Who Shot J.R. and 11 Other Surprising Facts about ‘Dallas’

4. The Only Actor to Win An Emmy

In the case of the Ewings, the woman behind the men wasn’t their wives, but the family matriarch “Miss Ellie Ewing Farlow,” brilliantly portrayed by Barbara Bel Geddes. Other than her absence due to medical reasons during the 1984 – 85 season, Bel Geddes starred until the series’ penultimate season. Her grasp of the character and incredible delivery earned her an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Drama Series, a television Golden Globe for Best Actress – Drama, and Germany’s Golden Camera Award in 1985. Bel Geddes passed in 2005 and was the only member of the Dallas cast to ever win an Emmy. Another little known fact, the actress was just nine years older than the actor who played her son J.R.

5. Who’s Side Were You On – J.R. vs. Cliff?

Every leading man needs a nemesis and in J.R.’s case it was “Cliff Barnes” played by Ken Kercheval (who was originally cast as Ray Krebbs). For two seasons Cliff was just a recurring character, but he became a regular cast member in the 1979 – 1980 season. The feud between his character and J.R. went way back to their fathers’ time, and was a vicious display that often left audiences at the edge of their seats as they plotted against each other. Of the Dallas cast members, Kercheval and Hagman were the only two who were with the series for its entirety, with the former reprising his role in the 1996 Dallas reunion, and again for the Dallas (2012 – 2014) series.

6. Who Shot J.R?

This is one of fictional TV’s most famous questions, as during the quintessential cliff-hangar ending in season three of Dallas, businessman and devious elder son “J.R. Ewing” was shot. Not even the rest of the cast knew who shot him, as writers were told to keep storylines from them until the truth was revealed. Played by Larry Hagman, who passed in 2012, the actor knew he was meant to portray J.R. from the moment he read the script after it was offered to him in 1978. By the time his character was shot three seasons later, fans had propelled him to the top of the list of favorites on the show, so Hagman haggled for higher pay before returning for season four. Producers had to make a decision — pay up or let that shot be fatal. The character’s popularity won out in the end and when network executives gave in, Hagman became one of television’s highest-paid stars at that time. The episode that revealed the killer drew 76 per cent of all television viewers that night. As for who shot J.R . . . ? For anyone who hasn’t heard yet, the sister-in-law mistress did it.