For many television viewers, Larry Hagman was one of the most well-known actors of his generation. His time on the television series I Dream of Genie and the 1980’s hit American television soap opera Dallas has gone down in the annals of popular culture and with his sad death a chapter of this has passed with him.
Larry Hagman was born on September 21st 1931 in Weatherford, Texas and in a career that lasted over 60 years he was embroiled in some of the most fantastic story lines in television history. The son of television and Broadway actress Mary Martin and Benjamin Hagman, the television actor was best known for playing the hard-nosed oil baron J.R. Ewing in Dallas and the astronaut Major Anthony “Tony” Nelson in the sitcom I Dream of Genie opposite Barbara Eden.
Dallas was one of the most watched television series of its time and Larry Hagman was one of the biggest stars on the planet, this combination made for intent viewing on both sides of the Atlantic and many of its episodes and cliff hangers have become some of the most talked of and most interesting. In 1980 arguably the biggest talking point in homes across the world were on the question “Who shot J.R.?” Such was the interest in the answer that the Queen Mother asked Larry Hagman, when she met that year, who had pulled the trigger. “Not even for you, Ma’am,” replied Hagman.
Larry Hagman portrayed the conniving oil baron from 1978 to the show’s cancellation in the early 1990’s but was part of its return to television screen this year and the man who viewers loved to hate got a final summer in the sun, a part befitting the memory of the man. He was the only actor to appear in all 357 episodes of the series.
Linda Gray, who played his on-screen wife and later ex-wife Sue Ellen, was among those with him in his last moments. “He brought joy to everyone he knew. He was creative, generous, funny, loving and talented, and I will miss him enormously. He was an original and lived life to the fullest,” she said.
Barbara Eden also paid her respects to Hagman’s career. “We’ve lost not just a great actor, not just a television icon, but an element of pure Americana. Goodbye, Larry. There was no one like you before and there will never be anyone like you again.”
In August 1995, Hagman underwent a life-saving liver transplant after he was diagnosed with liver cancer. He was also a heavy smoker as a young man, but the cancer scare was the catalyst for him to quit. He was so shaken by this incident that he immediately became strongly anti-smoking. He recorded several public service announcements pleading with smokers to quit and urging non-smokers never to start.
Dallas executive producers Cynthia Cidre and Michael Robin said that, “J.R. Ewing will endure as one of the most indelible characters in entertainment history. [he] “truly loved portraying this globally recognised character and he leaves a legacy of entertainment, generosity and grace“.
Larry Hagman: Born September 21st 1931, Weatherford, Texas. Died November 23rd 2012, Dallas, Texas. Larry Hagman leaves a widow, Maj Axelsson who he was married to since 1954.
Ian D. Hall