Saddle up for a trip through entertainment history with a weekly highlight from Santa Clarita’s Walk of Western Stars! This week, actress Linda Gray. 

Linda Ann Gray was born Sept. 12, 1940, in Santa Monica, California and grew up in Culver City where her father, Leslie, a watchmaker, owned a shop. 

Before acting, Gray worked as a model in the 1960s and began her acting career in television commercials and also made a brief appearance in feature films such as Under the Yum Yum Tree and Palm Springs Weekend in 1963. 

Gray began her professional acting career in the 1970s with guest roles on many television series such as “Marcus Welby M.D.,” “McCloud” and “Switch” prior to signing with Universal Studios in 1974. 

In 1977, Gray was cast as fashion model Linda Murkland, the first transgender series regular on American television, in the television series “All That Glitters.” 

The show, a spoof of the soap-opera format was cancelled after just 13 weeks, Gray was then cast as suspicious wife Carla Cord in the 1977 television movie “Murder in the Peyton Place.” 

Gray achieved stardom for her role as Sue Ellen Ewing J.R.’s long-suffering alcoholic wife, in the CBS drama series “Dallas” (1978 – 1991) initially a recurring guest role for the first five-episode series, Gray became a series regular later in 1978 and remained with the show until 1989 and her character was well received by television critics. 

Gray was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress – Television Series Drama and Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her performance on “Dallas.” 

The actress also received numerous international awards including Germany’s Bambi Award, Italy’s II Gato and she was named Woman of the Year by the Hollywood Radio & Television Society in 1982. 

After Dallas, Gray starred in the 1991 comedy film, “Oscar” with Sylvester Stallone and then made guest appearances in British drama “Lovejoy” (starring her co-star and love interest from her final season on Dallas, Ian McShane). 

The actress also starred in several made-for-TV movies, including 1991 “The Entertainers” (with Bob Newhart) “Bonanza: The Return” (1993), “Moment of Truth: Why My Daughter” (1993) and “Accidental Meeting” (1994). 

In 1994, Gray made several guest appearances on the Fox prime-time soap opera “Melrose Place,” starring as Hillary Michaels, the mother of Amanda Woodward. 

The actress went on to do several more projects including the role of Mrs. Robin in the West End theatre production of Charles Webb’s “The Graduate” among many more theatre productions. 

While Gray has been active through these last few years, her recent role was in October 2023 when she was featured in the Lifetime film, “Ladies of the 80’s: A Divas Christmas.” 

The actress was married to Ed Thrasher, an art director and photographer, from 1962  and ended in divorce in 1983. The couple had two children, Jeff Thrasher and Kehly Sloane and has two grandsons.  

The actress currently resides in Los Angeles, California. 

Where is Linda Gray’s Walk of Western Stars Plaque? 

Honored by the City of Santa Clarita in 2001, Gray’s plaque is located on the south side of Market Street, just east of Main Street. 

Click here to view last week’s feature. 

KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.