Major Nelson may refer to:

• Alfred Nelson-Williams, Major-General in the Republic of Sierra Leone,
• Larry Hryb, nicknamed Major Nelson, director of Programming for Xbox Live
• Major Nelson, a character from I Dream of Jeannie

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (November 2011)

Barbara Eden
Eden in 1964.
Born	Barbara Jean Morehead (1934-08-23) August 23, 1934 (age 77) Tucson, Arizona, U.S.
Other names	Barbara Huffman
Years active	1956–present
Spouse	Michael Ansara (1958–1974; divorced); 1 child Charles Fegert (1977–1982; divorced) Jon Eicholtz (1991–present)

Barbara Eden (born August 23, 1934) is an American film and television actress and singer who is best known for starring as the title role in the sitcom I Dream of Jeannie.

Early years[link]

Eden was born Barbara Jean Morehead in Tucson, Arizona, the daughter of Alice Mary (née Franklin) and Hubert Henry Morehead. Her parents divorced when she was three; she and her mother Alice moved to San Francisco, where later her mother married Harrison Connor Huffman, a telephone lineman. The Great Depression deeply affected the Huffman family, and as they were unable to afford many luxuries, Barbara's mother entertained the children by singing songs. This musical background left a lasting impression on the actress, who began taking acting classes because she felt it might help her improve her singing.

Her first public performance was singing in the church choir, where she sang the solos. When she was 14 she sang in local bands for $10 a night in night clubs. At age 16 she became a member of Actor's Equity. She studied singing at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and acting with the Elizabeth Holloway School of Theatre. She graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in San Francisco in the Spring Class of 1949^[1] and studied theater for one year at City College of San Francisco. Then she was elected Miss San Francisco, as Barbara Huffman, in 1951. Barbara also entered the Miss California pageant, but did not win.^[2][3]

TV and film roles[link]

Eden made featured appearances on television shows such as The Johnny Carson Show (as "Barbara Morehead" and "Barbara Huffman"), The West Point Story, Highway Patrol, Private Secretary, I Love Lucy, The Millionaire, Target: The Corruptors!, Crossroads, Perry Mason, Gunsmoke, December Bride, Bachelor Father, Father Knows Best, Adventures in Paradise, The Andy Griffith Show, Cain's Hundred, Saints and Sinners, The Virginian, Slattery's People, The Rogues, and the series finale of Route 66 playing the role of Margo.

She guest starred in four episodes of Burke's Law, playing different roles each time. She was an uncredited extra in the movie The Tarnished Angels with Rock Hudson, in partnership with 20th Century Fox studios. She then starred in the syndicated comedy How To Marry A Millionaire. The show was based on the film of the same name.

Discovery in the Hollywood sense came when she starred in a play with James Drury. Film director Mark Robson, who later directed her in the movie From The Terrace, had come to the play and wanted her for 20th Century Fox studios. Her screen test was the Joanne Woodward role in No Down Payment. Though she did not get the role, the studio gave her a contract. Eden did a screen test for the role of Betty Anderson in the 1957 film version of Peyton Place, though Terry Moore got the role. She had minor roles in Bailout At 43,000, Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? and The Wayward Girl, and then became a leading lady in films and starred opposite Gary Crosby, Barry Coe, and Sal Mineo in A Private's Affair, and had a co-starring role in Flaming Star (1960), with Elvis Presley.

The following year, she played in a supporting role as Lt. Cathy Connors in Irwin Allen's Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. She starred in The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm a George Pal-directed Cinerama film for MGM, and another Irwin Allen production for 20th Century Fox Five Weeks in a Balloon (1962). Eden was also the female lead in the 1962 20th Century Fox comedy Swingin' Along, starring the comedy team of Tommy Noonan and Peter Marshall, in their final joint screen appearance. She did a screen test with Andy Williams for the 20th Century Fox movie State Fair, but didn't get the role.^{[citation needed]}

Her last film for 20th Century Fox was The Yellow Canary (1963). She left Fox studios (due to budget cuts) and began guest-starring in shows such as Saints And Sinners and also doing films for MGM, Universal, and Columbia. She played supporting roles over the next few years, including The Brass Bottle, and the notable, if odd, movie 7 Faces of Dr. Lao, both with Tony Randall. In The New Interns, she co-starred with Michael Callan. Then she signed to become "Jeannie," a genie in a bottle rescued by an astronaut in the television sitcom I Dream of Jeannie. She played this role for five years and 139 episodes. Eden also played Jeannie's sister in eight episodes and Jeannie's mother in at least one.^[4][5][6]

After that, Eden did an unaired pilot, The Barbara Eden Show, and another pilot, The Toy Game. She also began starring in and sometimes producing a string of successful made-for-TV movies, making at least one a year for one of the networks and they all were top-rated.^{[citation needed]} Her first TV movie was called The Feminist And The Fuzz. Although best known for comedy, most were dramas, as when she starred with her "Jeannie" co-star Larry Hagman in A Howling in the Woods (1971). She starred in The Woman Hunter (1972) with Robert Vaughn, an earlier co-star from Gunsmoke. In The Stranger Within (1974), Eden plays unwitting housewife Ann Collins, who becomes one of many earthling women who are extraterrestrially impregnated. Like the mother-to-be in Rosemary's Baby, Ann develops unusual prenatal cravings (in this case, coffee grounds instead of blood-rare meat). The screenplay was written by Richard Matheson and directed by Lee Philips.

Eden played Liz Stonestreet, a former policewoman now private detective investigating the disappearance of a missing heiress in a critically acclaimed TV movie Stonestreet: Who Killed The Centerfold Model? (1977) co-starring Louise Latham, James Ingersoll, Elaine Giftos, Ann Dusenberry. and Sally Kirkland. She played Lee Rawlins, a woman who worked at a department store, in the ABC TV movie The Girls in The Office (1979) and starred in and co-produced with her own production company (MI-Bar Productions) the NBC TV movie romantic comedy The Secret Life Of Kathy McCormick (1988) about "a simple grocery clerk, finds her way into her local high society and the life of a wealthy suitor who thinks she's a stockbroker." In addition, she starred in and produced the romantic comedy TV movie Opposites Attract (1990) co-starring John Forsythe, their first joint screen appearance since her guest-starring role in a 1957 episode of his Bachelor Father TV series.

[edit] I Dream of Jeannie

Eden as Jeannie. The famous "Jeannie Costume" was created for the show and had to be designed so that it would not expose Eden's navel.

In 1965, Eden signed a contract with Sidney Sheldon to star on his up-and-coming fantasy sitcom I Dream of Jeannie that would air on NBC. She was first passed over for the role because of her small stature and blonde hair, because Sheldon at first wanted a tall brunette for the role. However, she was later given the role after several brunettes tested for the part unsuccessfully. Eden played Jeannie, a beautiful genie set free from her bottle by astronaut and USAF captain (later major) Anthony Nelson, played by Larry Hagman. Hoped to be a blockbuster, like its rival-show Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie was only a mild ratings success, topping off its first year at #27, tying with Lassie. The series spent its second, third, and fifth seasons out of the top thirty programs. Season four proved to be the sitcom's most successful year, ending at #26.

In the series, Eden wore her legendary "Jeannie Costume", a costume that was designed to hide the actress's navel. However, her navel is glimpsed in a few season four and season five episodes, much to the dislike of the censors. After four years of dating, Jeannie and Anthony got married in the show's fifth season, a decision that was forced to come about by the network. Eden complained to the network about the two marrying, claiming that this change in the plotline would take away from the show's humor and the sexual tension between Jeannie and Anthony. However, even after the change, the network had grown tired of the series by the end of the 1969-1970 television season and canceled the show after five seasons and 139 episodes. The series became hugely popular during decades of syndication and has had two spin-off reunion movies. The first, I Dream of Jeannie: 15 Years Later a 1985 television movie, starred all the original cast excluding Larry Hagman, who declined the chance to return. The role of Anthony was played by Wayne Rogers, for this film only. The second television movie spin-off movie of the series aired in 1991 and was called I Still Dream of Jeannie, in which Hagman was still absent. Anthony doesn't appear in this film at all. In recent history, several mentions of a third I Dream of Jeannie movie has come to attention; however, no projects have been cast or even written.

Later career[link]

She continued to appear regularly on stage starring in the play Blithe Spirit and in television specials like Telly...Who Loves Ya Baby? with Telly Savalas and The Best Of Everything with Hal Linden and Dorothy Loudon.

In 1978 she starred in the feature film Harper Valley PTA based on the popular country song. This led to a namesake television series in 1981; in both the movie and the TV series, she played the show's heroine, Stella Johnson. The show won 11 of its 13 time slots during its first season. It was a comedy version of Peyton Place with Anne Francine playing wealthy villain Flora Simpson Reilly. In one episode Stella dressed in a blue and gold genie costume and in another she played both Stella and her cousin Della Smith (similar to Jeannie's evil twin-sister character). The show Harper Valley PTA began January 16, 1981, and was renamed simply Harper Valley when the show began its second season on October 29, 1981. The show ran until August 14, 1982, producing 29 episodes for NBC and Universal MCA, which were rerun in 2000 by TV Land.

Eden in 1987 at a United Services Organization (USO) show aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Okinawa

From April 3 through September 16, 1984, Eden starred in the Lee Guber and Shelly Gross national production of the John Kander and Fred Ebb Tony Award-winning musical comedy Woman Of The Year, playing the role of Tess Harding Craig, alongside Don Chastain (as Sam Craig), and Marilyn Cooper (as Jan Donovan, reprising her Tony Award-winning role on Broadway).

In 1990, Eden had a recurring role of a billionairess seeking revenge against J.R. Ewing in five episodes of the final season of Dallas, playing the captivating character Lee Ann De La Vega, reuniting her with her I Dream of Jeannie co-star Hagman. In her final episode the character admits that her maiden name was "Lee Ann Nelson," which was a production gag as "Nelson" was the surname of Hagman's character, and Eden's character's married name in I Dream of Jeannie.^{[citation needed]}

In 1991 she starred in the stage play Same Time, Next Year with Wayne Rogers, and reprised her role of Jeannie in a television movie of the week. In 1993 she starred in an 11 city national tour of the play Last Of The Red Hot Lovers with Don Knotts. She also made three guest appearances in the last few seasons of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch as the evil family matriarch, Great Aunt Irma.

Eden has starred in such musical comedies as Nite Club Confidential (playing the role of Kay Goodman, in 1996), The Sound Of Music, Annie Get Your Gun, South Pacific with Robert Goulet, The Pajama Game with John Raitt, and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes playing Lorelei Lee. She has been a musical guest star in many variety television shows, including 21 Bob Hope specials, The Carol Burnett Show, The Jonathan Winters Show, The Jerry Lewis Show, This is Tom Jones show, Tony Orlando and Dawn, and Donny and Marie. She released an album entitled Miss Barbara Eden in 1967, for the record label Dot Records. She recorded three songs in 1978 for the Harper Valley P.T.A. Soundtrack.

Prior to the release of Eden's 2011 autobiography, Eden then appearing on the Bob Hope NBC Christmas Special in December 1985, made an unofficial announcement for the publication of her autobiographical book, Barbara Eden: My Story, that was scheduled to be released in 1989. Although issued ISBN number 978-0025349308 for cataloging, Barbara Eden: My Story, was not mass-produced. One reason may be due to content disputes between the publisher and Eden.

She received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in the spring of 1990 from the University of West Los Angeles School of Law. On November 17, 1988, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame sidewalk for her contributions to television at 2003 Hollywood Boulevard.

From 2000 until 2004, Eden starred in the national touring production of the play, The Odd Couple ... The Female Version, playing the role of Florence Unger opposite Rita MacKenzie as Olive Madison.

In March 2006, Eden reunited with her former I Dream Of Jeannie co-star Larry Hagman for a publicity tour in New York City to promote the first season DVD of I Dream Of Jeannie. They appeared together on such shows as Good Morning America, The View, Martha, Access Hollywood, Entertainment Tonight, and Showbiz Tonight. In March 2006, Hagman and Eden also reunited, this time onstage in New York, for Love Letters at the College of Staten Island and at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. This was Eden's first visit to the Academy since appearing in The West Point Story in 1956.^[7]

Eden's most recent work was starring in the play Love Letters with Hal Linden, and a guest-starring role on the Lifetime series Army Wives, written and produced by her niece, Katherine Fugate. In December 2008 she began filming the TV Movie Always and Forever for the Hallmark Channel that was shown in October 2009.^[8] In April 2009 she began hosting a national touring production of Ballroom With A Twist, a live theater show from Louis van Amstel of Dancing with the Stars.

[edit] Jeannie Out of the Bottle

Eden wrote a memoir, Jeannie Out of the Bottle, released April 5, 2011, about her personal life. The book includes intimate details about her two failed marriages and her "emotional breakdown" following the death of her only child, her son, Matthew Ansara, from a drug overdose.^[9]

Filmography[link]

• Back from Eternity (1956) (RKO) (Debut) (Role "Blonde College Girl From School Paper)
• Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1957) (20th Century Fox) (as "Miss Carstairs")
• A Private's Affair (1959) (20th Century Fox) (Role "Katey Mulligan")
• Twelve Hours to Kill (1960) (20th Century Fox) (Role "Lucy Hall")
• Flaming Star (1960) (20Th Century Fox) (Role "Ros")
• From the Terrace (1960) (20th Century Fox) (Role "Clemmie Shreve")
• Swingin' Along (1961) (20th Century Fox) (Role "Carol Walker")
• Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961) (20th Century Fox) (Role"Lt.Cathy Collins")
• The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm (1962) (MGM) (Role "Greta Heinrich")
• Five Weeks in a Balloon (1962) (20th Century Fox) (Role "Susan Gale")
• Swingin' Along (1962) (20th Century Fox) (Role "Carol Walker")
• The Yellow Canary (1963) (20th Century Fox) (Role "Lissa Paxton")
• 7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964) (MGM) (Role "Angela Benedict")
• The Brass Bottle (1964) (Universal)(Role "Sylvia Kenton")
• The New Interns (1964) (Columbia Pictures) (Role "Laura Rogers")
• Ride the Wild Surf (1964) (Columbia Pictures) (Role "Augie")
• Harper Valley PTA (1978) (April Fools Productions) (Role "Mrs Stella Johnson")
• Chattanooga Choo Choo (1984) (April Fools Productions) (Role "Maggie Jones")
• A Very Brady Sequel (1996) (cameo role) (Paramount)

Selected television appearances[link]

• The West Point Story (1956) Episode: A Tough Decision
• Private Secretary (1957) Episode: The Big Shot
• Highway Patrol (1957) Episode: Hostage Copter
• I Love Lucy (1957) Episode: Country Club Dance
• The Millionaire (1957) Episode: The Ted McAllister Story
• Crossroads (1957) Episode: A Green Hill Faraway
• Perry Mason (1957) Episode: The Case of the Angry Mourner
• Gunsmoke (1957) Episode: Romeo
• Bachelor Father (1957) Episode: Bentley and the Revolving Housekeepers
• December Bride (1957) Episode: The Other Woman
• How to Marry a Millionaire (1957–1959) (52 episodes)
• Father Knows Best (1958) Episode: The Rivals
• Adventures in Paradise (1961) Episode: Inheritance
• The Andy Griffith Show (1962) Episode: The Manicurist
• Target: The Corruptors (1962) Episode: Babes in Wall Street
• Cain's Hundred (1962) Episode: Savage in Darkness
• Saints And Sinners (1962) Episode: Daddy's Girl
• Burke's Law (1963) Episode: Who Killed Harris Crown?
• Burke's Law (1964) Episode: Who Killed The Paper Dragon?
• Route 66 (1964) Episode: Where There's A Will, There's A Way (1)
• Route 66 (1964) Episode: Where There's A Will, There's A Way (2)
• The Virginian (1964) Episode: The Brazos Kid
• Burke's Law (1964) Episode: Who Killed Cornelius Gilbert?
• Burke's Law (1965) Episode: Who Killed The Man On The White Horse?
• Slattery's People (1965) Episode: Question: When Do We Hang The Good Samaritan?
• The Rogues (1965) Episode: Wherefore Art Thou, Harold?
• I Dream of Jeannie (1965–1970) (139 episodes)
• This is Tom Jones (2 episodes)
• The Woman Hunter (1972) (TV Movie)
• The Stranger Within (1974) (TV Movie)
• Out to Lunch (1974)
• Harper Valley PTA (1981–82; 29 episodes)
• I Dream of Jeannie: 15 Years Later (1985) (TV Movie)
• The Stepford Children (1987) (TV Movie)
• The Secret Life of Kathy McCormick (1988) (TV Movie)
• Your Mother Wears Combat Boots (1989) (TV Movie)
• The Magical World of Disney: A Brand New Life (1989–1990; 7 episodes)
• Dallas (1990–1991) (5 episodes)
• I Still Dream of Jeannie (1991) (TV Movie)
• Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1998)
• Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (2002–2003; 3 episodes)
• The George Lopez Show (2006)
• Army Wives (2007) Episode: Truth and Consequences
• Always and Forever (2009) (TV Movie)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Barbara Eden

• Official website
• Barbara Eden Online
• Official Barbara Eden Twitter
• Official Barbara Eden FaceBook Profile
• Barbara Eden at the Internet Movie Database
• Barbara Eden—Archive of American Television Interview
• Interview with Barbara Eden- Elvis Australia

Larry Hagman
Larry Hagman attending the "Night of 100 Stars" for the 82nd Academy Awards viewing party at the Beverly Hills Hotel, Beverly Hills, CA on March 7, 2010
Born	Larry Martin Hagman (1931-09-21) September 21, 1931 (age 80) Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Actor, TV producer and director
Years active	1950–1998, 2006–2010, 2012–
Television	I Dream of Jeannie The Good Life Here We Go Again Dallas Orleans
Spouse	Maj Axelsson (1954-present)
Children	Daughter and son
Parents	Benjamin Hagman (deceased) Mary Martin (deceased)
Website
http://www.larryhagman.com

Larry Martin Hagman (born September 21, 1931) is an American film and television actor, producer and director most widely known for playing J.R. Ewing in the 1980s primetime television soap opera Dallas and Major Anthony "Tony" Nelson in the 1960s sitcom I Dream of Jeannie. He is also the son of actress Mary Martin.

Early life and career[link]

Hagman was born in Fort Worth, Texas. His mother, Mary Martin, later became a Broadway actress and his father, Benjamin Jack Hagman,^[1] was a district attorney. His parents divorced in 1936 when he was five years old. He lived with his grandmother in Texas and California. His famous mother became a contract player with Paramount in 1938 and occasionally took him to her movies.

In 1940 his mother met and married Richard Halliday and gave birth to a daughter, Heller, the following year.^{[citation needed]} Hagman attended the strict Black-Foxe Military Institute (now closed). When his mother moved to New York City to continue her Broadway career, Hagman again lived with his grandmother in California.^{[citation needed]} A couple of years later, his grandmother died and Hagman joined his mother in New York. At age 14 (in 1945) while attending boarding school, he began drinking heavily which led to serious health problems later in life.^{[citation needed]}

In 1946 Hagman moved back to his hometown of Weatherford, where he worked on a ranch owned by a friend of his father. After attending Weatherford High School, he was drawn to drama classes and reputedly fell in love with the stage and, in particular, with the warm reception he got for his comedic roles. He developed a reputation as a talented performer and in between school terms, would take minor roles in local stage productions.^{[citation needed]} Hagman graduated from high school in 1949, when his mother suggested that he try acting as a profession.^{[citation needed]}

Hagman began his career in Dallas, Texas working as a production assistant and acting in small roles in Margo Jones' Theater in 1950 during a break from his one year at Bard College. He appeared in The Taming of the Shrew in New York City, followed by numerous tent show musicals with St. John Terrell's Music Circus in St. Petersburg, Florida, and Lambertville, New Jersey. In 1951, Hagman appeared in the London production of South Pacific with his mother, and stayed in the show for nearly a year.

In 1952, during the Korean War, Hagman was drafted into the United States Air Force.^{[citation needed]} Stationed in London, he spent the majority of his military service entertaining U.S. troops in the UK and at bases in Europe.^{[citation needed]}

Stage/TV and film actor[link]

After leaving the Air Force in 1956, Hagman returned to New York City where he appeared in the Off-Broadway play Once Around the Block, by William Saroyan. That was followed by nearly a year in another Off Broadway play, James Lee's Career. His Broadway debut occurred in 1958 in Comes a Day. Hagman appeared in four other Broadway plays, God and Kate Murphy, The Nervous Set, The Warm Peninsula and The Beauty Part.^{[citation needed]}

During this period, Hagman also appeared in numerous, mostly live, television programs. Aged 25, Hagman made his television debut on an episode of Decoy. In 1958 he joined Barbara Bain as a guest star in the short-lived adventure and drama series Harbourmaster. Hagman joined the cast of The Edge of Night in 1961 as Ed Gibson, and stayed in that role for two years. In 1964 he made his film debut in Ensign Pulver, which featured a young unknown Jack Nicholson. That same year, Hagman also appeared in Fail-Safe, opposite Henry Fonda.

TV series[link]

[edit] I Dream of Jeannie

When Tony wishes he was back in the Old West, Jeannie makes him the sheriff of a small Western town.

After years of guest-starring in many TV roles, and starring in a less successful series the previous year, Hagman hit the jackpot in 1965 playing Barbara Eden’s TV "master" and eventual love interest, Air Force Captain (later Major) Anthony Nelson in the sitcom, I Dream of Jeannie, for NBC. The show had climbed into the Top 30 in its first year and was NBC's answer to both successful 1960s magical comedies, Bewitched on ABC and My Favorite Martian on CBS. The show ran until 1970. Two reunion movies were later made, both televised on NBC: I Dream of Jeannie: 15 Years Later (1985) and I Still Dream of Jeannie (1991), however Hagman did not appear in either of them.

1970s work[link]

After Jeannie was canceled, Hagman starred in two other short-lived series in the 1970s: Here We Go Again and The Good Life. He also appeared in various television films, including Getting Away From It All, Sidekicks, The Return Of The World's Greatest Detective, Intimate Strangers, and Checkered Flag or Crash.^{[citation needed]}

Hagman appeared in the theatrical films The Group, Harry and Tonto, Mother, Jugs & Speed, The Eagle Has Landed, Superman, Nixon and Primary Colors. He directed (and appeared briefly in) a low-budget comedy and horror film in 1972 called Beware The Blob (a sequel to the classic 1958 horror film, The Blob). Some have jokingly called this "the film that J.R. shot".

[edit] Dallas

In 1978, Hagman was cast as the conniving elder son and businessman J.R. Ewing, a man whom everybody loved to hate for the long-running series Dallas. When Hagman read the script for the role of J.R. at his wife's suggestion, they both concluded it was perfect for him. Seen in over 90 countries, the show became a worldwide success and Hagman became one of the best known television stars of the era. By the end of its second season, Dallas was a bonafide hit. Producers were keen to capitalize on that love/hate family relationship of J.R.'s, building anticipation to a fever-pitch in the 1980 cliffhanger season finale in which J.R. is shot.^{[citation needed]}

At the beginning of the third season of Dallas, audience and actors were guessing "Who Shot J.R.?". During the media buildup, Hagman was involved in contract negotiations, delaying his return in the third season. Holding out for a higher salary, Hagman did not appear in the first episode of the show until the final few minutes. Producers were faced with a dilemma whether to pay the greatly increased salary or to write J.R. out of the picture. Lorimar Productions, the makers of the series, began shooting different episodes of Dallas which did not include Hagman. In the midst of negotiations, Hagman took his family to London for their July vacation. He continued to fight for his demands and network executives conceded that they wanted J.R. to remain in Dallas. From then on, Hagman became one of the highest-paid stars on television. At the beginning of the third season, writers were told to keep the storylines away from the actors until they really found out who actually shot J.R., and it took three weeks until the culprit was revealed on November 21, 1980 in a ratings record-breaking episode.

For his performance as J.R. Ewing, Hagman was nominated for two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1980 and 1981, but did not win. He was also nominated for four Golden Globes, between 1981 and 1985. He was nominated for a Soap Opera Digest Award seven times for Outstanding Villain on a Prime Time Serial, Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role on a Prime Time Serial, Favorite Super Couple: Prime Time and Outstanding Actor in a Comic Relief Role on a Prime Time Serial, and won five times. In 1984, co-star (Barbara Bel Geddes) left the show after suffering a heart attack. At one point, Hagman suggested to his real-life mother (Mary Martin) that she play Miss Ellie, but she refused and Bel Geddes was replaced with veteran actress Donna Reed. Reed was fired from the show, just months before her death in 1986, aged 64, from pancreatic cancer.^{[citation needed]} Bel Geddes returned to the role in 1985 and stayed until 1990. By the end of its thirteenth season in 1991, ratings had slipped to the extent that CBS decided to end Dallas. Hagman was the only actor to appear in all 357 episodes. He had also made five guest appearances on the Dallas spin-off series Knots Landing in the early 1980s. Some years after Dallas ended, Hagman appeared in two subsequent Dallas TV movies: J.R. Returns in 1996, and War of the Ewings in 1998.

Hagman will reprise his role as J.R. Ewing in TNT's continuation of Dallas, beginning in 2012.^[2][3]

[edit] After Dallas

In January 1997, Larry starred in a short lived TV series named Orleans as Judge Luther Charbonnet, lasting only eight episodes. By this time, Hagman ceased wearing his toupée, which was first seen by the public when he appeared as a guest star during the fourth season of Nip/Tuck in 2006.

[edit] I Dream of Jeannie again

In November 1999, after 29 years, Hagman agreed to reunite with Jeannie co-stars Barbara Eden and Bill Daily and creator/producer Sidney Sheldon on the The Donny and Marie Show. In 2002, when I Dream Of Jeannie was set to join the cable channel TV Land, Hagman once again took part in a I Dream Of Jeannie reunion with Eden and Daily, this time on Larry King Live. On the TV Land Awards in March 2004, Hagman and Eden were the first presenters to reunite on stage. The following October, Hagman and Daily appeared at The Ray Courts Hollywood Autograph Show. And the following year, 2005 brought all three surviving stars from I Dream Of Jeannie to the first ever cast reunion at The Chiller Expo Show.

Hagman reunited with Eden in March 2006 for a publicity tour in New York City to promote the first season DVD of I Dream Of Jeannie. He reunited once again with Eden on stage in the play Love Letters at the College of Staten Island in New York and the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York. The appearance marked the first time the two had acted together since Eden appeared with Hagman on Dallas in 1990.

In 2002, Hagman made an appearance in the fourth series of Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer's British comedy panel game, Shooting Stars. In January 2011, Hagman made a guest appearance in the seventh Season of Desperate Housewives as a new husband for Lynette Scavo's mother, Stella (played by Polly Bergen).

TV Commercials[link]

During the 1980s, Hagman was featured in a national televised Schlitz beer campaign, playing on - but not explicitly featuring - the J.R. character from Dallas. Hagman wore the same kind of western business outfit - complete with cowboy hat - that he wore playing J.R. Ewing. The end of each 30-second spot featured a male voice-over saying, "Refreshing Schlitz beer...the gusto's back..." and Hagman grinning into the camera and saying, "...and I'm gonna get it!" He also made commercials for B.V.D. brand underwear.

In 2010, Hagman was hired as a spokesman for SolarWorld, a solar energy commercial enterprise. While the SolarWorld commercials do not specifically mention either Dallas or J.R. Ewing, Hagman essentially revisits the character (complete with a picture of Hagman as J.R. Ewing from the original series on the mantle), stating that his oil company days are long over, "though still in the energy business", meaning solar energy instead.^[4]

Personal life[link]

In 1973 stepfather Richard Halliday died, and Hagman reconciled with his mother, Mary Martin, soon after. The two became close until his mother's own death from colon cancer in 1990, at the age of 76.

In 1954 Hagman married Swedish-born Maj Axelsson and they had two children, Heidi Kristina (b. 1958) and Preston (b. 1962). Longtime residents of Malibu, California, they now live in Ojai, California. Hagman has been a member of the Peace and Freedom Party since the 1960s.^[5] Hagman derided President George W. Bush, a fellow Texan, before the Iraq War. At a signing for his book he described Bush as "A sad figure, not too well educated, who doesn't get out of America much. He's leading the country towards fascism".^[6] Hagman appeared at the Dublin races in 2008 with his wife.

Despite playing the very right-wing J.R. Ewing, Hagman is a member of the Democratic Party and supported Bill Clinton, Al Gore, John Kerry, Hillary Clinton and later Barack Obama in their respective bids for the United States Presidency.

In 1967, friend musician David Crosby, supplied Hagman with LSD after a Crosby, Stills, and Nash concert:^[7] "LSD was such a profound experience in my life that it changed my pattern of life and my way of thinking and I could not exclude it."^[8] Hagman was introduced to marijuana by Jack Nicholson, as a safer alternative to Hagman's heavy drinking. Although Hagman says he no longer smokes marijuana and is on a "Twelve-step program", he explains, "Marijuana is like being compared to alcohol and when you come right down to it, alcohol destroys your body and makes you do violent things, but with grass, you just sit back and enjoy life."

In 1982, Hagman crowned the winner of the Miss Sweden competition in Stockholm. During the coronation he wore a traditional Lapphatt and sang a Swedish folksong.

Hagman in August 2011.

In August 1995, Hagman underwent a life-saving liver transplant after admitting he had been a heavy drinker. Numerous reports state he was drinking four bottles of champagne a day while on the set of Dallas. He was also a heavy smoker as a young man, but the cancer scare was the catalyst for him to quit. Hagman was so shaken by this incident that he immediately became strongly anti-smoking. He has recorded several public service announcements pleading with smokers to quit and urging non-smokers never to start. Hagman was the chairman of the American Cancer Society's annual Great American Smokeout for many years, and also worked on behalf of the National Kidney Foundation.

In 2001, Larry Hagman wrote his autobiography entitled "Hello Darlin' Tall (and absolutely true)Tales about my Life. As of 2012, this is the only book Hagman has written.

In a 2007 interview, he talked about how he is now a major proponent of alternative energy.^[9] On an episode of Living With Ed, Hagman and his wife show actor Ed Begley, Jr. their solar powered, super energy efficient home and talk about their green lifestyle. In early 2010, the couple put their 43-acre Ojai estate (called "Heaven", which they purchased in 1991) up for sale, which was valued at $9.5 million.^[10]

On October 14, 2011 Hagman announced he had been diagnosed with a treatable form of cancer, but declined to be more specific. He commented, "As J.R. I could get away with anything — bribery, blackmail and adultery", Hagman said in a statement. "But I got caught by cancer. I do want everyone to know that it is a very common and treatable form of cancer. I will be receiving treatment while working on the new Dallas series. I could not think of a better place to be than working on a show I love, with people I love.".^[11] In January 2012, Hagman announced that his cancer treatments have gone well and is back on the set of Dallas, but has "a lot of catching up to do". Since his cancer treatments Hagman has made several appearances in promotion for the reboot of the series, looking thinner but in better health.

Filmography[link]

• Search for Tomorrow (1951) (TV-series)
• The Outcasts of Poker Flat (1958) (TV-film)
• The Edge of Night (1956) (TV-series)
• The Silver Burro (1963) (TV-film)
• The Cavern (1965)
• Ensign Pulver (1964)
• Fail-Safe (1964)
• In Harm's Way (1965)
• I Dream of Jeannie (1965) (TV-series)
• The Rogues (1964) (TV-series)
• The Group (1966)
• Three's a Crowd (1969) (TV-film)
• Up in the Cellar (1970)
• Vanished (1971) (TV-film)
• The Hired Hand (1971) (TV-film)
• The Good Life (1971) (TV-series)
• A Howling in the Woods (1971) (TV-film)
• Getting Away from It All (1972) (TV-film)
• Beware! The Blob (1972) (directorial debut)
• No Place to Run (1972) (TV-film)
• Antonio (1973)
• Here We Go Again (1973) (TV series)
• Applause (1973) (TV) .... Bill Sampson
• The Toy Game (1973) .... Major
• The Alpha Caper (1973) (TV) .... Tudor
• Blood Sport (1973) (TV) .... Coach Marshall
• What Are Best Friends For? (1973) (TV-film)
• Stardust (1974)
• Sidekicks (1974) (TV-film)
• Harry and Tonto (1974)
• Hurricane (1974) (TV-film)
• Sarah T. - Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic (1975) (TV-film)
• The Big Rip-Off (1975) (TV-film)
• Mother, Jugs & Speed (1976)
• The Return of the World's Greatest Detective (1976) (TV-film)
• The Big Bus (1976)
• The Eagle Has Landed (1976)
• Cry for Justice (1977)
• The Rhinemann Exchange (1977) (TV-mini-series)
• Checkered Flag or Crash (1977)
• Intimate Strangers (1977) (TV-film)
• A Double Life (1978) (TV-film)
• The President's Mistress (1978) (TV-film)
• Last of the Good Guys (1978) (TV-film)
• Dallas (1978) (TV-series)
• Superman (1978)
• S.O.B. (1981)
• I Am Blushing (1981)
• Deadly Encounter (1982) (TV-film)
• Dallas: The Early Years (1986) (TV-film)
• Lone Star (1986) (TV documentary)
• JFK (1991)
• Ein Schloß am Wörthersee (1992) (German TV-series)
• Staying Afloat (1993) (TV-film)
• Nixon (1995)
• Dallas: J.R. Returns (1996) (TV-film)
• Orleans (1997) (TV-series)
• The Third Twin (1997) (TV-film)
• Primary Colors (1998)
• Dallas: War of the Ewings (1998) (TV-film)
• Nip/Tuck (2006) (TV-series)
• Lindenstraße (2006) (German Soap Opera)
• Cómplices (2009) (Spanish Soap Opera)
• Desperate Housewives (2010)
• Dallas (2012)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Larry Hagman

• Larry Hagman Official website
• Larry Hagman at the Internet Movie Database
• Larry Hagman at the Internet Broadway Database
• Larry Hagman's Official Website
• Larry Hagman: Vita Celebratio Est (Time magazine profile, Aug. 11, 1980)
• Love Letters New York
• Hagman profile at www.emmytvlegends.org

Work at Microsoft[link]

Professional[link]

Larry Hryb at the Xbox 360 Community Event X06 Canada

Larry Hryb worked for Clear Channel Communications in Hartford, Connecticut for WKSS prior to Microsoft. Larry joined the Xbox team in early 2004 as the Xbox LIVE Director Of Programming. Hryb has been instrumental in the development in the Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE and the 'New Xbox Experience'. He was also one of the small team of people at Xbox who came up with the concept of 'Xbox 360 Achievements' a popular feature of Xbox 360 games. In addition, Mr. Hryb has done much forward thinking community work, and has advised numerous gaming and non-gaming companies on how to best manage their communities and social network.

Podcast[link]

Hryb is most known for his popular weekly podcast "Major Nelson Radio", available on iTunes, Zune Marketplace, and from his site. Direct from inside the Microsoft Xbox team, Hryb and his colleagues including regular co-hosts Laura Massey ("lollip0p"), and Eric Neustadter ("e") discuss Xbox, Xbox Live, Xbox 360, Kinect, Zune, gaming, technology, other next generation consoles (including the PlayStation 3, and Wii), among other subjects. His show regularly hosts interviews with people in the gaming community, and offers prizes to listeners through his "Name the Game" contest, where he plays a short audio clip from a game, and a winner is drawn from the correct entries. Additionally, regular features of the podcast include "Xbox 101", a segment devoted to various features on the Xbox 360 or Xbox Live, Gadget discussion where they discuss the latest and greatest gadget. Recently, as convergence take place with the auto industry, they've also started looking at vehicles that use technology in a new and exciting ways. There is also an after show, an easter egg where Hryb talks about random topics. Hryb and Neustadter regularly joke about each other's Xbox Live gamerscore and gaming habits. Xbox 101 is also a series of "Inside Xbox" videos on Xbox Live.^{[citation needed]}

Originally, Hryb produced the podcast by himself. The podcast used to consist of him giving a monologue and breaking to play prerecorded interviews. On November 6, 2006, he celebrated his '200th' podcast, which was marked with a nearly two and a half hour show. Hryb openly admits that he added to the show number and the figure doesn't accurately reflect the number of shows made. Hryb switched to a #1xx numbering around July 18, 2005, when he did show #136 after the previous '7/10/05 Blogcast'.^[1] Major Nelson was interviewed on the Video Game Outsiders Podcast (show #50), where he commented "About a year and a half ago, I started numbering my shows at 100...it makes it sound cooler, bigger numbers are always better."^[1]

Other media[link]

In addition to his podcast, Hryb hosts a weekly one-minute segment titled Major's Minute. Every week on Xbox Live, Major's Minute recaps new content and news related to the Xbox Live Marketplace. At of January 2012, over 45 million Xbox LIVE Members have access to Major's Minute on Xbox LIVE. Hryb was also a regular on the defunct Sirius Satellite Radio program "Level Up", designed for the casual video gamer.^{[citation needed]} Larry is also on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/majornelson. Currently he is one of the most followed personalities in the gaming industry and has the most active/followed account at Microsoft. Larry joined Twitter in 2006, and has often used it in ways that have gone on to become Twitter standards. Examples include live 'Tweeting' of events (like CES or E3) and using Twitter as a contest mechanisms like Free Code Friday. Today is it commonplace to see Twitter used as a contesting tool.

Personal[link]

Hryb is married and lives in the state of Washington. He enjoys photography, Xbox 360, and many other gadgets. In 2006, Next Generation Magazine named Hryb one of the "Top 25 People of the Year" in video gaming.^[2] Also, in 2009 he was featured on Wired.com's "100 Geeks You Should Be Following On Twitter".^[3] Hryb has worked with multiple Fortune 500 companies, advising them on how to use social media to better connect with the community. He revealed that his guilty pleasure is KFC mashed potatoes.^[4] Larry Hryb has admitted to having Coulrophobia^[5] and Claustrophobia after waking up from a dream involving the 2010 Copiapó mining accident.^[6] He also stated, that he does not like Halloween because it doesn't qualify as a holiday, since a normal holiday commemorates a certain event such as the signing of the Declaration of Independence, whereas Halloween does not.^[7] Hryb also mentioned that he has a special stapler that was given to him by his father. He has had this stapler since he was in college.^[8]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Major Nelson on Xbox Live
• Major Nelson's official blog
• Major Nelson's official blog (mobile site)
• Major Nelson's 360voice.com blog
• Major's Minute