Gayle Hunnicutt, ‘Dallas’ and ‘Marlowe’ Star, Dies at 80

Michaela Zee
·2 min read
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Gayle Hunnicutt, the Texas-born actor known for 1969’s “Marlowe” and her role as Vanessa Beaumont in “Dallas,” died on Aug. 31 in London, according to The Times of London. She was 80.

Hunnicutt played Vanessa Beaumont, an English aristocrat who shares an illegitimate son with Larry Hagman’s J.R. Ewing, in the final three seasons of “Dallas” from 1989 to 1991.

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Born on Feb. 6, 1943, in Fort Worth, Texas, Hunnicutt made her television debut in 1966 on the NBC sitcom “Mister Roberts.” She guested on several series in the ’60s, including “The Beverly Hillbillies,” “Hey Landlord,” “Love on a Rooftop” and “Get Smart.”

On the film side, Hunnicutt starred opposite James Garner in the 1969 neo-noir crime film “Marlowe,” in which she played television star Mavis Wald. She appeared in more than 30 films during her career, including “The Wild Angels,” “P.J.,” “Freelance,” “Running Scared,” “Target” and “The Legend of Hell House” opposite Roddy McDowell.

Hunnicutt married British actor David Hemmings in 1968 and moved to the U.K., where she worked on the miniseries “The Golden Bowl” and “Fall of Eagles.” She and Hemmings co-starred in two horror films, 1970’s “Fragment of Fear” and 1973’s “Voices.”

After divorcing Hemmings in 1975, Hunnicutt married journalist and editor Simon Jenkins in 1978 (the pair divorced in 2009). By that point, Hunnicutt was a notable presence in British television and films and on stage, having worked on American theater director Michael Rudman’s 1973 production of Peter Handke’s “Ride Across Lake Constance.” In 1979, she played Hedda in the Watermill Theatre’s production of Ibsen’s “Hedda Gabler” and Peter Pan at the Shaftesbury Theatre.

In the 1980s, Hunnicutt appeared on series such as “The Love Boat,” “Fantomas,” “Taxi,” “Fantasy Island,” “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes,” “Dream West” and “A Woman of Substance.” She last appeared on the British crime series “CI5: The New Professionals” in 1999.

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

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