J.R. Ewing

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John Ross Ewing, Jr., J.R. Ewing, played by Larry Hagman, was the main villain and character on the hit American television series Dallas. J.R. was a wealthy, greedy, and amoral oil baron who was constantly planning schemes to benefit himself personally.

J.R. was originally intended as a supporting character. However, his popularity grew and he became the center of the show. Even though J.R. was one of the most recognized characters since the 1970s, he is best known for the two episodes originally aired in 1980, "A House Divided" and "Who Done It?". These two episodes became famous when the audience witnessed J.R. being shot by an unknown assailant. After the first part was aired in the Spring, the audience had to wait on this cliffhanger until the Fall. Then the perpetrator was revealed as J.R.'s sister-in-law, Kristin Shepard (played by Mary Crosby), who shot him in a fit of anger. This 1980 event became a national obsession known as "Who shot J.R.?".

J.R. was keen on women and whiskey and often wore a white cowboy hat, even if he never showed any great interest in the cattle breeding on the Southfork Ranch. He drove a green Mercedes-Benz with the license plate EWING 3.