Linda Gray was born September 12, 1940, in Santa Monica, California. Linda grew up alongside her sister in Culver City, California.
She loved performing from when she was a child and went on to show her talents in the neighborhood. She went on to play the role of Cinderella in Cinderella while attending Notre Dame Academy in Los Angeles.
At a young age, she suffered from Polio and it was a devastating moment for her parents as Linda’s grandfather was diagnosed with the virus too.
“They didn’t know what it was when he was 17, and he was always in a wheelchair,” she recalled. “When I was diagnosed, everyone went crazy in my family, but I wasn’t. I thought I could have a wheelchair like Grandpa.”
Linda’s father was a big part of her life, even though he wasn’t present emotionally he was always there for Linda and her sister, Betty.
Linda Gray wrote in her 2015 book The Road to Happiness Is Always Under Construction, “He didn’t offer emotional support though. He was just kind of there, like a piece of furniture, but then this was a different time. You didn’t go to Dad with boyfriend problems. God forbid. But he was supportive of my career.”
Her mother was the opposite of their father. Their mother, Marge, was a former artist and ballerina. She was a heavy drinker, which left the girls to learn to fend for themselves.
Linda wrote, “She wasn’t falling drunk, there was never any yelling. She wasn’t mean – she was just blurred, in her world, she would forget to buy food so I started doing the cooking. My sister and I didn’t like her.”
According to Linda, her mother’s heavy drinking was a disappointment and suppressed creativity.
“I felt that if I didn’t pursue my career the same thing could happen to me,” Linda Gray explained.
During Linda’s teenage days, she went on to work as a model for several beauty companies and airlines.
At the age of 21, she decided to get married to Edward Lee Thrasher, a photographer. She thought it was going to be the best decision she ever took, but that was the beginning of her nightmare as her career had to be put on hold.
She went on to have their first child Jeff, who came in 1960, and a daughter, Kesher, six years later.
She decided to get back to show business, it was hard, there were rejections but her breakthrough came in 1978 after appearing on the new television soap opera Dalla as Sue Ellen Ewing.
Linda appeared on 308 episodes of the show. It was a huge success and everyone praised her talent.
Another tragedy struck Linda as she lost her son Jeff to Leukemia. She’s been through a lot from a rough childhood, cold marriage, and then losing a child.
Linda is 82 years old and she’s aging like fine wine. We wish her all the best.