Bobby James Ewing is a fictional character in the American television series ''

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

'' and its 2012 revival. The youngest son of Jock and Miss Ellie Ewing, he was portrayed by actor

Patrick Duffy Patrick Duffy (born March 17, 1949) is an American actor and director widely known for his role on the CBS primetime soap opera ''Dallas'', where he played Bobby Ewing, the youngest son of Miss Ellie, and the nicest brother of J.R. Ewing (pl ...

(1978–1985, 1986–1991). Bobby had been killed off in the final episode of the 1984–1985 season, and Patrick Duffy left the show for a year. Bobby returned in the famous "shower scene" at the end of the following season. The subsequent "dream revelation" at the start of the next season explained Bobby's accident, his death, and all but the final scene, as a dream of Bobby's fiancée and ex-wife,

Pamela Barnes Ewing Pamela Jean "Pam" Barnes Ewing is a fictional character from the CBS primetime soap opera ''Dallas (1978 TV series), Dallas''. Pamela is portrayed by actress Victoria Principal, first appearing on the show in the Dallas (1978 TV series) (seaso ...

(

Victoria Principal Vicki Ree Principal (born January 3, 1950),Patrick Duffy Patrick Duffy (born March 17, 1949) is an American actor and director widely known for his role on the CBS primetime soap opera ''Dallas'', where he played Bobby Ewing, the youngest son of Miss Ellie, and the nicest brother of J.R. Ewing (pl ...

returned to play Bobby in the films '' Dallas: J.R. Returns'' (1996) and '' Dallas: War of the Ewings'' (1998), as well as in the new ''

'' series (2012–2014). ''

'' was planned to center on Bobby's ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetime and, along with ''Ham ...

''-style marriage to Pamela Barnes, who was from the rival Barnes family. According to ''Dallas'' scriptwriter and story editor Camille Marchetta, Bobby was initially going to be killed off by the end of

season 1 Season One may refer to: Albums * ''Season One'' (Suburban Legends album), 2004 * ''Season One'' (All Sons & Daughters album), 2012 * ''Season One'' (Saukrates album), 2012 See also * * * Season 2 (disambiguation) * Season 4 (disambigua ...

, leaving Pamela to become the central character of the series. Bobby's character was kept, but the show ended up focusing on his older brother,

J.R. Ewing John Ross "J.R." Ewing Jr. is a fictional character in the American television series ''Dallas'' (1978–1991) and its spin-offs, including the revived ''Dallas'' series (2012–2014). The character was portrayed by Larry Hagman from the serie ...

(

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 1978–1991 primetime television soap opera, ''Dall ...

), as it became clear that he was the

breakout character A breakout character is a character in serial fiction, especially a member of an ensemble cast, who becomes much more prominent, popular, discussed, or imitated than expected by the creators. A breakout character may equal or overtake the oth ...

. Still, Bobby retained his central role as the show's primary hero, and the

Abel Abel ''Hábel''; ar, هابيل, Hābīl is a Biblical figure in the Book of Genesis within Abrahamic religions. He was the younger brother of Cain, and the younger son of Adam and Eve, the first couple in Biblical history. He was a shepherd ...

to J.R.'s

Cain Cain ''Káïn''; ar, قابيل/قايين, Qābīl/Qāyīn is a Biblical figure in the Book of Genesis within Abrahamic religions. He is the elder brother of Abel, and the firstborn son of Adam and Eve, the first couple within the Bible. He w ...

Background

Bobby was born February 16, 1949 (according to a shot of his passport in season 14 episode "Charade") on

Southfork Ranch Southfork Ranch is a conference and event center in Parker, in the US state of Texas, north of Dallas. It includes Ewing Mansion, the setting for the television series ''Dallas''. History The house was built in 1970 by Joe Duncan and was known ...

. Bobby became a successful (though reluctant) oil baron, like his father and brother, but he lacked J.R.'s ruthlessness and insisted on playing fair which resulted in his limited success. Bobby would also take part in the raising of cattle on the family

ranch A ranch (from es, rancho/Mexican Spanish) is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of a farm. These terms are most oft ...

, Southfork. He was also a state senator in Austin for a while.

Character

Bobby's most defining character trait was his

altruistic Altruism is the principle and moral practice of concern for the welfare and/or happiness of other human beings or animals, resulting in a quality of life both material and spiritual. It is a traditional virtue in many cultures and a core as ...

desire to do the right thing. This almost always put him in the cross-hairs of his older brother JR, who was known as a conniving and ruthless oilman. Bobby did on many occasions use ruthless tactics in failed attempts to beat J.R. Bobby was one of few people openly to take a stand against J.R. on numerous occasions (at times physically), yet the two never forgot they were brothers. In addition to the differences between their treatment of others, as well as their conflicting views on morality, another reason for J.R. and Bobby's rivalry was their father's preference for Bobby (their mother, Miss Ellie, favored second son

Gary Gary may refer to: *Gary (given name), a common masculine given name, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name *Gary, Indiana, the largest city named Gary Places ;Iran *Gary, Iran, Sistan and Baluchestan Province ;Unit ...

). Growing up, and even into adulthood, Jock made no secret of the fact that Bobby was his favorite son and Bobby was very dependent on Jock's support in his fights with J.R. This caused a major rivalry with J.R., who was jealous of the unearned favoritism Bobby got from Jock. Bobby was known for his short temper and emotional reactions.

Storylines

''Dallas''

In the first episode of ''

'' in 1978, Bobby Ewing brought his new wife to meet his family at Southfork Ranch. However, Bobby's family were dismayed to discover that Bobby's wife was Pamela Barnes (

Victoria Principal Vicki Ree Principal (born January 3, 1950),Margaret Michaels), the daughter of Digger Barnes (

Keenan Wynn Francis Xavier Aloysius James Jeremiah Keenan Wynn (July 27, 1916 – October 14, 1986) was an American character actor. His expressive face was his stock-in-trade; and though he rarely carried the lead role, he had prominent billing in mos ...

, originally

David Wayne David Wayne (born Wayne James McMeekan, January 30, 1914 – February 9, 1995) was an American stage and screen actor with a career spanning over 50 years. Early life and career Wayne was born in Traverse City, Michigan, the son of Helen M ...

) and the sister of

Cliff Barnes Clifford Barnes, played by Ken Kercheval, is a fictional character from the popular American television series ''Dallas''. The Barnes family are competitors and sometimes enemies of the Ewing family. Cliff is the son of Willard "Digger" Barnes an ...

(

Ken Kercheval Kenneth Marine Kercheval (July 15, 1935 – April 21, 2019) was an American actor, best known for his role as Cliff Barnes on the television series ''Dallas'' and its 2012 revival. Early life Kercheval was born on July 15, 1935, in Wolcottvil ...

), both of whom were arch-enemies of the

Ewing family The Ewing family is the fictional family of the American prime time soap opera ''Dallas'' and its 2012 revival, as well as the foundation of the spin-off series ''Knots Landing''. In the original series of ''Dallas'', the Ewings own and run S ...

. In 1982, Bobby and Pam adopted a boy named

Christopher Christopher is the English language, English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek language, Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or ''Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Jesus ...

( Joshua Harris, originally Eric Farlow), who was the biological son of J.R.'s deceased sister-in-law, Kristin Shepard (

Mary Crosby Mary Frances Crosby (born September 14, 1959) is an American actress. She played Kristin Shepard in the television series '' Dallas'' (1979–1981, 1991).

). Pam had always wanted a child but was unlikely to be able to have one of her own. Bobby's sister-in-law, Katherine Wentworth ( Morgan Brittany), later had an unrequited crush on Bobby and began to become obsessed with him. Katherine broke up Bobby's marriage to Pam by writing a letter (pretending to be Pam) addressed to her lawyer. Bobby turned to childhood sweetheart Jenna Wade (

Priscilla Presley Priscilla Ann Presley ( Wagner, changed by adoption to Beaulieu; born May 24, 1945) is an American actress and businesswoman. She is the former wife of American singer Elvis Presley, as well as co-founder and former chairwoman of Elvis Presley ...

; previously

Morgan Fairchild Morgan Fairchild (born Patsy Ann McClenny; February 3, 1950) is an American actress. She began acting in the early 1970s and has had roles in several television series since. Fairchild began her career on the CBS daytime soap opera '' Search for ...

and Francine Tacker) and they became engaged. Katherine ran Bobby down with her car, where he later died in hospital from his injuries. However, a year later, the storylines of the preceding season, including the accident and death of Bobby, were nothing more than a lengthy dream of Pam's. Bobby and Pam were reunited but Jenna discovered that she was pregnant with his child. Bobby wasn't interested in getting back with Jenna, and Jenna later gave birth to his son, Lucas Krebbs. When Pam was involved in a car crash which resulted in her suffering severe burns, she disappeared from the hospital and divorced Bobby and gave him sole custody of Christopher. Bobby became close to April Stevens ( Sheree J. Wilson) and they began a relationship and eventually married. However, while on their honeymoon in Paris, April is kidnapped and later shot; she dies in Bobby's arms. Bobby is first on the scene after hearing a gunshot from J.R. (

) room uttering the words "Oh my God." The camera never shows what Bobby actually saw and it was thought J.R. committed suicide, although in subsequent films it was explained J.R. shot a mirror.

''J.R. Returns'' and ''War of the Ewings''

In '' J.R. Returns'', Bobby had a relationship with Julia Cunningham before taking over Ewing Oil. In the follow-up film '' War of the Ewings'', he is no longer with Julia and the reasons are not even explained. He eventually starts a relationship with European oil heiress Jennifer Jantzen, who was a business associate of his brother J.R. and whose father's company Jantzen Oil was saved from bankruptcy by J.R. Between 1996 and 1998, Bobby is CEO of Ewing Oil. In 1998, Bobby retires from Ewing Oil and begins travelling with Jennifer Jantzen.

''Dallas'' (2012)

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

, Bobby has remarried again, this time to a woman named Ann Smith, and is the owner of

, according to the terms of Miss Ellie Ewing's will (in season 14 (ep. 353), Miss Ellie had deeded Southfork to Bobby while she was still alive, thereby suggesting a continuity error). Bobby has retired from the oil business, believing that

alternative energy Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale. It includes sources such as sunlight, wind, the movement of water, and geothermal heat. Although most renewable energy ...

is "the future", a belief he shares with his now grown adopted-son

, and is content to raise cattle on the ranch. He has decided to sell Southfork, due to his contracting a

gastrointestinal stromal tumor Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the most common mesenchymal neoplasms of the gastrointestinal tract. GISTs arise in the smooth muscle pacemaker interstitial cell of Cajal, or similar cells. They are defined as tumors whose behavio ...

(GIST) and resulting fears that he will not be around to keep the ranch safe, and that Christopher is not yet ready to take over from him. Once again, this brings him into conflict with his older brother J.R. and his nephew, John Ross Ewing III (who has discovered oil on the ranch). Bobby is shocked and saddened when he finds out his brother J.R. is dead. When J.R.'s will is read Bobby receives J.R.'s entire boot collection on the condition that he keeps them cleaner than he keeps his own. Also an old letter from Miss Ellie reveals that John Ross gets half of Southfork. Bobby doesn't agree but goes along with it for now, although it later leads to some disputes between Bobby and John Ross. Bobby also learns that his first wife Pam died of cancer in 1989.

''Knots Landing'' appearances

Bobby Ewing appeared in three episodes of the ''

'' spin-off series, ''

Knots Landing ''Knots Landing'' is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on CBS from December 27, 1979, to May 13, 1993. A spin-off of ''Dallas'', it was set in a fictitious coastal suburb of Los Angeles and initially centered on the lives of ...

'', between 1979 and 1982. ;Season 1 *Episode 1: "Pilot". Bobby accompanies his brother

and sister-in-law Valene to their new home in California. ;Season 2 *Episode 13: "The Loudest Word". Bobby visits Val in the hospital, where she is awaiting surgery. Bobby persuades Gary to support Val through her illness. ;Season 4 *Episode 6: "New Beginnings". While Gary is at Southfork for the reading of Jock's will, Bobby reassures Gary about his upcoming inheritance and the strings that their father had tied to it.

''Knots Landing'' and Bobby Ewing's death

As many storylines on ''

'' depended on the actions of several characters following the death of Bobby Ewing in 1985, the subsequent dream revelation from ''Dallas'' in 1986 did not get applied to the continuity of ''Knots Landing''. Bobby's return was never addressed or even mentioned and, following this, no further crossover storylines were featured on ''Knots Landing''.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ewing, Bobby Television characters introduced in 1978 Fictional characters from Texas Dallas (TV franchise) characters Fictional businesspeople Fictional business executives Crossover characters in television Fictional characters with cancer