Gayle Hunnicutt, ‘Dallas Actress’, Dies At 80

Actress Gayle Hunnicutt, who joined the cast of CBS drama Dallas in 1989 as Larry Hagman’s (J.R. Ewing) love interest Vanessa Beaumont, died on August 31 at a hospital in London. The news was confirmed by her ex-husband, journalist Simon Jenkins, and the cause of her death was not revealed.

Born on February 6, 1943 in Fort Worth, Texas, Hunnicutt made her television debut in 1966 on the NBC sitcom Mister Roberts and went on to guest star in several more series including The Beverly Hillbillies, Get Smart, Love on a Rooftop and Love, American Style.

In 1968, Hunnicutt married British actor David Hemmings and moved to the U.K, where she began acting in a variety of British TV series. She also appeared on the big screen and co-starred with Hemmings in two horror films, Fragment of Fear in 1970 and Voices in 1973. That same year, Hunnicutt played opposite Roddy McDowell in The Legend of Hell House.

Overall, Hunnicutt appeared in more than 30 films during her career, including The Wild Angels, P.J., Freelance, Running Scared and Target. Her final appearance was on the British crime series CI5: The New Professionals in 1999.

Hunnicutt is survived by her sons Nolan and Edward and five grandchildren.