Linda Grey became famous for her role as Sue Ellen Ewing in the television series Dallas.
She appeared in more than 300 episodes, but despite her successful career, Grey also struggled with many personal issues.
This is the story of Linda Gray, who, at 82, continues to live her life today.
Throughout the history of television and cinema, we have repeatedly seen stunning performances by actors and actresses. I don’t know about you, but it seems to me that in these truly stellar performances, the actors themselves were created for these roles, and no one else could have played them to the same degree.
For example, can you imagine anyone other than Michael Landon playing the main character, Charles Ingalls, in Little House on the Prairie? Or would Mary Poppins have been as good if someone other than Dick Van Dyke had played Bert?
Linda Gray — Sue Ellen Ewing
There are many examples of such roles, but let’s talk about one more. Personally, I can’t even imagine watching the cult series Dallas without Linda Gray as Sue Ellen Ewing. I speak for many when I say that we are grateful that she got this role.
Linda Gray’s life was very unusual, you could even say it was a roller coaster ride. Gray struggled with life-threatening illnesses, drug addiction, and also went through a less than successful marriage.
However, despite having to endure difficult times, she always emerged stronger, determined to make the most of her life and have a long and successful career.
In the series Dallas, Grey starred alongside Larry Hagman and Patrick Duffy. Now she talks about her feelings about working alongside Hagman and the secrets behind their great chemistry on set.
Linda Gray was born on 12 September 1940 in Santa Monica, California.
Linda Gray — Childhood
As a child, Gray faced serious challenges when she was diagnosed with polio.
Her grandfather had already been diagnosed with the virus, and her parents were devastated. However, for Linda herself, it wasn’t a big deal.
‘They didn’t know what it was when he was 17, and he was always in a wheelchair,’ she recalls. ‘When I was diagnosed, everyone in my family went crazy, but I didn’t. I thought I might have a wheelchair like my grandfather.’
Gray grew up in Culver City, California, where her father had a watch repair shop. From an early age, performing was in her blood. She performed on the streets of her neighbourhood. When Linda attended Notre Dame Academy in Los Angeles, she played Cinderella in a production of Cinderella.
Her father provided the stability she and her sister Betty needed.
He didn’t offer emotional support,” Linda Gray wrote in her 2015 book, The Road to Happiness Is Always Under Construction. He was just there, like a piece of furniture, but it was a different time then.
‘You didn’t go to Dad with boyfriend problems. God forbid. But he supported my career.’
Their mother, Marge, a former artist and ballerina, was the complete opposite.
A difficult childhood
Marge drank heavily, and soon the two young sisters had to take control of the household.
‘She didn’t fall down drunk, she never yelled,’ Linda writes. ‘She wasn’t mean — she was just fuzzy, in her own world, she forgot to buy food, and I started cooking. My sister and I didn’t like her very much.’
Later, Marge became an Alcoholics Anonymous member and stopped drinking. Linda believes that her mother’s addiction to alcohol was the result of disappointment and suppressed creative potential. She was determined to avoid her mother’s fate.
‘I felt that if I didn’t pursue my career, the same thing could happen to me,’ explains Linda Gray.
But she faced a number of difficulties in her life. And these difficulties began when she was only 20 years old.
A nightmarish marriage
Growing up in Culver City meant being very close to the world capital of show business — Hollywood. After school, Linda Gray and her friends would visit various film studios and get autographs from stars such as Tyrone Power and Spencer Tracy.
At a young age, Grey wanted to study medicine. But, growing up near film studios, she changed her mind and soon realised that she wanted to become an actress. As a teenager, Grey worked as a model for several cosmetics companies and airlines.
Linda Grey was only 21 when she married photographer Edward Lee Trasher. However, the marriage turned into a nightmare for Linda.
Her career and desire to work in show business were put on hold. Instead, she took on the role of wife and then mother. In 1960, the couple had a son, Jeff Thrasher, and six years later, a daughter, Kehli.
Ed, according to Linda, hardly spoke. The family moved to Santa Clarita, where she still lives today, but Linda was determined to pursue her own career.
Their marriage, according to Linda, was emotionally cold. She felt abandoned.