Actor Larry Hagman died on 23 November 2012, of complications from throat cancer. Born 21 September 1931 in Fort Worth, Texas, he will be forever known as J.R. Ewing from the night-time soap opera Dallas (1978-91), for which he was nominated for four Golden Globes and two Emmys, and as befuddled Major Tony Nelson in I Dream of Jeannie(1965-70).

English: Publicity photo of Larry Hagman and Barbara Eden from I Dream of Jeannie. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The son of actress Mary Martin (1913-90), she was launching her Broadway career while he was a teenager, and after attending Bard College, he decided to follow in her footsteps. He appeared on stage in the US, and in 1951 appeared in a London production of South Pacific with his mother. In 1952, during the Korean War, he enlisted in the US Air Force. He was stationed in London, and spent most of his service time entertaining US troops in Europe. He left the Air Fore in 1956, and returned to New York City and the stage. His Broadway debut came in 1958 in Comes a Day. His television debut was a guest role on the series Decoy (1957), and his film debut came in Ensign Pulver (1964).

His other genre roles include Superman (1978), Beware! The Blob (1972), and Rod Serling’s Night Gallery (1970).

He is survived by his wife of nearly 58 years, Maj Axelsson, and their two children.