Linda Gray Movies and TV Shows: The Truth Behind That Leg and Those Shoulder Pads

Linda Gray is one of those actresses who basically defined a whole decade of television without even trying. You know her, right? She’s the one who spent years as Sue Ellen Ewing on Dallas, navigating a sea of bourbon and J.R. Ewing’s endless betrayals. Honestly, she’s a legend.

But there is so much more to her career than just big hair and 1980s Texas oil drama. People forget she was actually a working model first. And if you’ve ever seen the poster for the 1967 film The Graduate, you’ve seen more of her than you realize. That famous leg in the stocking? The one Dustin Hoffman is staring at?

Yeah. That’s Linda Gray.

The Graduate and the $25 Leg

It’s one of the best trivia bits in Hollywood. Anne Bancroft played the iconic Mrs. Robinson, but she wasn't available the day they shot the promotional poster. Enter Linda Gray. She was a young model at the time and got paid exactly $25 to pose for that shot.

Think about that. One of the most recognizable images in cinema history, and the woman who provided the "limbs" was just a freelance model looking for a paycheck. Decades later, she actually ended up playing Mrs. Robinson on stage in the West End and on Broadway. Talk about coming full circle. It’s kinda poetic, isn't it?

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Dallas: When a "Walk-On" Becomes a Titan

When we talk about Linda Gray movies and tv shows, the conversation always starts (and sometimes ends) with Dallas. But here is what most people get wrong: Sue Ellen wasn't supposed to be a main character.

Initially, she was a "mere walk-on."

The producers didn't even have her do a formal in-person audition. She did an impromptu reading over the phone! Imagine being that good that you can land a career-defining role while probably sitting in your kitchen.

Sue Ellen was the "original Desperate Housewife," as Linda often puts it. She wasn't just a victim of J.R.; she was a survivor who eventually beat him at his own game. By the time the show hit its peak, those shoulder pads were so huge they almost needed their own zip code. Linda once joked that they had to make the doors at Southfork Ranch bigger just so the cast could walk through.

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Beyond the Southfork Ranch

After Dallas wrapped its original run in 1991, Linda didn't just retire to a ranch. She stayed busy, though some of the projects were... well, let's call them "experimental."

1. Oscar (1991): She played Roxanne opposite Sylvester Stallone. It was a screwball comedy, which was a huge pivot from the heavy drama of Texas. Critics weren't always kind, but seeing her transition from soap opera royalty to big-screen comedy was a bold move.
2. Melrose Place (1994): She stepped back into the world of nighttime soaps as Hillary Michaels. This role was actually a launchpad for the spin-off Models Inc., where she played the lead.
3. The Bold and the Beautiful (2004): She made a splash in daytime TV as Priscilla Kelly. It’s funny how she can jump between these worlds so effortlessly.
4. The 2012 Dallas Reboot: She came back, alongside Larry Hagman and Patrick Duffy. Seeing the "Big Three" together again was a massive nostalgia trip for fans.

The Directing and Theater Years

Linda isn't just a face on a screen. She’s an accomplished director, too. Back in the original Dallas days, she had to fight tooth and nail just to direct a single episode (it happened in Season 8). That fight actually got her fired for a brief moment because she was pushing against the "old boys' club" of television production. She won that battle, though.

She later directed a stage production of Murder in the First in Los Angeles. Her theater resume is actually pretty stacked:

• Love Letters (which she toured with her dear friend Larry Hagman)
• The Vagina Monologues
• Agnes of God
• Terms of Endearment

Most recently, even as of early 2026, she’s been active on the speakers' circuit and doing voice work. She voiced Miss Santa Claus in Lil Santa's Christmas Chronicles and has been doing "Back2Dallas" events with Patrick Duffy. They basically sit on stage and spill all the secrets about what really happened behind the scenes of the Ewing family.

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Why She Still Matters

Honestly, Linda Gray represents a specific kind of Hollywood resilience. She didn't let herself be typecast forever, even though Sue Ellen is an inescapable shadow. She’s used her platform for serious stuff too, like serving as a UN Goodwill Ambassador and working with the Global Alzheimer's Platform.

If you're looking to binge her work, don't just stick to the famous "Who Shot J.R.?" episodes. Check out her guest spots on 70s classics like McCloud or Emergency! to see her before the fame. Or find her 2015 memoir, The Road to Happiness is Always Under Construction. It’s a surprisingly candid look at a woman who survived the cutthroat world of 80s TV with her soul intact.

What to do next:
If you really want to see her range, skip the Dallas pilot and go straight to Season 2 or 3, where Sue Ellen’s character actually starts to get some teeth. Then, find a clip of her in Oscar—it’s a trip to see her and Stallone in the same frame.

Key Filmography Highlights

Linda’s career is a reminder that in Hollywood, you can start as a leg and end up as a legend.

To get the full Linda Gray experience, start by watching her performance in the 1980 Dallas episode "What Happened to Baby John?" It’s widely considered her breakout moment as a dramatic powerhouse. From there, compare it to her comedic timing in the film Oscar to see how much range she truly has. Finally, if you can find a recording of her in The Graduate on stage, it bridges the gap between her modeling roots and her theatrical expertise.