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When Star Trek returned to television screens after two decades in 1987, it looked very different from its predecessor. Gone were James T. Kirk, Mr. Spock, and Bones, most of whom planned to return in the original sequel series Star Trek: Phase II. In their place stood a bald Shakespearean actor, the breakout star of the television miniseries Roots, and a member of Muppet creator Jim Henson’s team.

From those unlikely beginnings, Star Trek: The Next Generation grew to match and, for some, exceed the original series. Much of that success came from the cast, who had a far easier camaraderie than their predecessors and, some might argue, a more impressive resume. Before and after Trek, these actors became beloved figures in genre cinema and television, proving that they are even more than the crew who boldly went where no one had gone before.

Patrick Stewart as Professor Charles Xavier...

Gayle Hunnicutt, best known for playing Vanessa Beaumont in the final three seasons of Dallas, has died. She was 80. According to The Times (U.K.), Hunnicutt passed away on Thursday, August 31, at a hospital in London. Born on February 6, 1943, in Fort Worth, Texas, Hunnicutt made her television debut in 1966 on the NBC sitcom Mister Roberts and went on to appear in several more TV series throughout the 1960s and 70s, including The Beverly Hillbillies, Get Smart, and Hey Landlord. She married British actor David Hemmings in 1968 and moved to the U.K, where she had roles in many British TV series, including The Golden Browl, Fall of Eagles, Thriller, and Return of the Saint. Hunnicutt also starred in numerous films, perhaps most memorably playing a glamorous Hollywood actress alongside James Garner in the 1969 neo-noir detective drama Marlowe. Her other film work includes The Wild Angels, Eye of the Cat, Fragment of Fear,...

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.

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...

Gayle Hunnicutt, whose best-known work came as Vanessa Beaumont, the mother of J.R. Ewing’s illegitimate son, in the final three seasons of Dallas, has died per multiple U.K. reports. Hunnicutt died last Thursday at a hospital in London, according to her ex-husband Simon Jenkins. She was 80 years old.

That Hunnicutt would find fame playing Vanessa Beaumont, a Brit, on a TV show called Dallas was a bit ironic for a woman born in Fort Worth. But it was entirely sensible given that the actress spent much of her career in British TV and movies, even marrying the be-knighted Jenkins before returning to work in the U.S.

Her TV career began with a role on the shortlived small-screen adaptation of Mister Roberts and included roles on The Beverly Hillbillies, Get Smart and in Marlowe opposite James Garner.

In 1970, Hunnicutt met and later married David Hemmings, who himself...

Kirsten Howard Feb 20, 2020

A young Patrick Stewart manages to do several regional accents at once in this old Coronation Street clip

Patrick Stewart is back on the small screen again in CBS All-Access’ latest Star Trek venture, Picard, and now that the adventures of Jean-Luc are in full swing, people can’t get enough of the new series as each episode is released weekly via the streaming service.

While Stewart has had a number of memorable roles both in the movies and on stage over the decades, he got his first proper TV break in the long-running UK soap opera Coronation Street on January 25, 1967, playing a fire officer in episode #638. His unnamed emergency responder attended a blaze at 15 Mawdsley Street where he was set to put out a fire caused by local pain in the butt Dennis Tanner, who was tasked with decorating the house for Len Fairclough. If you...