Larry Hagman (1931–2012)

Larry Martin Hagman was born on September 21, 1931 in Fort Worth, Texas. After graduating from high school in 1949, he decided to pursue acting. He began his career in Dallas as a production assistant and acting in a small theater company. In 1952, during the Korean War, he enlisted in the United show more States Air Force. He was stationed in London and spent the majority of his military service entertaining U.S. troops at bases in Europe. He appeared in several off-Broadway plays including Once Around the Block and James Lee's Career. His Broadway debut occurred in 1958 in Comes a Day. Some other Broadway shows he appeared in are God and Kate Murphy, The Nervous Set, The Warm Peninsula and The Beauty Part. At the age of 25, he made his television debut on an episode of Decoy. In 1958, he became a guest star in the short-lived adventure and drama series Harbormaster. He joined the cast of daytime soap opera The Edge of Night in 1961 as Ed Gibson. After years of guest-starring in television series, he was cast as astronaut Major Anthony "Tony" Nelson in the 1960s sitcom I Dream of Jeannie, which ran for five seasons. In 1977, he was cast as the ruthless oil baron J. R. Ewing in the primetime television show Dallas, which ran until 1991. He was the only actor to appear in all 357 episodes. He reprised his role as J. R. Ewing in TNT's continuation of Dallas, which began in 2012. He died following complications from throat cancer on November 23, 2012 at the age of 81. (Bowker Author Biography) show less