Charlene Tilton | |
|---|---|
 Tilton in 2010 | |
| Born | Charlene L. Tilton December 1, 1958 San Diego, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, singer |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Known for | Lucy Ewing in Dallas |
| Spouse(s) | Johnny Lee (1982–1984) Domenick Allen (1985–1992) |
| Children | 1 |
Charlene L. Tilton (born December 1, 1958) is an American actress and singer. [1] [2] She is widely known for playing Lucy Ewing on the CBS prime time soap opera Dallas .
Tilton had early roles on such television series such Happy Days and Eight Is Enough . She made her first film appearance alongside Jodie Foster in Freaky Friday (1976). In 1978, Tilton made a cameo appearance in the John Milius film Big Wednesday . The same year, she made her big break by landing the role of Lucy Ewing, the sly, vixenish, frequently frustrated granddaughter of John "Jock" Ewing Sr. and the former Eleanor "Ellie" Southworth on the television series Dallas, alongside actors Jim Davis, Barbara Bel Geddes, and Larry Hagman, from 1978 to 1985 and from 1988 to 1990. She also appeared on one episode of the series' spin-off Knots Landing in 1980. At the height of her Dallas fame, she received a $50,000 salary per episode, appeared on 500 magazine covers, and drew 65 million viewers for her 1981 TV wedding. [3]
Tilton is also a singer, lending her vocal ability to a 1978 episode of Dallas titled "Runaway", in which Greg Evigan guest-starred. In 1984, she released the dance-pop single "C'est la Vie", which became a hit in several European countries, though not in the United States. She appeared on Circus of the Stars in 1979 and 1991, on one occasion acting as a knife thrower's target girl while dressed in a gold bikini. Tilton also appeared on game shows, such as Family Feud , Battle of the Network Stars , Hollywood Squares , Pyramid , 1 vs. 100 , and Catch 21 including being a panelist on the 1979–1982 syndicated version of Match Game . She also hosted the unsold pilot for a potential revival of the show in syndication as MG2 in 1996. After her breakthrough with Dallas, Tilton went to star in the television films Diary of a Teenage Hitchhiker and The Fall of the House of Usher both released in 1979. During the 1980s, she guest-starred on Fantasy Island , The Fall Guy , Hotel , The Love Boat and Murder, She Wrote .
Tilton was the guest host on an episode of Saturday Night Live on February 21, 1981, which featured a parody of the famed "Who shot J.R.?" episode of Dallas. In the episode, cast member Charles Rocket was shot in the chest by a sniper while doing a sketch about a sexy couple (with Gail Matthius as his partner) bathing a dog and spouting innuendo. At the end of the show, during the "goodbyes", Tilton asked Rocket how he felt about being shot. In character, Rocket improvised, "Oh, man, it's the first time I've ever been shot in my life. I'd like to know who fucking did it." [4] The improvisation by Rocket, which violated FCC broadcast standards, led to his dismissal from the show's cast.
After Dallas, Tilton appeared in the 1990 western film Border Shootout starring Glenn Ford, and the following year had supporting role in the comedy film Problem Child 2 . She appeared in a number of commercials for the Abdominizer line of direct-market workout equipment in the 1990s. In 1993, she appeared as herself in an episode of Married... with Children titled "Tis Time to Smell the Roses", which sent up her involvement with the Abdominizer. In addition, she has appeared in several send-up comedies, such as The Silence of the Hams (1994), Superhero Movie (2008), and Paranormal Calamity (2010). In 2005, she appeared in the British reality television show The Farm .
In 2001, Tilton was honored by the Young Artist Foundation with its Former Child Star "Lifetime Achievement" Award for her role as Lucy Ewing on the original Dallas television series. [5] In January 2012, Tilton was a contestant on the British ice-skating show Dancing on Ice in its seventh season, in which she was paired with American figure skater Matthew Gonzalez. Tilton was voted out of the competition, though, in week five of a 12-week run. [6]
In 2012, Tilton joined the cast of TNT's Dallas revival series, and reprised her role as Lucy Ewing in a number of episodes. [7] [8] She later appeared in the ABC comedy series The Middle in 2015, and the thriller film Vengeance: A Love Story . Tilton also appeared in a number of Lifetime and Hallmark Channel films in later years. [9]
Tilton was born on December 1, 1958, in San Diego, California, the daughter of Katherine Thacker, a secretary; [10] she grew up not knowing her father and with few financial resources available to her mother or her.[ citation needed ]
Tilton was married to country singer Johnny Lee from 1982 to 1984. She has one daughter, Cherish Lee, born in 1982, and two grandsons. In 2001, Tilton began dating cinematographer Cheddy Hart. The couple enjoyed boating and lived together in a modest home in Oxnard, California. In December 2009, Hart suddenly died of heart failure at age 54.
Tilton is a strong advocate for autism awareness in the media. She is currently the ambassador for Actors for Autism, an organization that leads improv and acting workshops for children and adults with autism. She approached AFA in 2010 with the desire to volunteer and has been affiliated with them ever since. [11]
While in high school, the young unknown actress met Larry Hagman, whom she regarded as a surrogate father. Then, a few years later, at age 17, she auditioned and won the role of Hagman's confused niece, Lucy Ewing, on Dallas. The two had a remarkable on- and off-screen chemistry, for the show's first eight seasons, and they also danced together, off camera. She left the show at the end of the eighth season, her contract having expired; Larry Hagman was very disappointed over her departure. She said of Hagman in 1988, "He called me and said, 'You're certainly a good actress, we never realized.' I think Larry went to bat for me to come back on the show." [12] That same year, she came back to the show, and stayed on for two more seasons, until her departure in 1990, a year before the series finale. After Dallas, Tilton remained on good terms with Hagman, and cared deeply about her TV uncle's failing health. In 1995, Hagman was diagnosed with liver cancer and needed a liver transplant; he later received a transplant and survived the bout with cancer. She did not appear in any of the Dallas TV reunion movies, but in 2004, appeared in Dallas Reunion: The Return to Southfork.
In September 2001, she was the only Dallas cast member to attend Larry Hagman's 70th birthday. Eleven years later, she was reunited with Hagman for the last time to star in the second incarnation of Dallas. When Hagman died on November 23, 2012, due to complications from myelodysplastic syndrome , she was devastated, and attended his funeral. Upon his death, Tilton released a statement: "At seventeen years old, my life took a turn that one could only dream of. I was cast as Lucy Ewing in the iconic show Dallas. Dallas was so much more than a television phenomenon to me. It was my family. I grew up with a mentally ill single mother raising me and no father figure in my life. I lived on my own in an apartment from the age of 15. I remember the day I met the force of nature that is Larry Hagman like it was yesterday. My Uncle Larry became the father figure that I so needed and longed for. He taught me how to be professional, work hard, but have fun at the same time, and how to respect the opportunities I was blessed to have been given. He was very protective because I was so young, but also expected the best from me on the set of Dallas. He was one of the best actors the world has ever known. To me, he will always be my Uncle Larry. I am so so very sad, but cherish the lifetime of memories I have with him." [13]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Freaky Friday | Bambi | |
| 1978 | Sweater Girls | Candy | |
| 1978 | Big Wednesday | Party Girl | |
| 1980 | Pale Horse Pale Rider | Miranda | Short film |
| 1990 | Law at Randado | Edith Hanasain | |
| 1991 | Problem Child 2 | Debbie Claukinski | |
| 1991 | Ragin' Cajun | Ali Webster | |
| 1991 | For Parents Only | Mrs. Farell | |
| 1992 | Deadly Bet | Isabella | |
| 1992 | Center of the Web | Kathryn Lockwood | |
| 1994 | The Silence of the Hams | Jane Wine | |
| 1996 | Detonator | Gail Davies | |
| 2000 | Guido Takes a Hike | Bartender | Short film |
| 2001 | Totally Blonde | Blonde School Director | |
| 2003 | Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star | Charlene Tilton | |
| 2005 | A Distant Thunder | Susan | Short film |
| 2006 | Getting It Straight | Cynthia Rosenburg | Short film |
| 2008 | Tell Veronica | Veronica Star | |
| 2008 | Superhero Movie | Jill's Mother | |
| 2009 | The Fish | Charlene Tilton | |
| 2009 | Sarah's Choice | Michelle Biden | Direct-to-video |
| 2010 | Paranormal Calamity | Jacquiline | |
| 2010 | #1 Cheerleader Camp | Charlene Tilton | Direct-to-video |
| 2010 | Mean Parents Suck | Jean Farell | |
| 2011 | Doctor Spine | Aunt Sally | |
| 2012 | Edge of Salvation | Sarah Malone | |
| 2012 | Hemingway | Mrs. Hemingway | |
| 2013 | Buttwhistle | Mrs. Podgorney | |
| 2013 | Lucky Dog | Jeanie | |
| 2014 | Not Another Celebrity Movie | Chef | |
| 2017 | Vengeance: A Love Story | Mrs. Irma Fick | |
| 2017 | Road Less Traveled | Babs | |
| 2019 | Starting Up Love | Aunt Marjory | |
| 2020 | A Welcome Home Christmas | Lynn Marquee | |
| 2022 | A Unicorn for Christmas | Nancy | |
| 2023 | Heaven Sent | Pam | |
| 2023 | The Nana Project | Esther |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Happy Days | Jill Higgins | Episode: "They Shoot Fonzies, Don't They?" |
| 1977 | Eight Is Enough | Wendy Springer | Episode: "Women, Ducks and the Domino Theory" |
| 1978–85 1988–90 1991 | Dallas | Lucy Ewing Cooper | Series regular, 246 episodes Young Artist Award for Best Juvenile Actress in a TV Series or Special (1979) Young Artist Award Former Child Star Lifetime Achievement Award (2001) TV Land Pop Culture Award (2006) Bambi Award for Best Jubilee (1987) Nominated — Bravo Otto Germany Award for Best Female TV Star (1981) Nominated — Golden Apple Award — Sour Apple (1982) |
| 1979 | Diary of a Teenage Hitchhiker | Julie | TV movie |
| 1979 | The Fall of the House of Usher | Jennifer Cresswell | TV movie |
| 1980 | Knots Landing | Lucy Ewing | Episode: "Home is for Healing" |
| 1980 | Laverne & Shirley | The Girl at Bar | Episodes: "Murder on the Moose Jaw Express: Part 1 and Part 2" |
| 1980 | Fantasy Island | Charlotte 'Charlie' Johnson | Episode: "Skater's Edge/Concerto of Death/The Last Great Race" |
| 1981 | Saturday Night Live | Herself – Host / Various | Episode: "Charlene Tilton/Todd Rundgren/Prince" |
| 1983 | Hotel | Holly Lane | Episode: "Relative Loss" |
| 1980–87 | The Love Boat | Various | 4 episodes |
| 1987 | Murder, She Wrote | Cindy March | Episode: "The Cemetery Vote" |
| 1993 | Married... with Children | Herself | Episode: "Tis Time to Smell the Roses" |
| 1995 | Favorite Deadly Sins | Norma Jean | TV movie |
| 1995 | Star Witness | Grace Kelly | TV movie |
| 1998 | Safety Patrol | Mrs. Zapruder | TV movie |
| 2000 | The Theory of Everything | Stephanie | TV movie |
| 2000 | Bar Hopping | Actress | TV movie |
| 2004 | Dallas Reunion: The Return to Southfork | Herself / Lucy Ewing | TV special |
| 2007 | Point of Entry (AKA Panic Button) | Helen | TV movie |
| 2010 | RuPaul's Drag U | Herself/Makeover Model | Episode: "A Star is Born Again" |
| 2012–14 | Dallas | Lucy Ewing | 6 episodes |
| 2013 | DeVanity | Francesca DeVanity | Web series, Guest Star in episode 3.6 Indie Series Award for Best Guest Star - Drama [14] |
| 2013 | Reading, Writing & Romance | Penny | TV movie |
| 2014 | The Michaels | Dora | TV movie |
| 2015 | The Middle | Rhonda | Episode: "The Answer" |
| 2017 | Second Chance Christmas | Peg | TV movie |
Dallas is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on CBS from April 2, 1978, to May 3, 1991. The series revolved around an affluent and feuding Texas family, the Ewings, who owned the independent oil company Ewing Oil and the cattle-ranching land of Southfork. The series originally focused on the marriage of Bobby Ewing and Pamela Barnes, whose families were sworn enemies. As the series progressed, Bobby's elder brother, oil tycoon J.R. Ewing, became the show's breakout character, whose schemes and dirty business became the show's trademark. When the show ended on May 3, 1991, J.R. was the only character to have appeared in every episode.
Larry Martin Hagman was an American film and television actor, director, and producer, best known for playing ruthless oil baron J. R. Ewing in the 1978–1991 primetime television soap opera Dallas, and the befuddled astronaut Major Anthony Nelson in the 1965–1970 sitcom I Dream of Jeannie. Hagman had supporting roles in numerous films, including Fail-Safe, Harry and Tonto, S.O.B., Nixon, and Primary Colors. His television appearances also included guest roles on dozens of shows spanning from the late 1950s until his death, and a reprise of his signature role on the 2012 revival of Dallas. Hagman also worked as a television producer and director. He was the son of actress Mary Martin. Hagman underwent a life-saving liver transplant in 1995. He died on November 23, 2012, from complications of acute myeloid leukemia.
Patrick Duffy is an American actor and director widely known for his role on the CBS primetime soap opera Dallas, where he played Bobby Ewing, the youngest son of Miss Ellie, and the brother of J.R. Ewing from 1978 to 1985 and from 1986 to 1991. Duffy returned to reprise his role as Bobby in a continuation of Dallas, which aired on TNT from 2012 to 2014. He is also well known for his role on the ABC sitcom Step by Step as Frank Lambert from 1991 to 1998, and for his role as Stephen Logan on the CBS daytime soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful. Duffy played the lead character's father in the 2014 NBC sitcom Welcome to Sweden.
Knots Landing is an American primetime television soap opera that aired on CBS from December 27, 1979, to May 13, 1993. A spin-off of Dallas, it was set in a fictitious coastal suburb of Los Angeles and initially centered on the lives of four married couples living on a cul-de-sac, Seaview Circle. Throughout its 14-year run, storylines included marital strife, rape, murder, kidnapping, assassinations, drug smuggling, politics, environmental issues, corporate intrigue, and criminal investigations. By the time of its conclusion, it had become the third-longest-running primetime drama on U.S. television after Dallas, Gunsmoke, and Bonanza and the last scripted primetime drama show that debuted in the 1970s to leave the air.
Linda Ann Gray is an American film, stage and television actress, director, producer and former model, best known for her role as Sue Ellen Ewing, the long-suffering wife of Larry Hagman's character J.R. Ewing on the CBS television drama series Dallas, for which she was nominated for the 1981 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. The role also earned her two Golden Globe Awards nominations.
John Ross "J.R." Ewing Jr. is a fictional character in the American television series Dallas (1978–1991) and its spin-offs, including the revived Dallas series (2012–2014). The character was portrayed by Larry Hagman from the series premiere in 1978 until his death in late 2012; Hagman was the only actor who appeared in all 357 episodes of the original series. As the show's most famous character, J.R. has been central to many of the series' biggest storylines. He is depicted as a covetous, egocentric, manipulative and amoral oil baron with psychopathic tendencies, who is constantly plotting subterfuges to plunder the wealth of his foes. In the PBS series Pioneers of Television, Hagman claimed the character of J.R. began its development when he played a similar character in the film Stardust, and that he was also inspired by a mean boss he once had.
Sheree Julienne Wilson is an American actress, producer, businesswoman, and model. She is best known for her roles as April Stevens Ewing on the American primetime television series Dallas (1986–1991) and as Alex Cahill-Walker on the television series Walker, Texas Ranger (1993–2001).
Barbara Bel Geddes was an American stage and screen actress, artist, and children's author whose career spanned almost 5 decades. She was best known for her starring role as Miss Ellie Ewing in the television series Dallas. Bel Geddes also starred as Maggie in the original Broadway production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in 1955. Her notable films included I Remember Mama (1948) and Vertigo (1958). Throughout her career, she was the recipient of several acting awards and nominations.
Sue Ellen Ewing is a fictional character and one of the female leads in the CBS primetime soap opera Dallas. Sue Ellen was portrayed by Linda Gray and appeared on the show since its pilot episode, first broadcast on April 2, 1978. Dallas followed the trials of the wealthy Ewing family in the city of Dallas, Texas, into which Sue Ellen married when she wed J.R. Ewing. Gray played Sue Ellen until the twelfth season of Dallas, when her character finally leaves Texas after beating J.R. at his own game in the 1989 episode "Reel Life". Gray returned for the 1991 series finale "Conundrum" and the subsequent Dallas telemovies. She reprised the role for the 2012 continuation series of Dallas, which ran until 2014.
"Who shot J.R.?" is an advertising catchphrase that American network CBS created in 1980 to promote the television series Dallas. It referred to the fictional mystery surrounding a murder attempt against arch-villain J.R. Ewing in the show's third-season finale "A House Divided". The mystery and its catchphrase became a global phenomenon, with international odds-makers setting odds for the culprit. The mystery was not resolved until the fourth episode of the fourth season titled "Who Done It" which aired eight months later, with an estimated 83 million American viewers tuning in, one of the most watched television broadcasts in history. The catchphrase has a strong legacy in pop culture and the format helped popularize the cliffhanger ending for television series.
Pamela Jean "Pam" Barnes Ewing is a fictional character from the CBS primetime soap opera Dallas. Pamela is portrayed by actress Victoria Principal, first appearing on the show in the first episode, titled "Digger's Daughter", which was first broadcast on April 2, 1978. Dallas follows the trials of the wealthy Ewing family in the city of Dallas, Texas, which Pam has married into. Principal played Pam until the end of season 10 in 1987, when the character crashes her car into a truck carrying butane and propane and her body is severely burned. A year later, she was briefly played by actress Margaret Michaels in an attempt to write the character out. Pamela's storylines in season 1 focus on her relationship with her new husband, Bobby Ewing, and her fight against the considerable suspicion and hostility from within the Ewing family, due to Pamela being a member of the Barnes family. Pamela's love for Bobby remains a strong character trait throughout her tenure on the show, noted for its similarities to Romeo and Juliet, with two people from hostile families falling in love.
Lucy Ann Ewing is a fictional character in the popular American television series Dallas. The character is played by Charlene Tilton and first appeared in the series premiere on April 2, 1978. Tilton left the show at the end of season 8 in 1985, before returning for the last two episodes of season 11 in 1988, becoming a series regular again in season 12. Lucy was then written out again in 1990.
Valene "Val" Ewing, portrayed by Joan Van Ark, is a fictional character in the CBS primetime soap opera Knots Landing, a spin-off from the long-running series Dallas, in which she also appeared. The character originated on Dallas in 1978 as the mother of Lucy Ewing and ex-wife of Gary Ewing. Van Ark made several guest appearances on Dallas before becoming one of the main stars of the spin-off Knots Landing in December 1979, though she continued to make small appearances in Dallas for the next several years. Van Ark played Valene in Knots Landing for thirteen of its fourteen seasons, which made her one of the show's longest running stars. The character made her last Knots Landing appearance in 1997, when she appeared in the reunion miniseries Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac. In 2013, Van Ark reprised her character for the new, updated version of Dallas.
"A House Divided" is the 25th and final episode of the third season and 54th overall of the American television series Dallas. It is the episode known for spawning the eight-month "Who shot J.R.?" phenomenon. The episode ended with the mysterious shooting of J.R. Ewing in his office by an assailant whose identity was not revealed until the following season. The mystery was resolved in the fourth episode of the following season, entitled "Who Done It", which remains the second most-watched episode in American TV history.
Dallas Reunion: The Return to Southfork is a 2004 American television special celebrating the 1978–1991 prime time soap opera Dallas that aired on CBS on Sunday, November 7, 2004 from 9:00 to 11:00 p.m. ET/PT.
Dallas is an American prime time television soap opera developed by Cynthia Cidre and produced by Warner Horizon Television, that aired on TNT from June 13, 2012, to September 22, 2014. The series was a revival of the prime time television soap opera of the same name that was created by David Jacobs and which aired on CBS from 1978 to 1991. The series revolves around the Ewings, an affluent Dallas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries.
The second season of the television series Dallas aired on CBS during the 1978–79 TV season.
The twelfth season of the television series Dallas aired on CBS during the 1988–89 TV season.
The television show Dallas originally aired as a five-episode miniseries starting on the first Sunday of April 1978. These five episodes were originally intended to be the show's pilot but by the time they aired, it was thought that no further episodes would be made. However, the popularity of the miniseries led to the creation of an additional 13 full seasons.
"J.R.'s Masterpiece" is the eighth episode in the second season (2013) of the television series Dallas. The episode features the funeral of J.R. Ewing, who was killed in the previous episode "The Furious and the Fast".
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