Sue Ellen Ewing

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 ('' J.R. Returns'' in 1996 and '' War of the Ewings'' in 1998). She reprised the role for the 2012 continuation series of ''Dallas'', which ran until 2014.

Sue Ellen's storylines in the season 2 focused on the character's bout with alcohol and her slowly deteriorating relationship with her husband. The final episode of the season focused on the birth of her son with J.R., John Ross Ewing III. While her relationship with J.R. is not always harmonious, it's a significant aspect of her overall character. As the series progressed, Sue Ellen came into her own as an individual character. The actress has said of her character's personality: "I never wanted her to be boring. She was never boring before – she started out kind of boring, but I think that's the kiss of death because people will expect her to be interesting." Gray later described Sue Ellen as being, "one of the most interesting characters on TV in the 1980s. She was the original '' Desperate Housewife''. She led the way for all those girls."

For her work as Sue Ellen, Gray was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in the category "Best Actress in a Drama Series" in 1981 (Barbara Bel Geddes who played Miss Ellie Ewing was also nominated in that category for ''Dallas'' that year). Gray was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award in both 1980 and 1981 in the category of "Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama" respectively. In 2010, TNT (sister company to Warner Bros. Television, the current copyright owners of the series) announced they were producing a new, updated ''Dallas'' series. It was a continuation of the original series and primarily centered around Sue Ellen and J.R.'s son John Ross Ewing III, and Bobby and Pamela's son Christopher Ewing, though various stars of the original series reprised their roles. Gray agreed to return to the new series and once again assumed the role of Sue Ellen.

Character portrayal and development

Casting and creation

When Gray originally tested for ''Dallas'', the role of Sue Ellen was merely that of a background character. The actress recounts that the part was a "mere walk-on" and there hadn't been any need for a formal audition. In fact, Gray had to do an impromptu audition over the telephone because the role was not considered important enough to bring in another actor to test for the part, though the actress later stated that ''Newhart'' innkeeper Mary Frann was also considered to play the character while the producers were casting the show. In an interview with ''TV Guide'', Gray confirmed: "She rannhad the part. Victoria Principalwanted that isualcontrast. But the casting director ho_had_only_recently_tapped_me_to_play_a_transsexual_on_''All_That_Glitters_(TV_series).html" "title="transsexual.html" ;"title="ho had only recently tapped me to play a transsexual">ho had only recently tapped me to play a transsexual on ''All That Glitters (TV series)">All That Glitters