Linda Gray, who pIayed the legendary role of Sue Ellen Ewing in the hit show Dallas, had a life filled with excitement and a number of obstacles.
Recalling her childhood in Culver City, CaIifornia, she says how being given the chance to hang out with her friends around the filming studios triggered something in her that made her fall in love with acting. Her father, whom she describes as a rather cold person was always supportive of her career. Her mother used to be a heavy alcoholic while Linda and her sister were growing up so they had to take care of the house for long.
“She wasn’t falling down drunk, there was never any yeIIing,” Linda wrote in her book The Path to Happiness is Always Under Construction. “She wasn’t mean – she was just blurred, in her own world, she would forget to buy food so I started doing the cooking. My sister and I didn’t like her.”
Linda married her first and only husband, whom she separated with in 1983, photographer Edward Lee Thrasher, when she was 21. They had two children together, and although she enjoyed being a mother, it was her husband who somehow stood in her way of making a career in acting.
Although she was part of many commercials, it took Linda quite some time to finally gather the courage to attend acting classes.
In 1967, Linda was paid $25 to be Anne Bancroft’s body double in the poster for the film The Graduate not knowing that years later, or in 2001 to be exact, she would end up playing Mrs Robinson in the West End State production of The Graduate.
During the 1960s, she got a rejection letter from the Glamour Magazine, but that only made her more determined to succeed. “It was so funny that I kept that letter,” she wrote. “I kept the letter because I realized that we all have rejections, and it was her opinion when I was 20 years old. I could have had it devastate my life. But, I didn’t. This feisty streak came out – ‘Oh, yeah? I’m gonna show you!’ With great love and a lot of humor, I kept that letter. It kicked me from behind, and made me want to go and do something.”
After playing small roles, Linda finaIIy got the one that marked her career, that of Sue Ellen Ewing. She appeared in total of 308 episodes on Dallas and played alongside Larry Hagman and Patrick Duffy.
Speaking of her relationship with Hagman, Linda told CM Chat Live: “He was the bad big brother that I never had. He was always doing something in my mind wrong – he was drinking too much, or whatever, and I would reprimand him, he loved that, he loved to do something just to make me crazy. I’d say ‘Don’t eat that. You don’t need that much sugar, and stop drinking.’”
In fact, when Linda was briefly fired from the show for asking for a higher pay, it was Hagman who demanded she gets back.
For her legendary performance in Dallas, Linda received numerous awards, including two Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress – TeIevision Series Drama, as well as a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress.
Her son, Jeff Thrasher, followed into her footsteps and worked as a director. Sadly, he was diagnosed with leukemia and passed away in 2020. Linda was devastated. She had a hard time coping with the loss. Recently, she paid tribute to Jeff writing: “A celebration of my son Jeff’s life. He was the kindest, funniest, sweetest human being….. he brought the world such love and was loved by everyone! May his journey be a magicaI one.”https://www.instagram.com/p/CICmEWyrPUt/embed/captioned/?cr=1&v=14&wp=675&rd=https%3A%2F%2Fbengalimedia24.com&rp=%2Fheartbreaking-update-on-dallas-actress-linda-grey%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR2dgWz6EFpC6RtaLAWwCBgR-BcaAhAdm0FRg147EhNfvC0WfZ9fCh18Swk#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A1751%2C%22ls%22%3A1148.4000000059605%2C%22le%22%3A1748.4000000059605%7D
We are very sorry for her loss. Linda is doing her best to live her life without her son. She is 82 years old and is looking as stunningly beautiful as always
Fierce argument between Karen Grassle and Michael Landon while ‘Little House on the Prairie’ was being filmed
As Caroline Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie, Karen Grassle rose to prominence as an actress. There are still people that watch this series because of how much people adored it.
Karen described an entirely different mood from her point of view, despite the fact that most of the performers spoke about the fantastic atmosphere that existed during the filming.
Little House on the Prairie is a classic program that has been shown in more than 100 countries and hasn’t been totally discontinued since 1974. Many actors’ careers have been aided by the show by their roles in the series.
Despite his tragic 1991 death, actor Michael Landon is still remembered when this series is mentioned.
For this series, Karen Grassle is also well-known. Born in 1942, she followed her dream of being an artist. After graduating from the University of California, she studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London before coming back to the United States.
For Karen Grassle, opportunities presented themselves in perfect timing. Karen was supposed to appear in another project when the series’ auditions were held, but she had to go to Los Angeles for that part and couldn’t get tickets. Her agency then contacted and offered her a part in the series alongside Michael Landon. Despite not being a TV show enthusiast, Karen made the decision to attend the interview.
Subsequently, she said that during the Caroline Ingalls role interview, she was by herself. She added that everyone in the interview was exhausted because they had already cast everyone else, but that she was invited to go to the wardrobe after just a few lines.
When Karen received the part, she admitted that she was a little nervous about what lay ahead, but Landon always made the other people on set laugh and feel good. He was under a great deal of pressure. Karen greatly benefited from her decision to base her part on her mother’s experiences.
While filming is enjoyable, Karen felt that since she is one of the main characters and the show has grown in popularity, she should be paid more. This sparked a furious argument between her and Michael Landon, her coworker. She claimed that when she tried to renegotiate the contract, Michael refused to pay her more money. A rift developed in their relationship as a result of this disagreement.
The two had a cordial phone conversation prior to the actor’s passing, but Karen refrained from discussing the event and the breakup in their relationship at the time in public.
Michael’s widow, Cindy, claimed that despite his serious appearance, her husband was a great parent, deeply devoted about his career, and always arrived home smiling.
No matter how big or tiny their involvement on the show was, Michael made everyone feel important and happy during production, according to the other performers who appeared in Little House on the Prairie. Additionally, Michael was regarded as a true professional by Dean Butler, who played Landon, and had nothing but positive things to say about him. Michael wanted everyone’s experience to be more pleasurable and straightforward.
Michael also made an effort to ensure that the performers could get home in time for supper with their families. He thought that success came from striking a balance between one’s personal and
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