Sue Ellen Ewing

Sue Ellen Ewing
Dallas character
Portrayed by	Linda Gray
Duration	1978–1989, 1991, 1996, 1998, 2012–2014
First appearance	April 2, 1978 "Digger's Daughter"
Last appearance	September 22, 2014 "Brave New World"
Created by	David Jacobs
Spin-off appearances	Dallas: J.R. Returns Dallas: War of the Ewings
In-universe information Other names Sue Ellen Shepard Sue Ellen Lockwood Occupation Partner in Ewing Global (2013–2014) Founder and Executive Director of the Sue Ellen Ewing Foundation (2009–2012) CEO of Ewing Oil (1998–2009) Co-CEO of Ewing Oil (1996–1998) Anonymous Film Producer (1989) Owner of Valentine Lingerie (1986–1988) Mother Patricia Shepard Sisters Kristin Shepard Husband J.R. Ewing (1971–1981, 1982–1988) Don Lockwood (1990–1996) Sons John Ross Ewing III Nephews Christopher 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 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."^[1]

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).^[2] 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.^[3] 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.^[4] 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.^[4] Gray agreed to return to the new series and once again assumed the role of Sue Ellen.^[5]