Born TINA BLACKER on February 11, 1934, TINA LOUISE, former singer and Broadway musical star, brought life to JULIE GREY very convincingly, without overacting at all, as would the other show´s vipers. Despite of her brief 5-episode stint, she made her character believable and the precedent for MARY CROSBY´s KRISTIN, another ambitious secretary who, just like JULIE, would find her tragic fate when trying to get even on J.R. once and for all.
In 1984 TINA LOUISE played wicked TAYLOR CHAPIN on daytime soap RITUALS, co-starring MONTE MARKHAM and DENNIS PATRICK, CLINT and VAUGHN on DALLAS. In 1994 she participated in ALL MY CHILDREN and, since then, only appeared episodically on shows like L.A. HEAT and nostalgia celebrations about GILLILAND´S ISLAND. The only film she has recently been in is the comedy WEST FROM NORTH GOES SOUTH (2004). TINA got the GOLDEN GLOBE´59 to the most promising actress.
DAVID WAYNE
With KEENAN WYNN´s first appearance on episode Silent Killer, belonging to Season 2, the show´s producers started an unpleasant habit based on choosing different actors for the same role. Therefore, DIGGER BARNES had been played by DAVID WAYNE on the initial 10 episodes. Born on January 30, 1916 as WAYNE McKEEKAN, he belonged to that traditional legion of great supporting actors in US. Among his most memorable characters he performed all through his career, there are MARILYN MONROE´s husband in We´re Not Married (E. Goulding) and How To Marry A Millionaire (J. Negulesco), and KATHARINE HEPBURN´s passionate fan in Adam´s Rib (G. Cukor). DAVID WAYNE died on February 9, 1995.
WITH A REMARKABLE REASSAMBLANCE TO LINDA GRAY, MARTHA was oart of an army of American artists whose looks became an obstacle to succeed in movies, as happened to other stage stars who eventually returned to the scene (like BARBARA BEL GEDDES or JULIE HARRIS). MARTHA´s most popular role was Emily Webb in the film OUR TOWN (S. Wood). She had already first performed the same role two years before and was nominated for an OSCAR for its movie adaptation. VIVIEN LEIGH stole her (and 300 more actresses) the part of SCARLETT O´HARA in GONE WITH THE WIND (V. Fleming). But the movie that made her worlwide known was THE 10 COMMANDMENTS (C.B. De Mille), where she played MOSES´s mother, though she only was 10 years older than CHARLTON HESTON.
Other titles of her essential filmography were THE DESPERATE HOURS (W. Wyler, co-starring HUMPHREY BOGART), SAYONARA (J. Logan, with MARLON BRANDO) and BEN-HUR (again with Wyler and HESTON). In TV, she became popular through several mother roles on second-rate series like THE BIONIC WOMAN, THE BOB NEWHART SHOW, GENERAL HOSPITAL and mini-series BEULAH´S LAND. In 1979, she debuted on DALLAS as SUE ELLEN´s mother, though her part as a possessive mother didn´t completely developed until Season 8. On May 28, 2003 the star died of natural death; her last role had been played on a stage montage of THE CRUCIBLE in 1991.
MARY CROSBY
Daughter of BING CROSBY´s and his second wife´s, was born on September 14, 1959 as MARY FRANCES. She chose the acting career against her father´s wishes. After his death in 1977, she played on several shows including mini-series PEARL. Previously she had appeared on his father´s TV shows and, though she stated to have been chosen out of 25 actresses, undoubtedly her surname positively influenced in the producers´ decision. At the 1979-80 Cliffhanger, she already was at the top of the list of suspects of having shot J.R. Her popularity reached its climax when it was eventually revealed that her character was the tycoon´s frustrated assassin.
She gueststarred on 7 episodes of Season 3 (and one of KNOTS LANDING, also as KRISTIN) until her death at the Season´s Cliffhanger. After DALLAS, CROSBY spent one year unemployed, since all the roles offered were very alike the one that launched her career. Nevertheless, she co-starred on the series HOLLYWOOD WIVES, STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE 9, MIKE HAMMER and one episode of ORLEANS, with LARRY HAGMAN, besides the very last episode of DALLAS, in a special appearance returning “from the dead”. For the big-screen, she has only done B movies (like ICE PIRATES, S. Raffill) or QUICKER THAN THE EYE (N. Gessner), forever cast-typed as KRISTIN. Her last role has been played in the movie THE LEGEND OF ZORRO in 2005.
CHRISTOPHER ATKINS
CHRISTOPHER ATKINS was, as did PRISCILLA PRESLEY, one of the assets for trying to put DYNASTY out of the top ten. Therefore he was paid the sum of one million dollars for his work in 27 episodes. However, until summer´78, he was just a sailboat instructor in a summer school in RYE, NEW YORK, where he was born on February 21, 1961. One of his pupils´ mother suggested him to take his picture to a modelling agency and he got a few jobs. 6 months later he was offered a test for the movie THE BLUE LAGOON (R. Kleiser) he eventually co-starred with BROOKE SHIELDS. This box-office hit made him one the youngest HOLLYWOOD sex symbols.
COLUMBIA exclusively hired him for 4 years, something rarely seen in the 80´s movie world. His next films THE PIRATE MOVIE (K. Annakin) and A NIGHT IN HEAVEN (J. G. Avildsen), became both failures. After that came DALLAS and the role of PETER, written especially for him, re-newed his popularity and meant a step forward in his career. In this last decade CHRIS has only participated in one interesting movie: IT´S MY PARTY (R. Kleiser), and very briefly. He has written the scripts of 2 movies, PETS and BEINGS, and has gueststarred on shows, the best-known of them being SUDDENLY SUSAN, where he re-united with BROOKE SHIELDS. Athough he had been nominated for the GOLDEN GLOBES as best new star in 1981, has also been “awarded” with 2 RAZZIES for worst actor. He has just finished the shooting of the science fiction movie SPIRITUAL WARRIORS.
ALEXIS SMITH
When the DALLAS´s writers created the character of JESSICA MONTFORD, CLAYTON´s mysterious and aristocrat sister, the role was wittily assigned to a HOLLYWOOD star who, this way, made a spectacular comeback to the TV business. ALEXIS SMITH was born on June 8, 1921 in CANADA. Distinguishedly beautiful and utterly elegant, she spent her WARNER years alternating roles as the IDEAL LADY of some Western hero or BOGART´s enigmatic co-star.
Titles of this age are MONTANA (R. Enright), GENTLEMAN JIM (R.Walsh), SAN ANTONIO (D.Butler) or CONFLICT (C. Bernhardt). Tired of the lack of opportunities, she re-appeared in BROADWAY with musical FOLLIES, side by side with YVONNE DE CARLO, and won the TONY Award and became an overnight success in N.Y. Her class and singular acting perfectly fitted to her DALLAS´s character and, on 7 episodes, the EWINGS had an honor guest star in her. ALEXIS SMITH died on june 9, 1993, not before having briefly re-appeared as JESSICA and playing a luxury bit part in the movie AGE OF INNOCENCE (M. Scorsese).
BARBARA CARRERA
Born on December 31, 1945 in MANAGUA, daughter of an American and a Nicaraguan. BARBARA enjoyed a good position and she became a top model being very young. Her role on the mini-series CENTENNIAL launched her to fame and starred on movies like WHEN TIME RAN OUT! (J. Goldstone), I, THE JURY (R. T. Heffron) and her best big-screen performance, FATIMA BLUSH in NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN (l. Kershner).
Her entrance in DALLAS caused havoc, not only because of her spectacular looks and her evil character, but also because of the implicit lesbian relationship she seemed to keep with her partner GRACE. But ANGELICA NERO was born and dead in PAM´s dream, leaving behind her a series of corpses. After that, no role was up to her again. Remember that BARBARA had received 2 GOLDEN GLOBE nominations for THE MASTER GUNFIGHTER (F. Laughlin) and NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN. Her last movie is the biopic PARADISE (2003), where she portrays a woman very like ANGELICA.
LESLEY-ANNE DOWN
Born in LONDON on March 17, 1954, she started her MODEL career at 10. Her acting facet was developed at early 70´s, especially on the drama series UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS, as GEORGINA WORSLEY. Then came starring parts in movies like THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY (M. Crichton), HANOVER STREET (P. Hyams) or SPHINX (F. J. Schaffner).
In 1985 she regained her popularity with long-running 3-part mini-series NORTH AND SOUTH, and, finally, she landed on DALLAS in 1989 to play mystery woman STEPHANIE ROGERS, CLIFF BARNES´s P.R. After a tenth episodes her character vanished, leaving behind just a number of haute couture gowns and old-fashioned hats and hairstyles. Once again, her talent and looks were wasted. She would get even with another two soaps, SUNSET BEACH and THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL. Recently she has participated in the films TODAY YOU DIE and 7 DAYS OF GRACE.
BARBARA EDEN
BARBARA JEAN MOORHEAD was born on August 23, 1934 in TUCSON, Arizona. Although she will always be remembered as the title character of I DREAM OF JEANNIE, the actress had already participated in films such as FROM THE TERRACE (M. Robson), 5 WEEKS IN A BALLOON and VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA (both directed by I. Allen), as well as other shows, among them a version of HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE.
After spending 4 years playing the couple from I DREAM OF JEANNIE, BARBARA and LARRY HAGMAN were re-united in 1990, when she gueststarred on 5 DALLAS´s episodes, as scheming revengeful LEEANN DE LA VEGA, an early flirt of J. R.´s who eventually got EWING OIL and broke his engagement with VANESSA. BARBARA´s last role to date has been a supporting role in a comedy entitled CAROLINA in 2003, co-starring SHIRLEY MacLAINE.