J. R. Ewing personalized license plate "EWING 3". J. R. Ewing John Ross "J. R." Ewing Jr. is a fictional character in the American television series "Dallas" (1978–91) and its spin-offs, including the revived "Dallas" series (2012–14). The character was portrayed by Larry Hagman from the series premiere in 1978 until his death in late 2012, and Hagman was the only actor who appeared in all 357 episodes of the original series. As the show's most famous character, J.R. has been central to many of the series' biggest storylines. He is depicted as a covetous, egocentric, manipulative and amoral oil baron with psychopathic
Larry Hagman continuation of "Dallas", which began in 2012. In 2011, while filming the new series, Hagman said, "Of course it's fun to play the villain." As a result of Hagman's death in 2012, his character J.R. was killed off in season two of "Dallas". Unused footage of Hagman was used in season three as part of the season's story arc which aired in 2014. Hagman starred in two short-lived series in the 1970s, "The Good Life" (1971-1972) and "Here We Go Again" (1973). In 1993, Hagman starred in "Staying Afloat" as a down-on-his-luck former millionaire who agrees to work undercover with