue Ellen Ewing
on the television prime-time soap opera Dallas
.
(1967) showed Gray's legs, even though the actress in the filmed role was Anne Bancroft
.
Gray began her professional acting career in the 1970s, with guest roles on series such as Marcus Welby, M.D.
and McCloud. In 1977 she was cast as transgender fashion model Linda Murkland on the TV series All That Glitters (the first transgender series regular on American television). The show, a spoof of the soap opera format, was cancelled after just 13 episodes. Gray was then cast as suspicious wife Carla Cord in the 1977 television movie Murder in Peyton Place
. In 1978, she landed the role of Sue Ellen Ewing
in the CBS
series Dallas. Initially a recurring guest role for the five-episode first season, Gray became a series regular later in 1978 and remained with the show until 1989. She returned for the series finale in 1991 and also appeared in the Dallas reunion TV movies J.R. Returns (1996) and War of the Ewings (1998). Gray was nominated for an Emmy Award
for her work on Dallas in 1981.
(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). Also in 1994, she made several guest appearances on the Fox network primetime soap opera Melrose Place. She appeared in four episodes as businesswoman Hillary Michaels, the mother of Amanda Woodward (played by Heather Locklear
), before her character spearheaded the spin-off series Models Inc., but this series only lasted a single season.
In 2001, Gray portrayed Mrs. Robinson in the West End theatre
production of Charles Webb's The Graduate.
Gray returned to television soap operas in 2004, when she had a recurring role in the daytime series The Bold and the Beautiful
, playing Priscilla Kelly.
In 2006, Gray co-starred in the short film Reflections of a Life, written, directed, and starring Kathi Carey. She portrayed the best friend of a woman undergoing treatment for breast cancer. She then toured the United Kingdom in a stage version of Terms of Endearment
.
In 2008, Gray had a small role 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.
. Linda Gray is also the aunt of actress Lindsey Wagner, best known as The Bionic Woman.
According to her website, Gray recently traveled to Nicaragua to film a documentary on the health issues of women and children as part of her work as a United Nations goodwill ambassador.
Sue Ellen Ewing
Sue Ellen Ewing is a character on the popular American television series Dallas, played by Linda Gray from 1978 to 1989. Sue Ellen was the long-suffering two-time wife of the nefarious J. R. Ewing....
on the television prime-time soap opera Dallas
Dallas (TV series)
Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...
.
Career
Prior to acting, Gray began working as a model in the 1960s. The famous film poster for The GraduateThe Graduate
The Graduate is a 1967 American comedy-drama motion picture directed by Mike Nichols. It is based on the 1963 novel The Graduate by Charles Webb, who wrote it shortly after graduating from Williams College. The screenplay was by Buck Henry, who makes a cameo appearance as a hotel clerk, and Calder...
(1967) showed Gray's legs, even though the actress in the filmed role was Anne Bancroft
Anne Bancroft
Anne Bancroft was an American actress associated with the Method acting school, which she had studied under Lee Strasberg....
.
Gray began her professional acting career in the 1970s, with guest roles on series such as Marcus Welby, M.D.
Marcus Welby, M.D.
Marcus Welby, M.D. is an American medical drama television program that aired on ABC from September 23, 1969, to July 29, 1976. It starred Robert Young as a family practitioner with a kind bedside manner, and was produced by David Victor and David J. O'Connell...
and McCloud. In 1977 she was cast as transgender fashion model Linda Murkland on the TV series All That Glitters (the first transgender series regular on American television). The show, a spoof of the soap opera format, was cancelled after just 13 episodes. Gray was then cast as suspicious wife Carla Cord in the 1977 television movie Murder in Peyton Place
Murder in Peyton Place
Murder in Peyton Place is a 1977 television film directed by Bruce Kessler. The film is based on the TV series Peyton Place, which aired from 1964 to 1969, and it was billed as a reunion movie as well as a NBC special...
. In 1978, she landed the role of Sue Ellen Ewing
Sue Ellen Ewing
Sue Ellen Ewing is a character on the popular American television series Dallas, played by Linda Gray from 1978 to 1989. Sue Ellen was the long-suffering two-time wife of the nefarious J. R. Ewing....
in the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
series Dallas. Initially a recurring guest role for the five-episode first season, Gray became a series regular later in 1978 and remained with the show until 1989. She returned for the series finale in 1991 and also appeared in the Dallas reunion TV movies J.R. Returns (1996) and War of the Ewings (1998). Gray was nominated for an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
for her work on Dallas in 1981.
After Dallas
After Dallas, Gray made guest appearances in other series, including the British drama LovejoyLovejoy
Lovejoy is a TV series about the adventures of Lovejoy, a British antiques dealer and faker based in East Anglia, a less than scrupulous yet likeable rogue. The episodes were based on a series of picaresque novels by John Grant...
(starring her co-star and love interest from her final season on Dallas, Ian McShane
Ian McShane
Ian David McShane is an English actor, director, producer, voice artist, and comedian.Despite appearing in numerous films, McShane is best known for his television roles, particularly the BBC's Lovejoy and HBO's Western drama Deadwood...
). She also starred in several made-for-TV movies, including 1991's The Entertainers (with Bob Newhart
Bob Newhart
George Robert Newhart , known professionally as Bob Newhart, is an American stand-up comedian and actor. Noted for his deadpan and slightly stammering delivery, Newhart came to prominence in the 1960s when his album of comedic monologues The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart was a worldwide...
), Bonanza: The Return
Bonanza: The Return
Bonanza: The Return is a 1993 TV-movie sequel to both the 1959-1973 television series Bonanza and the 1988 made-for-television film Bonanza: The Next Generation...
(1993), Moment of Truth: Why My Daughter (1993) and Accidental Meeting (1994). Also in 1994, she made several guest appearances on the Fox network primetime soap opera Melrose Place. She appeared in four episodes as businesswoman Hillary Michaels, the mother of Amanda Woodward (played by Heather Locklear
Heather Locklear
Heather Deen Locklear is an American actress best known for her television roles as Sammy Jo Carrington on Dynasty, Officer Stacy Sheridan on T.J...
), before her character spearheaded the spin-off series Models Inc., but this series only lasted a single season.
In 2001, Gray portrayed Mrs. Robinson in the West End theatre
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
production of Charles Webb's The Graduate.
Gray returned to television soap operas in 2004, when she had a recurring role in the daytime series The Bold and the Beautiful
The Bold and the Beautiful
The Bold and the Beautiful is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS Daytime. It premiered on March 23, 1987....
, playing Priscilla Kelly.
In 2006, Gray co-starred in the short film Reflections of a Life, written, directed, and starring Kathi Carey. She portrayed the best friend of a woman undergoing treatment for breast cancer. She then toured the United Kingdom in a stage version of Terms of Endearment
Terms of Endearment
Terms of Endearment is a 1983 romantic comedy-drama film adapted by James L. Brooks from the novel by Larry McMurtry and starring Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger, and Jack Nicholson...
.
In 2008, Gray had a small role in The CW
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
series 90210
90210 (TV series)
90210 is an American teen drama television series developed by Rob Thomas, Jeff Judah and Gabe Sachs, and the fourth series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise created by Darren Star. 90210 is the first series produced by CBS Productions under the company's re-launch, but is now produced by CBS...
, which, like Melrose Place and Models Inc. before it, is a spin-off from the original Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210 is an American drama series that originally aired from October 4, 1990 to May 17, 2000 on Fox and was produced by Spelling Television in the United States, and subsequently on various networks around the world. It is the first series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise...
. 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.
Personal life
Gray was married to Ed Thrasher for 21 years. The marriage resulted in two children: Jeff Thrasher and Kehly Sloane (who played Gray's secretary in episodes of Dallas in 1988). Gray also has two grandsons, Ryder and Jack Sloane. Her younger sister, Betty, died in 1989 from breast cancerBreast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
. Linda Gray is also the aunt of actress Lindsey Wagner, best known as The Bionic Woman.
According to her website, Gray recently traveled to Nicaragua to film a documentary on the health issues of women and children as part of her work as a United Nations goodwill ambassador.
Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1963 | Palm Springs Weekend Palm Springs Weekend Palm Springs Weekend is a 1963 Warner Bros. bedroom comedy film directed by Norman Taurog. It has elements of the beach party genre and has been called “a sort of Westernized version of Where the Boys Are" by Billboard Magazine... |
Girl at Pool with Yellow Swimsuit | uncredited |
| 1976 | Dogs | Miss Engle | a.k.a. Slaughter` |
| 1991 | Oscar Oscar (1991 film) Oscar is a 1991 American comedy film directed by John Landis. Based on the Claude Magnier stage play, it is can be considered a remake of the 1967 film of the same name, but the settings has been moved to the Depression era New York City and centers around a mob boss trying to go straight... |
Roxanne | |
| 1998 | Star of Jaipur | Linda Trask | a.k.a. Eve of Destruction a.k.a. Moments of Danger |
| 2006 | Reflections of a Life | Linda | Short film |
| 2010 | Expecting Mary Expecting Mary Expecting Mary is a 2010 comedy-drama film starring Elliott Gould and Linda Gray. It was directed by Dan Gordon and produced by Kim Waltrip with executive producer Jim Casey The film premiered at the Palm Springs International Film Festival 2010 on January 16 and was selected as the opening film at... |
Darnella | |
| The Flight of the Swan | Alexi's mother | Completed | |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1974 | Marcus Welby, M.D. Marcus Welby, M.D. Marcus Welby, M.D. is an American medical drama television program that aired on ABC from September 23, 1969, to July 29, 1976. It starred Robert Young as a family practitioner with a kind bedside manner, and was produced by David Victor and David J. O'Connell... |
Patsy Grey | 1 episode |
| 1975 | The Big Rip-Off | TV movie | |
| 1976 | McCloud | Cindy Yates/Kate O'Hannah | 2 episodes |
| 1977 | Switch Switch (TV series) Switch is an American action-adventure, tongue-in-cheek detective series starring Eddie Albert and Robert Wagner, who worked as private eyes, for a deceptive sting operation... |
Alison | 1 episode |
| All That Glitters | Linda Murkland | Unknown episodes | |
| Murder in Peyton Place Murder in Peyton Place Murder in Peyton Place is a 1977 television film directed by Bruce Kessler. The film is based on the TV series Peyton Place, which aired from 1964 to 1969, and it was billed as a reunion movie as well as a NBC special... |
Carla Cord | TV movie | |
| Big Hawaii | Annie Quinlan | 1 episode | |
| 1976-78 | Emergency! Emergency! Emergency! is an American television series that combines the medical drama and action-adventure genres. It was produced by Mark VII Limited and distributed by Universal Studios... |
Evelyn Davis/Judy | 2 episodes |
| 1978 | The Grass Is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank | Leslie Corliss | TV movie |
| 1979 | The Two Worlds of Jennie Logan | Elizabeth Harrington | TV movie |
| 1980 | Haywire | Nan | TV movie |
| The Wild and the Free | Linda | TV movie | |
| 1982 | Not in Front of the Children | Nancy Carruthers | TV movie |
| 1987 | Kenny Rogers as The Gambler, Part III: The Legend Continues | Mary Collins | TV movie a.k.a. The Gambler III: The Legend Continues |
| 1978-91 | Dallas Dallas (TV series) Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing... |
Sue Ellen Ewing Sue Ellen Ewing Sue Ellen Ewing is a character on the popular American television series Dallas, played by Linda Gray from 1978 to 1989. Sue Ellen was the long-suffering two-time wife of the nefarious J. R. Ewing.... |
308 episodes |
| 1991 | Lovejoy Lovejoy Lovejoy is a TV series about the adventures of Lovejoy, a British antiques dealer and faker based in East Anglia, a less than scrupulous yet likeable rogue. The episodes were based on a series of picaresque novels by John Grant... |
Cassandra Lynch | 2 episodes |
| The Entertainers | Laura | TV movie | |
| 1992 | Highway Heartbreaker | Catherine | TV movie |
| 1993 | Moment of Truth: Why My Daughter? Moment of Truth: Why My Daughter? Moment of Truth: Why My Daughter? is a 1993 television film directed by Chuck Bowman.- Plot :Set in the 1980s, the story focuses on Diana Moffit, a likable 17-year-old teenager. Trouble starts when her parents decide to file for divorce. She takes the split very hard and begins a relationship with... |
Gayle Moffitt | TV movie |
| Bonanza: The Return Bonanza: The Return Bonanza: The Return is a 1993 TV-movie sequel to both the 1959-1973 television series Bonanza and the 1988 made-for-television film Bonanza: The Next Generation... |
Abigail 'Laredo' Stimmons | TV movie | |
| 1994 | To My Daughter with Love | Eleanor Monroe | TV movie |
| Accidental Meeting | Jennifer Parris | TV movie | |
| Moment of Truth: Broken Pledges | Eileen Stevens | TV movie | |
| Melrose Place | Hillary Michaels | 4 episodes | |
| Mighty Max Mighty Max (TV series) Mighty Max is an American animated action/sci-fi/horror television series that aired from 1993 to 1994 to promote the British Mighty Max toys, an offshoot of the Polly Pocket line, created by Bluebird Toys in 1992. It ran for two seasons, with a total of 40 episodes airing during the show's run... |
Kali (voice) | 1 episode | |
| 1994-95 | Models Inc. | Hillary Michaels | 29 episodes |
| 1996 | Touched by an Angel Touched by an Angel Touched by an Angel is an American drama series that premiered on CBS on September 21, 1994 and ran for 211 episodes and nine seasons until its conclusion on April 27, 2003. Created by John Masius and produced by Martha Williamson, the series stars Roma Downey, as an angel named Monica, and Della... |
Marian Campbell | 1 episode |
| Dallas: J.R. Returns Dallas: J.R. Returns Dallas: J.R. Returns is the first of the two Dallas reunion movies to air after the series went off the air. It originally aired on CBS on November 15, 1996, and recently was rerun as part of TV Land's salute to 50 years of Warner Bros. Television.... |
Sue Ellen Shepard Ewing Lockwood Sue Ellen Ewing Sue Ellen Ewing is a character on the popular American television series Dallas, played by Linda Gray from 1978 to 1989. Sue Ellen was the long-suffering two-time wife of the nefarious J. R. Ewing.... |
TV movie | |
| 1997 | When the Cradle Falls | TV movie | |
| 1998 | Dallas: War of the Ewings Dallas: War of the Ewings Dallas: War of the Ewings was the second of the two Dallas reunion movies. It aired on CBS on April 24, 1998, a little less than a year and a half after the first movie, Dallas: J.R... |
Sue Ellen Shepard Ewing Lockwood Sue Ellen Ewing Sue Ellen Ewing is a character on the popular American television series Dallas, played by Linda Gray from 1978 to 1989. Sue Ellen was the long-suffering two-time wife of the nefarious J. R. Ewing.... |
TV movie |
| 2004-05 | The Bold and the Beautiful The Bold and the Beautiful The Bold and the Beautiful is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS Daytime. It premiered on March 23, 1987.... |
Priscilla Kelly | 5 episodes |
| 2005 | McBride: It's Murder, Madam | Victoria Sawyer | TV movie |
| 2006 | Pepper Dennis Pepper Dennis Pepper Dennis is a comedy-drama television series that aired on The WB from April to July 4, 2006. It was quickly announced on May 17, 2006 that Pepper Dennis would not be one of the WB shows transferred to The CW Television Network.... |
Barbara Meryl | 1 episode |
| 2008 | 90210 90210 (TV series) 90210 is an American teen drama television series developed by Rob Thomas, Jeff Judah and Gabe Sachs, and the fourth series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise created by Darren Star. 90210 is the first series produced by CBS Productions under the company's re-launch, but is now produced by CBS... |
Victoria Brewer | 1 episode |
| 2012 | Dallas | Sue Ellen Ewing Sue Ellen Ewing Sue Ellen Ewing is a character on the popular American television series Dallas, played by Linda Gray from 1978 to 1989. Sue Ellen was the long-suffering two-time wife of the nefarious J. R. Ewing.... |
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