John Ross Ewing III
Encyclopedia
John Ross Ewing III was a fictional character on the CBS
television series Dallas
. He was played by Tyler Banks from 1980-1983; and by actor Omri Katz
from 1983 until 1991 and in the Dallas: J.R. Returns
reunion TV movie in 1996. In the upcoming series continuation he will be played by actor Josh Henderson
.
and his first wife Sue Ellen Ewing
. He was born in Dallas, Texas
in 1979 at the end of season two. During the time she was pregnant with him, John Ross' mother Sue Ellen was drinking heavy and his father put her in a sanitarium but she continued drinking and escaped only to be in a car wreck and emergency surgery was performed and he was born premature but he lived. The boy's grandfather, oil baron Jock Ewing
named him John Ross Ewing III after himself and his eldest son J.R., the boy's father. After a brief kidnapping by Priscilla Duncan, a woman in the hospital that had lost her baby and took John Ross in its place, she returned him to his family.
John Ross came home to Southfork and was loved overwhelmingly by his family except for his mother, who was experiencing post-partum depression and J.R. also showed little interest in the child because Sue Ellen had an affair with J.R.'s nemesis Cliff Barnes
and was claiming that he was John Ross' father. Eventually Cliff sued for paternity rights. Eventually, blood tests revealed that J.R. was the father of John Ross, not Cliff, and J.R. connected with his son. In fact, J.R.'s relationship with John Ross was the one quality that had made him somewhat redeemable and well-rounded and not just the primary villain he had been, although he could still be malicious. John Ross was always called by his full name, unlike his father and grandfather.
Soon afterwards Sue Ellen restarted her affair with rodeo star Dusty Farlow and made plans to leave J.R. but Dusty was killed in a plane crash on his way to Fort Worth to meet Sue Ellen, and she started drinking again. It turned out that Dusty was alive and Sue Ellen left J.R. convincing Pamela Barnes Ewing
to meet her and Dusty in Abilene and bring John Ross to them. John Ross lived with Sue Ellen and Dusty at the Southern Cross Ranch in San Angelo
, despite J.R.'s best efforts to get him back. John Ross remained with his mother who, after divorcing J.R., was granted custody of John Ross while J.R. only saw him on alternate weekends.
Sue Ellen left Dusty returned to Dallas and after a short romance with Cliff Barnes
, remarried J.R. so John Ross returned to Southfork. However, his parents would eventually divorce once again. A fire at Southfork, added to all the drama with his parents (their fighting, his mother's drinking), would have an adverse mental effect on him. He become withdrawn, shy and quiet. Sue Ellen, worried about John Ross, took him to a child psychologist, named Dr. Suzanne Lacey, over J.R.'s vehement protests, and her recommendation was that he attend a day camp with counselors who had strong psychological backgrounds.
One of the counselors was a young man named Peter Richards (Christopher Atkins
), who became John Ross's counselor and the two formed a bond. Unfortunately for him, though, he also began an affair with John Ross's mother, Sue Ellen. John Ross was broken hearted though, when Peter was driven out of Dallas by scheming J.R. using a trumped-up drug charge, and blackmail.
Because of this, John Ross's parents split again, but J.R. put him in boarding school to trump his mother. This led to more warfare between his parents. J.R. agreed to give Sue Ellen custody of John Ross but John Ross would choose where he lived and John Ross chose to live at Southfork. John Ross went on a trip to England to visit Sue Ellen and returned to find out that J.R. had fathered another son, James Richard Beaumont
. John Ross was very jealous of James and J.R.'s relationship and began taking it out on Christopher.
In 1991, John Ross would move to London, with his mother and his new stepfather, Don Lockwood.
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
television series 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...
. He was played by Tyler Banks from 1980-1983; and by actor Omri Katz
Omri Katz
Omri Haim Katz is an American actor. His TV and film credits include Eerie, Indiana; Matinee; Adventures in Dinosaur City; Hocus Pocus; and the CBS prime time soap opera Dallas, in which he played the role of John Ross Ewing III, the son of J.R...
from 1983 until 1991 and in the Dallas: J.R. Returns
Dallas: J.R. Returns
Dallas: J.R. Returns is the first of the two Dallas reunion movies to air after the series went off the air. It originally aired on CBS on November 15, 1996, and recently was rerun as part of TV Land's salute to 50 years of Warner Bros. Television....
reunion TV movie in 1996. In the upcoming series continuation he will be played by actor Josh Henderson
Josh Henderson
Joshua Baret "Josh" Henderson is an American actor and singer. He rose to fame as one of the male members of Scene 23, a pop singing group that were selected as the winners of The WB's singing competition Popstars 2. After the group disbanded, he began focusing on an acting career...
.
Fictional character biography
John Ross Ewing III is the son of J.R. EwingJ.R. Ewing
John Ross Ewing, Jr., more commonly known as J. R. Ewing, played by Larry Hagman, was a central, nefarious figure on the hit CBS television series Dallas . J. R...
and his first wife Sue Ellen Ewing
Sue Ellen Ewing
Sue Ellen Ewing is a character on the popular American television series Dallas, played by Linda Gray from 1978 to 1989. Sue Ellen was the long-suffering two-time wife of the nefarious J. R. Ewing....
. He was born in Dallas, Texas
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...
in 1979 at the end of season two. During the time she was pregnant with him, John Ross' mother Sue Ellen was drinking heavy and his father put her in a sanitarium but she continued drinking and escaped only to be in a car wreck and emergency surgery was performed and he was born premature but he lived. The boy's grandfather, oil 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...
named him John Ross Ewing III after himself and his eldest son J.R., the boy's father. After a brief kidnapping by Priscilla Duncan, a woman in the hospital that had lost her baby and took John Ross in its place, she returned him to his family.
John Ross came home to Southfork and was loved overwhelmingly by his family except for his mother, who was experiencing post-partum depression and J.R. also showed little interest in the child because Sue Ellen had an affair with J.R.'s nemesis Cliff Barnes
Cliff Barnes
Clifford "Cliff" Barnes, played by Ken Kercheval, was a character on the popular American television series Dallas. The Barnes family were competitors and sometimes enemies of the Ewing family. Cliff was the son of Willard "Digger" Barnes and Rebecca Barnes Wentworth. J.R. Ewing was Cliff's...
and was claiming that he was John Ross' father. Eventually Cliff sued for paternity rights. Eventually, blood tests revealed that J.R. was the father of John Ross, not Cliff, and J.R. connected with his son. In fact, J.R.'s relationship with John Ross was the one quality that had made him somewhat redeemable and well-rounded and not just the primary villain he had been, although he could still be malicious. John Ross was always called by his full name, unlike his father and grandfather.
Soon afterwards Sue Ellen restarted her affair with rodeo star Dusty Farlow and made plans to leave J.R. but Dusty was killed in a plane crash on his way to Fort Worth to meet Sue Ellen, and she started drinking again. It turned out that Dusty was alive and Sue Ellen left J.R. convincing Pamela Barnes Ewing
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:...
to meet her and Dusty in Abilene and bring John Ross to them. John Ross lived with Sue Ellen and Dusty at the Southern Cross Ranch in San Angelo
San Angelo, Texas
San Angelo is a city in the state of Texas. Located in West Central Texas it is the county seat of Tom Green County. As of 2010 according to the United States Census Bureau, the city had a total population of 93,200...
, despite J.R.'s best efforts to get him back. John Ross remained with his mother who, after divorcing J.R., was granted custody of John Ross while J.R. only saw him on alternate weekends.
Sue Ellen left Dusty returned to Dallas and after a short romance with Cliff Barnes
Cliff Barnes
Clifford "Cliff" Barnes, played by Ken Kercheval, was a character on the popular American television series Dallas. The Barnes family were competitors and sometimes enemies of the Ewing family. Cliff was the son of Willard "Digger" Barnes and Rebecca Barnes Wentworth. J.R. Ewing was Cliff's...
, remarried J.R. so John Ross returned to Southfork. However, his parents would eventually divorce once again. A fire at Southfork, added to all the drama with his parents (their fighting, his mother's drinking), would have an adverse mental effect on him. He become withdrawn, shy and quiet. Sue Ellen, worried about John Ross, took him to a child psychologist, named Dr. Suzanne Lacey, over J.R.'s vehement protests, and her recommendation was that he attend a day camp with counselors who had strong psychological backgrounds.
One of the counselors was a young man named Peter Richards (Christopher Atkins
Christopher Atkins
Christopher Atkins is an American actor, who became famous with his costarring debut role in the 1980 film The Blue Lagoon.-Early life:...
), who became John Ross's counselor and the two formed a bond. Unfortunately for him, though, he also began an affair with John Ross's mother, Sue Ellen. John Ross was broken hearted though, when Peter was driven out of Dallas by scheming J.R. using a trumped-up drug charge, and blackmail.
Because of this, John Ross's parents split again, but J.R. put him in boarding school to trump his mother. This led to more warfare between his parents. J.R. agreed to give Sue Ellen custody of John Ross but John Ross would choose where he lived and John Ross chose to live at Southfork. John Ross went on a trip to England to visit Sue Ellen and returned to find out that J.R. had fathered another son, James Richard Beaumont
James Richard Beaumont
James Richard Beaumont, was a character that appeared in the later seasons of the popular American television series Dallas, played by Sasha Mitchell from 1989 to 1991.-Biography:...
. John Ross was very jealous of James and J.R.'s relationship and began taking it out on Christopher.
In 1991, John Ross would move to London, with his mother and his new stepfather, Don Lockwood.