Linda Gray became famous for her role as Sue Ellen Ewing in the hit TV show Dallas. She appeared in over 300 episodes and built a successful career. But behind the scenes, Linda faced many personal struggles. Now, at 82 years old, she’s still going strong.
Throughout television history, some actors are so perfect for their roles that it’s impossible to imagine anyone else playing them. For instance, could you picture anyone other than Michael Landon as Charles Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie?
Or anyone besides Dick Van Dyke as Bert in Mary Poppins?
One more such example is Linda Gray. It’s hard to think of Dallas without her portrayal of Sue Ellen Ewing, and fans are grateful she landed the role.
Linda’s life has been full of ups and downs. She’s battled serious illness, addiction, and a tough marriage. Despite these hardships, Linda emerged stronger each time, determined to have a long and successful career.
On Dallas, she acted alongside Larry Hagman and Patrick Duffy. Linda recently opened up about her time working with Hagman and the secret to their on-screen chemistry.
Linda Gray’s Childhood
Linda Gray was born on September 12, 1940, in Santa Monica, California. As a child, Linda faced a major challenge: she was diagnosed with polio. Her grandfather had also suffered from the illness, leaving her family devastated. But Linda took it in stride.
“When I was diagnosed, everyone went crazy in my family, but I wasn’t. I thought I could have a wheelchair like Grandpa,” she remembered.
Linda grew up in Culver City, California, where her father ran a watchmaker shop. From a young age, she had a love for performing, even entertaining her neighborhood on the streets. While attending Notre Dame Academy in Los Angeles, Linda played Cinderella in the school’s production.
Her father was a steady presence in her life but wasn’t emotionally supportive. As Linda wrote in her 2015 book The Road to Happiness Is Always Under Construction, “He was just kind of there, like a piece of furniture. You didn’t go to Dad with boyfriend problems. But he was supportive of my career.”
Linda’s mother, Marge, was quite the opposite. A former artist and ballerina, Marge turned to alcohol, leaving Linda and her sister to take over household duties.
“She wasn’t falling down drunk, there was never any yelling. She wasn’t mean – she was just blurred, in her own world,” Linda wrote. “She would forget to buy food, so I started doing the cooking. My sister and I didn’t like her.”
Eventually, Marge sought help through Alcoholics Anonymous and quit drinking. Linda believed her mother’s drinking was due to suppressed creativity and disappointment. Determined not to end up like her mother, Linda pursued her dreams fiercely.
“I felt that if I didn’t pursue my career, the same thing could happen to me,” she explained.
But the challenges didn’t stop there. In her 20s, Linda faced more struggles.
Marriage Problems
Living near Hollywood in Culver City meant Linda was close to the heart of show business. She and her friends often hung around studios, collecting autographs from stars like Tyrone Powers and Spencer Tracy. While Linda initially wanted to study medicine, being so close to the film industry led her to change her mind. She soon realized she wanted to act.
As a teen, Linda modeled for beauty companies and airlines. At 21, she married photographer Edward Lee Thrasher, but the marriage quickly turned into a nightmare. Linda put her acting career on hold, taking on the role of wife and mother instead.
In 1960, she and Ed welcomed a son, Jeff Thrasher, and six years later, their daughter Kehly was born. But despite the growing family, Linda felt emotionally abandoned.
“It tore me apart, but I just thought, ‘Well, I can make this work somehow,’” Linda recalled. “It took me 21 years to leave my marriage.”
During that time, Ed discouraged Linda from working part-time jobs, preferring a luxurious lifestyle. But Linda saw an opportunity to break into show business. Soon, she was appearing in TV commercials — a lot of them.
Breakthrough in Acting
Linda got her first break in film with two uncredited roles in Under the Yum Yum Tree and Palm Springs Weekend in 1963. Then, in 1967, she got a job that would become legendary: at 27, she was paid $25 to be Anne Bancroft’s body double for the iconic poster of The Graduate.
Her legs appear in the famous image, and years later, she even played Mrs. Robinson in a stage production of The Graduate in London’s West End.
But not everything was easy. In her memoir, Linda shared a rejection letter she received from Glamour Magazine in the early 1960s. “It was so funny that I kept that letter,” she said. “It kicked me from behind and made me want to go and do something.”
Though she loved being a mother, Linda was frustrated that she couldn’t pursue her acting career. When she finally decided to take acting classes, Ed wasn’t happy.
“He said, ‘Why don’t you become an actress when the children are in college,’” Linda recalled.
At 37, Linda defied his wishes and began taking acting lessons, even though her classmates were much younger. Soon after, actor Dennis Weaver noticed her talent and helped her land a guest role on Marcus Welby M.D. in 1974.
Dallas and Stardom
Linda’s life changed dramatically in 1978 when she landed the role of Sue Ellen Ewing on the new soap opera Dallas. Originally meant to appear in just five episodes, her performance made her a star, and she became a regular cast member. The show, set on the Southfork Ranch, was full of drama: betrayal, lies, affairs, and scandal. Critics loved Linda’s performance, and the audience did too.
Her on-screen chemistry with Larry Hagman, who played J.R. Ewing, was electric. But off-screen, it was more like a sibling relationship.
“He was the bad big brother that I never had,” Linda said. “He was always doing something wrong in my mind, and I would reprimand him. He loved it!”
“We were like crazy teenagers,” she added. “But when they said ‘action,’ we’d become J.R. and Sue Ellen. It was seamless.”
Dallas became one of the most popular TV shows of all time, breaking records for viewership. In 1980, over 80 million people watched the famous “Who shot J.R.?” episode, the largest TV audience ever at the time.
Linda’s performance earned her two Golden Globe nominations and an Emmy nomination. During the height of her success on the show, she finally divorced Ed in 1983.
Tragedy and Resilience
Linda’s son Jeff followed her into show business, becoming a director. He earned an Emmy nomination in 2018 for his work on Furze World Wonders. Sadly, in 2020, Jeff passed away after battling leukemia. Linda paid tribute to him on Instagram, writing, “He was the kindest, funniest, sweetest human being.”
Despite the tragedy, Linda continues to push forward. At 82 years old, she remains active in the industry, returning to the role of Sue Ellen when Dallas was revived in 2012. Through her many struggles, Linda has always found a way to keep moving forward. Today, she’s learned how to turn life’s challenges into the energy that keeps her going strong.
