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Joel Leaver

Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray reunite with Dallas castmates for show's 45th anniversary

Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray reunited with some of their former Dallas co-stars earlier this week amid celebrations for the soap opera's 45th anniversary this year.

The iconic show - which launched in 1978 and ran for fourteen seasons until it concluded in 1991 - remains beloved by fans and has spawned spin-offs in the years since.

Some of the original CBS show's cast reunited recently at Oscar's in Palm Springs, California, with the group including Patrick, Linda, and their former colleague Audrey Landers.

They were joined by former co-stars Charlene Tilton, Steve Kanaly, Joan Van Ark, Sheree Wilson and Cathy Podewell, as well as Michael Preece, who directed the show.

Dallas was a popular primetime soap opera when it aired from 1978 until 1991 (Getty Images)
The likes of Linda Gray (left) and Charlene Tilton (right) reunited recently (Contour)

Photos from the reunion show the group posing together decades after the show last aired, though many of them have actually reprised their roles in projects - including films released after the finale aired in 1991 - in the years since then.

The cast spoke to People magazine about the show after reuniting earlier this week, with Linda saying that viewers got to know the characters and "cared" for them.

They were joined by the likes of Audrey Landers (far left), Patrick Duffy (centre left), Joan Van Ark (centre right) and Steve Kanaly (far right) (Contour)

She said: "The show ran for so many years [so] the audience got to know the characters so genuinely and they really cared for [them] and the characters all went through so much."

The actor said the storylines on the show - which followed the Ewing family - were "bigger than life," adding: "[Fans] could live vicariously through those characters."

Patrick Duffy

Patrick played Bobby Ewing (Getty Images)
He was among the main cast on the show (Contour)

Patrick, now 74, played Bobby Ewing on the show. The character was introduced as the son of Jock Ewing (played by Jim Davis) and Ellie Ewing (Barbara Bel Geddes).

He appeared in the role from 1978 until 1991, though was 'killed off' in 1985. He returned in the ninth season when it was revealed that it had been dreamed by another character.

The actor reprised the role in the films J.R. Returns (1996) and War of the Ewings (1998). He also appeared as the character in the TNT revival of Dallas which ran from 2012 to 2014.

Linda Gray

Linda played Sue Ellen Ewing (Getty Images)
She was another main cast member on Dallas (Contour)

Linda is remembered for having played Sue Ellen Ewing on the beloved show, with the character having been the wife of Bobby's brother J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman).

She was on the show for more than a decade, from her debut in 1978 until her departure in 1989 when the character left Texas. She later returned for the final episode in 1991.

Like some of her co-stars, Linda reprised her role in two subsequent films and more recently portrayed the character over the course of the show's revival from 2012 until 2014.

Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing)

Charlene played Lucy Ewing (Getty Images)
She appeared throughout much of the show (Contour)

Charlene Tilton, now 64, played Lucy Ewing on the show. The character was the niece of J.R. and Bobby, with her father having been Gary Ewing (Ted Shackelford).

The actor was a cast member on Dallas initially from 1978 until her departure in 1985. She however later returned in the role for episodes that aired from 1988 until 1991.

Lucy appeared in one episode of the spin-off, Knots Landing, and more recently Charlene featured as a guest star on the revival of Dallas, appearing in several episodes.

Audrey Landers

Audrey Landers played Afton Cooper (Getty Images)
She initially appeared for around four years but later returned to the show (Contour)

Audrey, now 66, joined the cast of Dallas for its fourth season in 1981 and initially appeared as Afton Cooper for around four years. She returned for a few episodes in 1989.

The character was a nightclub singer and it was during her stint on the show that Audrey released her debut album Little River (1983), which launched a career in music for her.

She reprised her role as Afton in J.R. Returns (1996) and made an appearance in the second season of the revival series. She returned once again in its third and final season.

Steve Kanaly

Steve played Ray Krebbs (Getty Images)
He initially appeared on the show for around a decade (Contour)

Steve, now 77, is best known for his role as Ray Krebbs on the show. The character introduced as the son of Jock and he initially appeared on Dallas from 1978 until 1989.

He returned for the final episode of the show in 1991 and later reprised his role in the film War of the Ewings (1998), which reunited several of the show's cast members.

The actor more recently portrayed his character Ray in the short-lived revival of the show, having made guest appearances over the course of the series' three-season run.

Joan Van Ark

Joan played Valene Ewing (CBS via Getty Images)
She also played the character on spin-off Knots Landing (Getty Images for Princess Cruises)

Joan, now 79, played Valene Ewing within the franchise. The character appeared alongside relatives including her daughter Lucy and ex-husband Gary on the show.

The actress appeared in Dallas from 1978 until her departure in 1981, before returning for the finale in 1991. She briefly featured in the revival series but wasn't in the films.

She however was part of the main cast for spin-off series Knots Landing, which ran from 1979 to 1993. And she later reprised the role in the miniseries continuation in 1997.

Sheree Wilson

Sheree played April Stevens Ewing (Getty Images)
The actor, pictured last year, joined the show towards the end of its run (Getty Images)

Sheree, now 64, joined the cast in the tenth season as April Stevens Ewing, who had been married to Jack Ewing (Dack Rambo). She appeared from 1986 until 1991.

The character ended up marrying Bobby in the final season but was killed whilst they were on their honeymoon. She however later briefly appeared in dream sequences.

She wasn't featured in the films or revival series, though Sheree has reunited with some of her former co-stars over the years, prior to joining them at the celebration this month.

Cathy Podewell

Cathy Podewell played Cally Harper Ewing (CBS)
She appeared on the show towards the end of its run (Getty Images)

Cathy, now 59, is best known for having played Cally Harper Ewing on Dallas. She was a cast member on the show from her debut back in 1988 until it concluded in 1991.

The character was introduced during the twelfth season. She was associated with J.R. and later became his second wife, with whom he's understood to have welcomed a son.

The actor didn't reprise the role in the subsequent films, but she did make an appearance during the second season of the show's revival, which saw Cally return for J.R.'s funeral.

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