The stars of Dallas have reunited ahead of the show’s 45th anniversary.
Patrick Duffy, Linda Gray, Audrey Landers, Steve Kanaly, Joan Van Ark, Sheree Wilson, and Cathy Podewell joined director Michael Preece at Oscar’s in Palm Springs, California.
Exclusive photos from the reunion that were shared by People show the cast members smiling brightly and hugging as they reflected on the show’s legacy.
Dallas focuses on the lives of the Ewing family, Texan oil barons and ranchers who enjoy fast living, double-crossing, and feuding with the rival Barnes family. The CBS drama ran from 1978 to 1991, and its characters were household names.
‘I think that Dallas was like daytime soaps that were very popular and Dallas came into play and it was gigantic and it filled that same need that people love to have a recurring story, suspense, and something to look forward to,’ Gray told the outlet.
‘Because the show ran for so many years, the audience got to know the characters so genuinely and they really cared for [them] and the characters all went through so much,’ she continued.
‘And I think the fans really loved to relate to the stories that were bigger than life. I think that they were definitely bigger than life so they could live vicariously through those characters. Dallas was so influential.’
Victoria Principal, who played Pamela Barnes Ewing, was not at the reunion. A number of the show’s key cast members have also passed away, including Barbara Bel Geddes, Jim Davis, and Ken Kercheval.
Larry Hagman, who played the infamous J.R. Ewin on the show, died of cancer complications in 2012.
The stars of Dallas have reunited ahead of the show’s 45th anniversary. Patrick Duffy, Linda Gray, Audrey Landers, Steve Kanaly, Joan Van Ark, Sheree Wilson, and Cathy Podewell joined director Michael Preece at Oscar’s in Palm Springs, California
Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray reunited. The pair played Bobby Ewing and Sue Ellen Ewing
Patrick Duffy, 74, played Bobby Ewing
Patrick Duffy got his big break when he was cast as Bobby Ewing in Dallas
Duffy and his real-life girlfriend Linda Purl play love interests on The Bold and the Beautiful
Duffy got his big break when he was cast as Bobby Ewing, the youngest son of Jock and Miss Ellie Ewing. His character’s determination to always do the right thing put him at odds with his scheming older brother J.R.
Bobby was killed off the series in 1985, but he returned a year later, stepping out of the shower as the entire ninth series was revealed to be the dream of his love interest Pamela Barnes Ewing.
Duffy reprised his role in the show’s television movies J.R. Returns and War of the Ewings in the mid-1990s while starring in the family sitcom Step by Step.
He later appeared in TNT’s continuation series of Dallas, which aired from 2012 to 2014 and featured many of the original cast members.
Duffy was married to professional ballerina Carlyn Rosser from 1974 until she died of cancer in 2017. He has been in a relationship with Happy Days actress Linda Purl, 67, since 2020.
Last year, the actor reprised his role as Stephen Logan on The Bold and the Beautiful, and his real-life girlfriend, Purl, was cast as his new love on the soap opera.
Duffy has continued to work steadily, but he is often reminded of his time in Dallas, which he has compared to the hit shows Succession and Yellowstone.
‘The way Dallas was written, it’s standard writing template for shows that run any period of time from a few episodes onto years. But yeah, it all started with us,’ he told People. ‘I really thought about it with Succession.’
Linda Gray, 82, played Sue Ellen Ewing
Gray played Sue Ellen Ewing, the unhappily married alcoholic wife of J.R. Ewing in the show
Gray is best known for playing Sue Ellen Ewing, the unhappily married alcoholic wife of J.R. Ewing. The actress starred in Dallas from 1978 to 1989, and also appeared in the show’s television movies.
She later reprised her role for the show’s revival in 2012. Three years later, she published her memoir, The Road to Happiness Is Always Under Construction.
Gray was married to art director and photographer Ed Thrasher from 1962 to 1983. Together, they had two children, Jeff Thrasher and Kehly Sloane.
In November 2020, she announced on Instagram that her son, Jeff, had died of leukemia at the age of 56.
Gray continues to act, and she most recently appeared on the podcast series Tara Tremendous and its spinoff Tremendous Boy.
Charlene Tilton, 64, played Lucy Ewing
Charlene Tilton played wild child Lucy Ewing, the daughter of Gary Ewing and Valene Ewing
Tilton was cast as the show’s wild child Lucy Ewing, the daughter of Gary Ewing and Valene Clements Ewing.
Her character was usually found skipping school and romping around the hayloft with ranch foreman Ray Krebbs, whom she later found out was her uncle.
The 4-foot-11 actress was nicknamed the ‘Poison Dwarf’ by the late radio broadcaster Terry Wogan due to her on-screen antics and her short stature.
‘I think it was, to the best of my knowledge, the first show that gave you characters that were truly flawed, but they were loved by the audience. And every one of us had a major flaw, but still they were human and the audience still loved them,’ Tilton told People of Dallas.
Tilton continues to act, and she most recently played Pam in the 2023 film Heaven Sent, which premiered on the faith and family-based streaming platform Pure Flix.
Audrey Landers, 66, played Afton Cooper
Audrey Landers played Afton Cooper, the girlfriend of Cliff Barnes
Landers had a supporting role in Dallas and made her debut as Afton Cooper in the show’s fourth season.
The actress wrote and performed her own songs on the show while playing the nightclub singer, who was the sister of Mitch Cooper and the girlfriend of Cliff Barnes.
After leaving Dallas in 1984, she was cast as Val Clarke in the 1985 film version of A Chorus Line. She has reprised her role as Afton numerous times over the years, and most recently played her in the second season of the show’s short-lived reboot.
Landers continues to act, and she most recently appeared in the 2022 television movie Cloudy with a Chance of Christmas.
Exclusive photos from the reunion that were shared by People show the cast members smiling brightly and hugging as they reflected on the show’s legacy
Steve Kanaly, 77, played Ray Krebbs
Steve Kanaly played Ray Krebbs, who was revealed to be the illegitimate son of Jock Ewing
Kanaly is best known for his role as Ray Krebbs, the rogue with a heart of gold.
His character was eventually revealed to be the illegitimate son of Jock Ewing, which raised serious questions over his romance with Lucy Ewin after she turned out to be his niece.
Kanaly made sporadic guest appearances on shows before reprising his role on the Dallas reboot from 2012 to 2014, the last acting credit listed on his IMBD page.
The actor is also a watercolor painter and has been married to his wife Brent Power for nearly 50 years.
The cast photographed on the set of the ‘Southfork Ranch’ in Texas in 1979
Joan Van Ark, 79, played Valene ‘Val’ Ewing
Joan Van Ark played Valene Ewing in Dallas and it’s spinoff series Knot’s Landing
Van Ark got her big break when she was cast as Valene Ewing in 1978.
After making several guest appearances on the primetime soap, she became a leading character on the Dallas spinoff Knots Landing, which premiered in 1979.
Knots Landing followed Valene and Gary Ewing after they married for the second time and moved to California to restart their lives.
Van Ark continues to act and has done voice work on various projects in recent years, including the video game Redfall.
She has been married to TV reporter John Marshall since 1966, and together they have one daughter, actress Vanessa Marshall.
Sheree Wilson, 64, played April Stevens Ewing
Sheree Wilson is well known for playing April Stevens Ewing in Dallas from 1986 to 1991
Wilson played April Stevens Ewing in Dallas from 1986 to 1991.
The actress was pregnant when she left the show in the first half of the final season. She asked to be killed off because she wanted to focus on being a mother.
Wilson’s character tragically died in her husband Bobby Ewing’s arms after being shot and killed on their honeymoon in Paris.
She went on to play Alex Cahill for all nine seasons of Walker, Texas Ranger, which premiered in 1993.
Wilson shares two sons with her ex-husband, Paul DeRobbio, whom she was married to from 1991 to 2004.
She has been married to her second husband, Vince Morella, since 2018, and like many of her castmates, she continues to act.
Wilson has two projects that are in preproduction: Rose in Paradise and the short film One Crazy Night. She also recently played a grandmother in the 2022 movie Flip Turn.
Cathy Podewell, 59, played Cally Harper Ewing
Cathy Podwell played Cally Harper Ewing, the second wife of J.R. Ewing
Podwell was cast as Cally Harper Ewing, the second wife of J.R. Ewing, and appeared on the primetime soap opera from 1988 to 1991.
She has had a number of guest appearances on popular television series over the years, including Murder, She Wrote, Beverly Hills, 90210, Growing Pains, and Walker, Texas Ranger.
Podwell also reprised her role in the second season of the Dallas reboot in 2013.
After a five-year hiatus from acting, she played Laurel Conner in the 2021 horror film Reunion From Hell.
Podwell has been married to her husband, Steven Glueck, since 1989, and they have three children together.