What Is ‘Dallas’ Star Linda Gray Doing Now at 85?

DALLAS, Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, 1978-1991 — Everett Collection

Linda Gray turns 85 on September 12, 2025, and while many of us will always remember her as Sue Ellen Ewing from Dallas, she’s done so much more — and decades after Dallas, she’s still busy with acting and charitable causes. Gray began her career as a model and spent years working steadily in television commercials before breaking into acting. It was in 1978, when Dallas premiered, that everything changed. Her portrayal of Sue Ellen, the long-suffering yet resilient wife of J.R. Ewing, struck a chord with audiences around the world. Over time, what started as a supporting role grew into one of the most layered female characters on television, earning her an Emmy nomination and two Golden Globe nods.

When Dallas ended in 1989, Gray appeared in films like Oscar alongside Sylvester Stallone, starred in TV movies such as Moment of Truth: Why My Daughter?, and later reprised her famous role in reunion movies and the TNT revival in 2012. She also took to the stage, playing Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate in London’s West End and on Broadway, and appeared in Terms of Endearment in the U.K.

Lorimar Television/Everett Collection/Randy Shropshire/Getty Images for Lifetime/A+E Networks

Her television career continued well into the 2000s, with appearances on The Bold and the Beautiful, 90210 and indie films that gave her a chance to stretch in different directions. More recently, fans have seen her in lighter projects such as Ladies of the ’80s: A Divas Christmas in 2023, where she reunited with longtime friends and co-stars, playing an ’80s soap opera diva alongside fellow ’80s icons Loni Anderson, Morgan Fairchild, Donna Mills, and Nicollette Sheridan. That same year, she lent her voice to Lil Santa’s Christmas Chronicles: Miss Santa Claus.

Gray’s personal life has been full of highs and lows as well. She married art director Ed Thrasher in 1962, and together they had two children, Jeff and Kehly. Though the marriage ended in 1983, the family bond remained central in her life. Kehly even appeared alongside her mother briefly on Dallas, while Jeff pursued his own creative career. Gray faced the devastating loss of her son in 2020.

These days, Gray has reflected on how she views this stage of her life. She often talks about gratitude, explaining that she takes daily gratitude walks as a way to ground herself and focus on the beauty in everyday life. She has also been known to support causes close to her heart like Baby2Baby, which helps provide essentials for children in need.