Los Angeles Times | November 23, 2012 | 9:39 PM (Swedish Time 06:39 AM Sat.)
Larry Hagman, who became a television star in the 1960s starring in the sitcom "I Dream of Jeannie" and later played the villainous oil baron J.R. Ewing on the long-running "Dallas," died Friday at a Dallas hospital, said a spokesman for actress Linda Gray, his longtime co-star on "Dallas." He was 81.A year ago, Hagman announced his second bout with cancer. He had spoken candidly about decades of drinking that led to cirrhosis of the liver and, in 1995, a life-saving liver transplant.
As an actor, Hagman came with a serious pedigree. He was the son of Mary Martin, a legendary star of Broadway musicals best known for originating the role of Peter Pan in the 1950s.
On "Dallas," Hagman's J.R. Ewing was "the man viewers loved to hate," according to critics, a scheming Texan in a land of plenty. Much of the show's run paralleled the nation's fascination with big money and big business in the 1980s, and the role made him an international star.
