Larry Hagman Almost Quit TV's 'Dallas' During the 'Who Shot J.R.?' Era: Here's What Happened

Photo byClassic TV Preservation Society

Larry Hagman, who died in 2012, was one of the most popular TV actors in history. He first found small screen fame as astronaut Tony Nelson opposite Barbara Eden's magic carpet ride on I Dream of Jeannie (NBC, 1965-1970). A few years later, he played the popular oil magnate J.R. Ewing on Dallas (CBS, 1978-1991). However, the actor almost quit the latter prime-time soap over a contract dispute. Here's what happened.

A Closer Look

In the Dallas third-season cliffhanger episode, titled, "Who shot J.R.?," it was unclear if Larry Hagman's dastardly but adored J.R. Ewing character would be dead or live.

All CBS knew, however, is that the show's ratings went through the roof, while Hagman felt overwhelmed by the adulation. The actor sought refuge in England, then soon received twice the attention than in the States.

But Hagman Was Smart

Larry Hagman took advantage of his Dallas popularity and attempted to have his salary increased during his summer hiatus. The network initially resisted, with threats to recast J.R.; a switch that could have easily been explained with a disfigurement from the shooting.

By the fall of the following season, when the show began filming, Hagman’s contract was still unresolved.

Ten days later, however, the show's producers gave in to Hagman's savvy negotiations and gave him $75,000 per episode and a percentage of the series.

More About Larry

Larry Hagman was born on Sept. 21, 1931, in Texas, to Benjamin Jack Hagman and Mary Martin. His father was a lawyer who dealt with the Texas oil barons Hagman would later come to portray.

He was still a boy when his parents divorced and he went to Los Angeles with Martin, who would become a big name in Hollywood and a Tony winner on Broadway, where she starred in Peter Pan and The Sound of Music.

Hagman eventually found his way to New York, where he pursued acting, and made his stage debut there in The Taming of the Shrew.

In 1954, he wed actress Maj Axelsson, while they were both cast in a production of South Pacific (they had two children).

Then Came Jeannie

Ten years later, Larry Hagman was cast as Major Anthony Nelson, the master-turned-husband of an ethereal genie played by Barbara Eden in I Dream of Jeannie.

After Dallas

In July 1995, Larry Hagman was diagnosed with liver cancer, which led him to quit smoking and undergo a liver transplant. But Hagman said he did not lose his love for life, nor his career.

In 2012, he starred in a Dallas reboot for TNT that drew nearly 7 million viewers in the summer. The show was a hit, and Hagman was set to reprise his iconic role as J.R. Sadly, Hagman’s unexpected demise at age 81 altered those plans.