Larry Hagman friendship with honor." Larry Hagman Larry Martin Hagman (September 21, 1931 – November 23, 2012) was an American film and television actor, director and producer best known for playing ruthless oil baron J.R. Ewing in the 1980s primetime television soap opera "Dallas" and befuddled astronaut Major Anthony "Tony" Nelson in the 1960s sitcom "I Dream of Jeannie". Hagman had supporting roles in numerous films, including "Fail-Safe", "Harry and Tonto", "S.O.B.", "Nixon" and "Primary Colors". His television appearances also included guest roles on dozens of shows spanning from the late 1950s until his death and a reprise of his signature role
Larry Hagman Hagman returned to New York City, where he appeared in the off-Broadway play "Once Around the Block", by William Saroyan. That was followed by nearly a year in another off-Broadway play, James Lee's "Career". His Broadway debut occurred in 1958 in "Comes a Day". Hagman appeared in four other Broadway plays, "God and Kate Murphy", "The Nervous Set", "The Warm Peninsula", and "The Beauty Part". During this period, he also appeared in numerous, mostly live, television programs. Hagman's first television role was as Kenneth Davidson in the 1957 episode "Saturday Lost" of the syndicated crime drama, "Decoy", starring Beverly Garland