Linda Gray facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Linda Gray
Gray at The Heart Truth show in 2011
Born	Linda Ann Gray September 12, 1940 (1940-09-12) (age 84) Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress director producer model (former)
Years active	1963–present
Spouse(s)	Ed Thrasher ​ ​ (m. 1962; div. 1983)​
Children	2

Linda Ann Gray (born September 12, 1940) is an American actress, director, producer, and former model. She is most famous for playing Sue Ellen Ewing on the TV show Dallas. Sue Ellen was the wife of J.R. Ewing, played by Larry Hagman.

The show Dallas was a very popular drama series on CBS from 1978 to 1989. Linda Gray also returned for a new version of Dallas from 2012 to 2014. Her role as Sue Ellen earned her nominations for big awards like the Primetime Emmy Award and two Golden Globe Awards.

Linda Gray started her career in the 1960s by appearing in many TV commercials. In the 1970s, she acted in several TV series before getting her famous role in Dallas in 1978. After Dallas ended, she appeared in movies like Oscar with Sylvester Stallone.

She also starred in the TV drama Models Inc. from 1994 to 1995. Linda Gray played Sue Ellen again in TV movies like Dallas: J.R. Returns (1996) and Dallas: War of the Ewings (1998). She also joined the cast for the new Dallas series on TNT.

Linda Gray has also performed on stage. She played Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate in London in 2001 and on Broadway in 2002. In 2014, she played the Fairy Godmother in a London stage production of Cinderella.

Early Life and First Jobs

Linda Gray was born in 1940 in Santa Monica, California. She grew up in Culver City, California. Her father, Leslie, owned a watch shop there.

Before she became a famous actress, Linda Gray worked as a model in the 1960s. She appeared in almost 400 television commercials! She also had small parts in movies like Under the Yum Yum Tree and Palm Springs Weekend in 1963.

Starting Her Acting Career

Linda Gray began her professional acting career in the 1970s. She had guest roles on many TV shows. These included Marcus Welby, M.D., McCloud, and Switch. She signed with Universal Studios in 1974.

She also appeared in films like The Big Rip-Off (1975) and Dogs (1976). In 1977, she played Linda Murkland in All That Glitters. This show was a comedy that made fun of soap operas.

Becoming a Star in Dallas

Linda Gray with Larry Hagman in 2009

Linda Gray became a huge star for her role as Sue Ellen Ewing in the CBS drama series Dallas. The show ran from 1978 to 1989, and she also appeared in 1991. At first, her role was just a guest part for the first five episodes.

But her character, Sue Ellen, became very popular. So, Linda Gray became a regular cast member in the second season. She stayed with the show until 1989. Critics really liked her performance as Sue Ellen.

She was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and an Primetime Emmy Award for her work on Dallas. She also won many awards from other countries. These included Germany's Bambi Award and Italy's Il Gato. In 1982, she was named Woman of the Year by the Hollywood Radio & Television Society.

Gray speaking at the 2014 Arizona Ultimate Women's Expo

Life After Dallas

After Dallas, Linda Gray starred in the 1991 comedy film Oscar. She acted alongside Sylvester Stallone in this movie. She also made guest appearances on the British drama Lovejoy.

She appeared in several TV movies. These included The Entertainers (1991), Bonanza: The Return (1993), and Moment of Truth: Why My Daughter (1993). In 1994, she had guest roles on the Fox show Melrose Place. She played Hillary Michaels, the mother of Amanda Woodward (Heather Locklear).

She continued this role in the Melrose Place spin-off show, Models Inc.. In this show, her character Hillary ran a modeling agency. However, Models Inc. was canceled after one season. Linda Gray also appeared in the Dallas reunion TV movies: Dallas: J.R. Returns (1996) and Dallas: War of the Ewings (1998).

Gray and Patrick Duffy at the PaleyFest 2013 forum for Dallas

In 2001, Linda Gray played Mrs. Robinson in the West End theatre production of The Graduate. This was special because her legs were used in the famous poster for the 1967 movie version of The Graduate. She also briefly played the role on Broadway in 2002.

Linda Gray also started directing plays. Her first play as a director was Murder in the First. She has also acted in other stage plays like Terms of Endearment, Agnes of God, and Love Letters.

Recent Work

In 2004, Linda Gray returned to TV as a guest star. She appeared in five episodes of the daytime soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful. She played a character named Priscilla Kelly.

She also acted in several independent films. These included the drama Reflections of a Life (2006) and Expecting Mary (2010). Other films were The Flight of the Swan (2011) and Hidden Moon (2012).

In 2008, Linda Gray appeared in The CW series 90210. This show was a spin-off from Beverly Hills, 90210. She has now been in three shows from this TV series family.

In 2012, Linda Gray played Sue Ellen Ewing again in the new Dallas series on TNT. This show continued the story of the original series. In 2013, she was named one of the fifty best-dressed people over 50 by The Guardian newspaper. People magazine also included her in their Most Beautiful Woman list.

For Christmas 2014, she performed in a pantomime show in London. She played the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella. In 2015, she starred in the Hallmark Channel film A Perfect Wedding. She also played a grandmother in The CW comedy series Significant Mother.

Gray at the 2015 Texas Book Festival

In 2016, it was announced that Linda Gray would join the cast of the British soap opera Hollyoaks. She played Tabitha Maxwell-Brown, the mother of a character named Marnie Nightingale. Linda Gray appeared in Hollyoaks in November 2016 and returned again in February 2017.

In 2017, Gray joined the cast of the Amazon Studios drama series Hand of God. She acted alongside Ron Perlman and Dana Delany.

In 2023, it was announced that Linda Gray would be in the Lifetime film Ladies of the '80s: A Divas Christmas. This movie is about five soap opera stars who try to play matchmakers during Christmas. The cast also includes Loni Anderson, Morgan Fairchild, Donna Mills, and Nicollette Sheridan.

Personal Life

Linda Gray was married to Ed Thrasher from 1962 to 1983. Ed Thrasher was an art director and photographer. They had two children together: Jeff Thrasher and Kehly Sloane. Kehly Sloane is an actress who even appeared on the original Dallas. Sadly, Jeff passed away from leukemia in November 2020.

Linda Gray has two grandsons. Her younger sister, Betty, died from breast cancer in 1989. Linda Gray lives in Los Angeles, California.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Linda Gray para niños