Gary Ewing
Encyclopedia
Garrison Arthur Ewing was a character in the CBS television series Knots Landing
and Dallas
. The character of Gary Ewing was played most notably by Ted Shackelford
(1979-1991) and briefly played by David Ackroyd
(1978).
baron Jock Ewing
and his wife Miss Ellie of Dallas
, Texas
. He was often considered the black sheep
of the family, as he would become an alcoholic, and was never treated as an equal by his father and eldest brother J.R. However, Gary was loved by his mother and younger brother Bobby.
Gary Ewing, born in January 1944, was married three times to Valene Ewing
, played by Joan Van Ark
. They first married in late January 1961, shortly after Gary's 17th birthday (Valene had turned 15 the previous fall). They settled at Southfork much to J.R. and Jock's annoyance. To help the newlyweds out, Miss Ellie bought them a home and gave Gary a job as ranch foreman. Their daughter Lucy
was born exactly 9 months after their marriage, in late October 1961. However, older brother J.R. kept harassing the young couple, and Gary and Valene were soon fighting. He took to drinking again, eventually walking out on his family. J.R. also forced Valene out of Southfork. Valene fled to Virginia with baby Lucy, hoping to have her mother, later played by Julie Harris
, care for her child, but she was refused. J.R. followed Valene, accusing her of prostitution and warning her never to return to Dallas. J.R. took away Lucy and delivered the baby to the care of her grandmother, Miss Ellie. Most of this occurred off-screen.
Years later, Gary bumped into his brother Bobby and his wife Pam
in Las Vegas
. Bobby persuaded him to visit Texas. While he was visiting, Lucy
his teenage daughter surprised him by reintroducing him to Valene, who had been working as a waitress in diners around Dallas. For the sake of his ex-wife and daughter, Gary tried to make things work in Texas, but soon came under the old pressures of living up to Jock's expectations and J.R.'s deviousness. J.R. had set Gary up in an office equipment machinery firm in a hope that Gary would fail as usual. To ensure his newfound sobriety, he knew he had leave Southfork and his family once again. Valene tracked Gary down, while turning down money from J.R. to leave Southfork, and they reunited and remarriedhttp://web.archive.org/web/20091027071019/http://geocities.com/alcus2/dallastv.html. As a wedding present, Gary's mother Miss Ellie bought the couple a house in California
, the area of which Gary suggested since they could not return to Texas. This served as the basis for the shift to the spin-off and concurrent series of Knots Landing in which the couple relocated to that state. Originally, their daughter Lucy was to join them, but this event did not materalize, and she remained at Southfork with her grandparents.
, whom Gary married after his divorce. Gary's marriage to Abby lasted 3 years and ended in divorce too. He eventually remarried Val a third time and they parented their twins Bobby and Betsy Ewing (who were born in the interim period of Gary and Val's marriages). Bobby was named after the "late" Bobby Ewing, whose dream-death on Dallas was never reversed on Knots Landing, which never again referenced its "parent" show. Gary also had a daughter, Molly Whittaker, who was conceived during his relationship with Kate Whittaker which was at a time when he believed Valene had died.
attorney.
Knots Landing
Knots Landing is an American primetime television soap opera that aired from December 27, 1979 to May 13, 1993 on CBS. Set in a fictitious coastal suburb of Los Angeles in California, the show centered on the lives of four married couples living in a cul-de-sac, Seaview Circle...
and Dallas
Dallas (TV series)
Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...
. The character of Gary Ewing was played most notably by Ted Shackelford
Ted Shackelford
Ted Shackelford is an American actor best known for his role as Gary Ewing on the CBS television series Knots Landing, in which he starred from 1979–93...
(1979-1991) and briefly played by David Ackroyd
David Ackroyd
David Ackroyd is an American actor, who first came to prominence in soap operas such as The Secret Storm and Another World. He was born in Orange, New Jersey, a suburb of Newark.-Career:...
(1978).
Dallas
Gary was the second son of oilOil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
baron Jock Ewing
Jock Ewing
John Ross Ewing, Sr., better known as Jock Ewing, is a character in the popular American television series Dallas, played by Jim Davis and Dale Midkiff in Dallas: The Early Years...
and his wife Miss Ellie of Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. He was often considered the black sheep
Black sheep
In the English language, black sheep is an idiom used to describe an odd or disreputable member of a group, especially within a family. The term has typically been given negative implications, implying waywardness...
of the family, as he would become an alcoholic, and was never treated as an equal by his father and eldest brother J.R. However, Gary was loved by his mother and younger brother Bobby.
Gary Ewing, born in January 1944, was married three times to Valene Ewing
Valene Ewing
Valene "Val" Ewing is a fictional character in the American television series Dallas and, more prominently, its spin-off series Knots Landing. She was played by Joan Van Ark....
, played by Joan Van Ark
Joan Van Ark
Joan Van Ark is an American actress, most notable for her role as Valene Ewing, which she originated on the CBS series Dallas and continued for thirteen seasons on its spin-off, Knots Landing...
. They first married in late January 1961, shortly after Gary's 17th birthday (Valene had turned 15 the previous fall). They settled at Southfork much to J.R. and Jock's annoyance. To help the newlyweds out, Miss Ellie bought them a home and gave Gary a job as ranch foreman. Their daughter Lucy
Lucy Ewing Cooper
Lucy Ewing Cooper was a character in the popular American television series Dallas, played by Charlene Tilton .Lucy was the saucy daughter of Gary Ewing and Valene Clements Ewing and confused niece of JR Ewing & Bobby Ewing. Lucy was raised on the Southfork Ranch by her grandparents, Jock and Miss...
was born exactly 9 months after their marriage, in late October 1961. However, older brother J.R. kept harassing the young couple, and Gary and Valene were soon fighting. He took to drinking again, eventually walking out on his family. J.R. also forced Valene out of Southfork. Valene fled to Virginia with baby Lucy, hoping to have her mother, later played by Julie Harris
Julie Harris
Julia Ann "Julie" Harris is an American stage, screen, and television actress. She has won five Tony Awards, three Emmy Awards and a Grammy Award, and was nominated for an Academy Award. In 1994, she was awarded the National Medal of Arts. She is a member of the American Theatre Hall of Fame...
, care for her child, but she was refused. J.R. followed Valene, accusing her of prostitution and warning her never to return to Dallas. J.R. took away Lucy and delivered the baby to the care of her grandmother, Miss Ellie. Most of this occurred off-screen.
Years later, Gary bumped into his brother Bobby and his wife Pam
Pamela Barnes Ewing
Pamela Jean "Pam" Barnes is a fictional character in the popular American television series Dallas, played by Victoria Principal and Margaret Michaels.-Early pre-series life:...
in Las Vegas
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
. Bobby persuaded him to visit Texas. While he was visiting, Lucy
Lucy Ewing Cooper
Lucy Ewing Cooper was a character in the popular American television series Dallas, played by Charlene Tilton .Lucy was the saucy daughter of Gary Ewing and Valene Clements Ewing and confused niece of JR Ewing & Bobby Ewing. Lucy was raised on the Southfork Ranch by her grandparents, Jock and Miss...
his teenage daughter surprised him by reintroducing him to Valene, who had been working as a waitress in diners around Dallas. For the sake of his ex-wife and daughter, Gary tried to make things work in Texas, but soon came under the old pressures of living up to Jock's expectations and J.R.'s deviousness. J.R. had set Gary up in an office equipment machinery firm in a hope that Gary would fail as usual. To ensure his newfound sobriety, he knew he had leave Southfork and his family once again. Valene tracked Gary down, while turning down money from J.R. to leave Southfork, and they reunited and remarriedhttp://web.archive.org/web/20091027071019/http://geocities.com/alcus2/dallastv.html. As a wedding present, Gary's mother Miss Ellie bought the couple a house in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, the area of which Gary suggested since they could not return to Texas. This served as the basis for the shift to the spin-off and concurrent series of Knots Landing in which the couple relocated to that state. Originally, their daughter Lucy was to join them, but this event did not materalize, and she remained at Southfork with her grandparents.
Knots Landing
On Knots Landing, Valene and Gary's marriage was undermined by Abby Cunningham, played by Donna MillsDonna Mills
Donna Mills is an American actress, most well known for her role as Abby Fairgate Cunningham Ewing Sumner on the primetime soap opera Knots Landing.-Early years:...
, whom Gary married after his divorce. Gary's marriage to Abby lasted 3 years and ended in divorce too. He eventually remarried Val a third time and they parented their twins Bobby and Betsy Ewing (who were born in the interim period of Gary and Val's marriages). Bobby was named after the "late" Bobby Ewing, whose dream-death on Dallas was never reversed on Knots Landing, which never again referenced its "parent" show. Gary also had a daughter, Molly Whittaker, who was conceived during his relationship with Kate Whittaker which was at a time when he believed Valene had died.
Dallas Series Finale
Gary appeared again in the final episode of Dallas in 1991. In the finale, J.R. Ewing experienced a dream sequence that detailed a world in which J.R. had never been born, making Gary the eldest Ewing son. In this dream, Gary still meets Valene, but not until much later, and Lucy is never born. It is revealed in the dream that Gary inherited Ewing Oil following Jock's retirement but as he was a "lousy oilman," the company went bankrupt two years later, resulting in Jock committing suicide and Miss Ellie dying of a broken heart. Gary rebuilds his life by beginning a career as a successful Beverly HillsBeverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
attorney.