SHE BECAME FAMOUS ON THE TV SHOW ‘DALLAS.’ TAKE A MOMENT TO PREPARE YOURSELF BEFORE YOU SEE HER NOW, AT 82 YEARS OLD.
Linda Gray became well-known by playing Sue Ellen Ewing on the popular TV show Dallas. She was part of over 300 episodes, but even with a successful career, she faced personal challenges.
Now, at 82 years old, Linda Gray is still going strong. This is her story.
Over the years, in movies and TV, we’ve seen actors give fantastic performances that seem perfect for them. It’s like they were meant to play those roles, and it’s hard to imagine anyone else doing it just as well.
For instance, can you picture someone else playing Charles Ingalls in “Little House on the Prairie” instead of Michael Landon? Or would “Mary Poppins” be the same if Dick Van Dyke didn’t play Bert?
Think about how certain actors are just perfect for certain roles. Take Linda Gray, for instance. It’s hard to picture the TV show Dallas without her playing Sue Ellen Ewing. Many of us are thankful she got that part.
Linda Gray’s life has been like a roller coaster – full of ups and downs. She faced serious illness, fought against addiction, and went through a marriage that wasn’t very fulfilling.
Even though Linda Gray has faced tough times, she always came out stronger. She was determined to make the best of her life and have a long and successful career.
In the TV show Dallas, Gray acted with Larry Hagman and Patrick Duffy. Now, she shares her thoughts about working with Hagman and spills the secrets behind their great on-screen chemistry.
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Linda Gray was born on September 12, 1940, in Santa Monica, California.
When she was a little kid, she got sick with polio. Her grandfather already had it, and her parents were really sad about it. But for Linda, it wasn’t a big deal.
“When my grandpa was 17, they didn’t know what was wrong, and he always used a wheelchair,” she remembered. “When I got diagnosed, everyone in my family was upset, but I wasn’t. I thought I could have a wheelchair like Grandpa.”
Linda Gray grew up in Culver City, California, where her dad had a watchmaker shop. Even as a little kid, she loved performing. She would put on shows in her neighborhood. Later, at Notre Dame Academy in Los Angeles, she played Cinderella in a play.
Her dad gave her and her sister Betty the stability they needed.
Linda Gray shared in her 2015 book, “The Road to Happiness Is Always Under Construction,” that her dad didn’t provide emotional support. He was more like a piece of furniture, just there. But back then, you didn’t talk to your dad about problems with boyfriends. Still, he was supportive of her career.
Their mom, Marge, used to be an artist and ballerina but was quite different. She drank a lot, and soon, the two sisters had to take charge of their home.
Marge wasn’t falling down drunk, and there was no yelling. She wasn’t mean, just kind of lost in her own world. She’d forget to buy food, so Linda started doing the cooking. Linda and her sister didn’t like her much.
Later in life, Marge went to Alcoholics Anonymous and stopped drinking. Linda thinks her mom drank because of disappointment and stifled creativity. Linda was determined not to end up like her mom and believed that pursuing her career was the key to avoiding the same fate.
But Linda Gray faced many challenges in her life, and they began when she was in her 20s.
Living near Hollywood in Culver City meant being close to the entertainment capital of the world. Linda and her friends used to spend time at the studios after school, getting autographs from famous stars like Tyrone Powers and Spencer Tracy.
Initially, she wanted to study medicine, but being near the film studios changed her mind. Linda decided she wanted to be an actress. During her teenage years, she worked as a model for various beauty companies and airlines.
