John Ross Ewing Jr. is a fictional character in the American television series Dallas (1978–1991) and its spin-offs, including the continuation 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,Patrick, Christopher J. (2007). Handbook of Psychopathy, Guilford Pubn., New York 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.
The focus of the series was initially the feuding families, with J.R. just a supporting character, but his popularity grew and the producers acknowledged he became the breakout character. Two highly rated 1980 episodes became part of a cultural phenomenon that year known as "Who shot J.R.?". In "A House Divided", the audience witnessed J.R. being shot by an unknown assailant.
After the cliffhanger was broadcast in March, the audience had to wait until the November conclusion, "Who Done It". With his new-found popularity, Hagman threatened to leave the series unless his contractual demands were met. CBS leaked rumors of recasting, but the actor eventually prevailed. He also appeared in five episodes of spin-off series Knots Landing between 1980 and 1982. The character is featured in the first two seasons of the 2012 reincarnation series as well. Hagman died on November 23, 2012, and Dallas producers subsequently announced that J.R. would be killed off in the second season. Hollywood.com, December 11, 2012 The episode "The Furious and the Fast" dealt with J.R.'s death.
J.R. Ewing is considered one of television's most popular characters, with TV Guide naming him #1 in their 2013 list of The 60 Nastiest Villains of All Time.Bretts, Bruce; Roush, Matt; (March 25, 2013). "Baddies to the Bone: The 60 nastiest villains of all time". TV Guide. pp. 14–15. In 2016, Rolling Stone ranked him #11 of their "40 Greatest TV Villains of All Time". In a 2001 Channel 4 poll in the U.K. he was ranked 38th on their list of the 100 Greatest TV Characters.
Character J.R. has a reputation with his fellow characters, and viewers of the show, as a 'bad man'. He has a ruthless approach to business and frequently engages in bribery, blackmail and other underhand tactics to defeat and destroy his rivals - his principal antagonist being Cliff Barnes. He appears heartless much of the time—indeed taking pride in his nefarious nature. However, there are several instances throughout the original series' run where a more sympathetic and complex side to his character is portrayed, such as evidence of his love for his family. Also in the final season, there are glimpses of a depressive and contemplative nature when musing to Bobby during their cattle drive about how times were changing.
The name “JR” is an homage to the “JR” for Jett Rink in the movie Giant. Jett Rink was the last character played by James Dean before his death. Oil tycoon H. L. Hunt served as loose inspiration for the character of Ewing.
Storylines
Original series J.R. Ewing was the eldest son of John Ross "Jock" Ewing Sr. (Jim Davis) and Eleanor "Miss Ellie" Ewing (Barbara Bel Geddes, briefly Donna Reed). J.R. was born on the family's Southfork Ranch.Dallas: The Early Years The year of his birth is inconsistent: in Dallas: The Early Years, Miss Ellie announces her pregnancy with J.R. in 1936, making the year of his birth 1936 or at the latest 1937, while in the 2012 continuation of Dallas, J.R.'s gravestone gives his birth year as 1939.
J.R. has two younger brothers, Gary (Ted Shackelford, briefly David Ackroyd) and Bobby (Patrick Duffy); a half-brother, Ray Krebbs (Steve Kanaly), from his father's affair with an Army nurse named Margaret Hunter during World War II.
Starting at age five, J.R. was groomed to be the heir apparent to his father Jock at Ewing Oil, an independent oil company that Jock ran in a very cutthroat, ruthless manner. After coming home from serving for a short time in the Vietnam War during the 1960s, J.R. began his long tenure as an employee of Ewing Oil. He had no interest in working on Southfork Ranch, which was mostly the domain of his mother Miss Ellie, and brothers Bobby and Ray Krebbs, but he did have a strong desire to keep Southfork in the family. Gary was mostly influenced by his mother and embraced the Southworth tradition of ranching on Southfork and had no interest in Ewing Oil. Like their father Jock, J.R. saw Gary as weak, lacking the Ewing character and growing up Gary was unable to stand up to J.R.'s bullying. A teenage Gary met his wife Valene Clements (Joan Van Ark) in the early 1960s; they married when she became pregnant with their daughter Lucy (Charlene Tilton). J.R. did not approve of Gary marrying someone of Valene's status. When their marriage began to disintegrate, Gary left Southfork leaving Valene and Lucy. When Valene attempted to leave with Lucy, J.R. had her run out of town and took Lucy back to live with the Ewings at Southfork. In 1979, Gary and Valene reunited in Dallas and remarried, but rather than try to live at Southfork again, they left to go and live in the (fictional) California suburb of Knots Landing.
Bobby spent his time alternating between Southfork and Ewing Oil, and was Jock's favorite son. This made J.R. enormously determined to impress Jock, but despite his huge success in the oil business, J.R. was never able to overcome Jock's favoritism for Bobby. This led to a rivalry between them in childhood that continued as they grew up, especially when Bobby married Pamela Barnes (Victoria Principal, briefly Margaret Michaels), who was a member of the Ewings' rival family. The legendary Barnes-Ewing feud began in the 1930s between Jock and Pam's legal father Digger (Keenan Wynn, originally David Wayne) after their partnership in the oil business dissolved due to Digger's alcoholism and resentment. Jock had earlier married Digger's girlfriend, Eleanor Southworth, which had caused a dent in their relationship prior to the big schism. The feud continued on decades later with J.R. and Digger's son Cliff (Ken Kercheval).
In 1971, J.R. married Sue Ellen Shepard (Linda Gray), a former "Miss Texas". Their marriage became increasingly turbulent with J.R. ignoring her first with Ewing Oil then philandering with other women. By the late 1970s Sue Ellen had become an alcoholic. They divorced in 1981 only to remarry in 1982 and divorce again in 1988. In 1989, Sue Ellen moved to London with her new lover Don Lockwood (Ian McShane); they married in 1991.
J.R. had two wives and three children during the show's run. His eldest son, James Richard Beaumont (Sasha Mitchell), was by an off-screen affair with Vanessa Beaumont (Gayle Hunnicutt) which occurred in the 1960s but was only brought to knowledge in 1989. His second and most favored son was John Ross Ewing III (Omri Katz) from his first wife Sue Ellen, born in 1979. His third son was with his second wife Cally (Cathy Podewell) born in 1991, however, Cally didn't give birth until after leaving Dallas.
J.R. also initially believed he was the father of Christopher Ewing (Joshua Harris, originally Eric Farlow), the son of his sister-in-law and former mistress Kristin Shepard (Mary Crosby), but it was later revealed J.R. was not the father Jeff Farraday was. Christopher was adopted by Bobby and Pam. In addition to that, J.R.'s second wife Cally and his illegitimate son James successfully plotted to gain revenge on him. After JR kicked Cally off of Southfork he checked into a sanitarium in order to get Clayton Farlow's sister, Jessica Montford, to sign over voting rights in WestStar stock to him. Unbeknownst to him, James and Cally managed to get his release papers from his lawyer, Walter Berman. James pretended to be his lawyer and ultimately left him in the sanitarium. Cally eventually freed him. This was the start of what would eventually be a year where J.R. lost everything.
First, he lost control of Ewing Oil to Cliff, then was fired at West Star Oil by a vengeful Carter McKay (George Kennedy). To top it all off, he lost control of Southfork and was disowned by his son who moved to Europe to be with Sue Ellen. All J.R. was left with was a room in Southfork that Bobby let him stay in and not much else. Contemplating suicide, the character roamed the lonely Southfork with a bottle of bourbon and a loaded revolver. A being, later revealed to be demonic, named Adam (portrayed by Joel Grey) pays a visit to J.R., who cannot believe what he is seeing. The white tuxedo-clad Adam tells J.R. his "boss" likes him and has dispatched him to Earth. In a parallel with the storyline of the movie It's a Wonderful Life, Adam proceeds to take J.R. on a journey to show him what life would have been like for other people if he had not been born.
After being taken through this journey, Adam tries to get J.R. to shoot himself. J.R. tells Adam he does not want to give Adam the satisfaction as he went back to Heaven. Adam then asks J.R. what made him think he was dispatched from Heaven and begins laughing demonically, revealing his true purpose. J.R. is immediately jolted awake in his bedroom while still holding the bourbon bottle and the revolver. He appears relieved that it was only a nightmare, but once again, Adam appears to J.R., this time in the bedroom mirror in a red suit. Adam is determined to have J.R. shoot himself, reminding him of reality for J.R. and the current state of his life and how better off everyone concerned would be. J.R. seems willing to oblige.
Meanwhile, Bobby has returned to Southfork for the night. J.R. does not hear him pull up or enter the house, as his focus is solely on Adam in his mirror. He slowly raises the gun to his head and cocks the hammer, and the frustrated Adam finally screams "Do it!" to J.R. with glowing red eyes. Bobby hears a gunshot and runs to the second floor to J.R.'s bedroom. As he reaches the doorway, he looks into the room and is horrified by what he sees, exclaiming "Oh my God!". J.R.'s fate was not revealed. The "Conundrum" cliffhanger was not resolved until 1996, with the first Dallas reunion movie, Dallas: J.R. Returns. It was revealed in the beginning of the movie that J.R. had not, in fact, shot himself, but had instead shot at the mirror where the demon Adam was appearing to him. The 2012 revival series does not follow the reunion film, but shows J.R. still alive. According to the Dallas Facebook page, J.R. had indeed shot the mirror, but unlike the Reunion film, he didn't flee to Europe to recover.
Dallas (2012) J.R. returns in the 2012 revival of the series, which focuses on J.R.'s son John Ross Ewing III and Bobby's adopted son Christopher Ewing. To J.R.'s delight, John Ross has become a carbon copy of him, in that he is more focused on oil, money and power. As the series begins J.R. has spent the last few years in a nursing home, suffering from chronic depression and not speaking despite visits from Bobby. All the events of the two TV movies are ignored.