| Sue Ellen Ewing | |
|---|---|
| Dallas character | |
Screenshot of Linda Gray as Sue Ellen Ewing, representing the character's battle with alcohol. |
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| First appearance | April 2, 1978 Digger's Daughter |
| Created by | David Jacobs |
| Portrayed by | Linda Gray |
| Information | |
| Gender | Female |
| Occupation | 50% shareholder/CEO of Ewing Oil (1996-) |
| Family | Patricia Shepard (mother) Kristin Shepard (sister; deceased) |
| Spouse(s) | J. R. Ewing (1970-1981, 1982-1988) Don Lockwood (1990-1996) |
| Children | John Ross Ewing III |
Sue Ellen Ewing (née Shepard; later Lockwood) (born 1947) 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.[1]
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When Gray originally tested for Dallas, the role of Sue Ellen was merely that of a background character. The actress recounts that the part was a "mere walk-on" and there hadn't been any need for a formal audition.[2] In fact, Linda had to do an impromptu audition over the telephone because the role was not considered important enough to bring in another actor to test for the part,[2] though the actress later stated that Newhart innkeeper Mary Frann was also considered to play the character while casting.[3] In an interview with TV Guide, Gray confirmed: "She had the part. Victoria Principal was a brunet and so was I, and Mary was a blond, and [the producers] wanted that [visual] contrast. But the casting director [who had only recently tapped me to play a transsexual on All That Glitters] kept bugging them until they finally said, 'OK, we'll read her.'"[3]
In 1979, Gray spoke with TV Guide (Canada) and recounted: "At first, they had no idea what to do with the part. Sue Ellen's lines ran to 'More coffee, darling?' and 'I have a headache.' Victoria Principal and Patrick Duffy were the goody-goddies. Jim Davis and Barbara Bel Geddes were parental. Hagman was the villain. And I was the redhead on the couch."[2] However, Gray was upgraded to a starring role once Dallas was picked up for a full season following the five episode arc miniseries. The actress later stated that on-screen husband Larry Hagman had criticized one of her performances early on during the start of the series calling it "terrible", though he denied it. She joked, "I'm sorry. He said it to me loud and clear, and made me feel terrible, and it started one of our first fights on the way back [to the motel where everyone was staying]. I swear to you — he devastated me. Then, years later, he said, 'Oh, I didn't mean that.' I could have killed him!"[3]
After staying with Dallas for eight seasons, Gray ran into trouble when she requested the producers of the show to allow her the ability to direct like that of male co-stars Duffy and Hagman in her contract. The request initially led to producers firing the actress from the serial, though the decision was later reversed when Dallas star Larry Hagman threatened to quit the show unless Gray was rehired.[3] Gray stated in an interview with TV Guide, "The producers said, 'But you're doing so well.' I thought, 'Oh, look out! I'm on the warpath now.' It was a struggle, though, because it was a man's show. And they fired me. When I finally told Larry, he went with me into the office and said, 'If she doesn't come back, I don't come back. I can't be playing J.R. Ewing without Sue Ellen.' He was very loyal and, honestly, a very smart businessman. He knew that truly, it was a huge relationship to the show." We'll drink to that!"[3]
The actress also recounted the story to Alan Mercer of Dazzling Diva.com, saying: "I told them I don't want any more money. I just want to direct one episode in the next two year cycle. I didn't think that was so horrible. I didn't want to direct six episodes. They still said no. Basically I was fired at the end of year eight. So I said good-bye and Larry said see you next season. I told him I won't be coming back. He said, "What!?!" I told him, "They fired me because I want to direct one episode and if that's there stance I'm out of here." He was stunned and he said if you go I go. He denies that to this day. He really went to bat for me."[4] Gray remained a member of the principal cast until she left the show in its eleventh season.[5] Her departure came as a surprise, but her publicist said that after eleven years on the show she wished to pursue other things.[5] In 2010, TNT (sister company to Warner Bros. Television who are the current copyright owners of the series) announced they were producing a new, updated series of Dallas.[6] The new series is a continuation of the original series and will primarily center around J.R. Ewing's son John Ross Ewing III, and Bobby Ewing's adopted son Christopher Ewing, though various stars of the original series will be reprising their roles.[7] Gray has agreed to return to the new series and will once again play Sue Ellen in the upcoming continuation.[8]
Sue Ellen was the eldest of two daughters born and raised in Dallas. Shortly after her younger sister Kristin was born, her alcoholic father deserted the family and died shortly thereafter. Her mother, with a modest income of her own, never remarried and instead brought up her two daughters to attain wealth and position. Sue Ellen became a straight A student in high school with exceptional beauty and social skills. She went on to the University of Texas where her freshman year she was invited to join every social sorority, pledging one and also making varsity cheerleader. Later, at her mother’s urging, she went out for the ultimate beauty prize: representing Texas at the Miss America pageant.[9]
When Sue Ellen won the title of Miss Texas 1967, she met her future husband J.R., who was a judge for the pageant. After a courtship, they were married on February 15, 1970, but after several years, their marriage deteriorated, due in large part to J.R.’s numerous extramarital affairs and his disinterest in her.
In 1979, a lonely Sue Ellen began an affair with J.R.’s nemesis Cliff Barnes. Shortly thereafter, Sue Ellen found herself pregnant and believed that Cliff was the father because she and J.R. had been married for years without conceiving and by this point, they barely had marital relations.
Sue Ellen believed she loved Cliff, but was unable to leave J.R. To console herself, she started drinking heavily during her pregnancy. Worried about the safety of her unborn child, J.R. had Sue Ellen committed to a sanitarium in 1979 to gain sobriety. However, Sue Ellen managed to continue drinking and escaped the sanitarium drunk and crashed a car. While in the hospital, she gave birth to a son, John Ross Ewing III.
After her son’s birth, Sue Ellen became severely depressed and showed no interest in the child. She then began an affair with rodeo cowboy Dusty Farlow and entered into psychiatric treatment. Eventually, she gained the strength to connect with her child. After Cliff sued for paternity of the baby, tests revealed that J.R. was in fact the actual biological father. Sue Ellen, meanwhile, made plans to leave J.R. for Dusty, however, Dusty was reportedly killed in a plane crash and this news sent Sue Ellen back to the bottle.
In 1981, Sue Ellen learned that Dusty was in fact alive, but had been horribly crippled as a result of the plane crash. Nonetheless, Sue Ellen remained dedicated to her love for Dusty and left J.R.—taking their son with her to live at the Southern Cross Ranch, the home of Dusty’s father, Clayton Farlow. Sue Ellen divorced J.R. and gained custody of John Ross, but her relationship with Dusty ended when Dusty regained the use of his legs and decided to resume his life’s passion as a rodeo cowboy.
Sue Ellen then moved back to Dallas with her son and entered into another short-lived romance with J.R.’s enemy, Cliff Barnes. When J.R. got wind of this, he became jealous and courted Sue Ellen himself in an effort to win back custody of his son, and, in the process, obtain his voting shares in Ewing Oil. In 1982, J.R. and Sue Ellen remarried, but their happiness would be short-lived as J.R. quickly returned to his philandering ways and Sue Ellen caught him in bed with Holly Harwood. However, Sue Ellen decided to remain married to J.R., in name only, but moved out of his bedroom.
In 1983, Sue Ellen entered into an affair with college student, Peter Richards, who had been her son’s camp counselor. In 1984, Sue Ellen miscarried a child, but didn’t know if J.R. or Peter was the father. When J.R. learned of Sue Ellen’s affair, he arranged for Peter to be arrested on trumped-up drug charges and blackmailed him to leave Dallas for good.
In 1986, Sue Ellen went into business by buying a partnership interest in a lingerie company. She successfully lured J.R.’s latest mistress, Mandy Winger, away from J.R. by offering her a promising career as model and then as an actress. Sue Ellen and J.R. enjoyed a brief reconciliation, however, J.R.’s desire to regain Ewing Oil by having an affair with Kimberly Cryder destroyed what was left of their marriage.
Sue Ellen decided to leave J.R. for good, but he managed to take John Ross away and put him into hiding in a boarding school. Sue Ellen and her new lover, Nicholas Pearce, confronted J.R. at his penthouse and demanded he tell them where he hid John Ross. A scuffle broke out between J.R. and Nicholas resulting in Nicholas being thrown over the balcony and being killed. In response, Sue Ellen then shot J.R. three times; however, he lived and neither she nor J.R. were indicted for any crimes.
In 1988, Sue Ellen divorced J.R. for a second time. Deciding to get revenge on J.R., Sue Ellen decided to make a feature film expose on her life with J.R. with the help of screenwriter Don Lockwood. She and Don soon became romantically involved and, in 1989, Sue Ellen moved to London with Lockwood, but not before blackmailing J.R. by threatening to release her film expose which would destroy his reputation.
In 1991, J.R. learned that Sue Ellen and Don Lockwood had married. John Ross, her son by J.R., would later join her and Don in London. Sue Ellen did appear in the final episode of the series during J.R.’s dream in which she is a successful actress married to her former love, Nicholas Pearce.
In 1996, when her marriage to Don was in trouble, Sue Ellen returned to Dallas with her son when J.R. was reportedly killed in a car accident. When J.R. was discovered alive, Sue Ellen reconciled with him. However, upon learning that J.R. faked his death to manipulate his family, Sue Ellen became partners with Bobby in the family company, Ewing Oil to spite J.R.[10]
Sue Ellen will return in the new version of Dallas set to debut in the summer of 2012. The series will focus on her son with J.R., John Ross Ewing III, and Bobby Ewing's adopted son, Christopher Ewing.
Sue Ellen’s is the name of a lesbian bar in Dallas, Texas run by Caven Enterprises in the Oak Lawn neighborhood, which also operates a bar named J.R.’s in the same area.
In the Hungarian version of the series, Sue Ellen was renamed to Samantha.
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