Miss Ellie Ewing

Miss Ellie Ewing Farlow
Dallas character
Barbara Bel Geddes as Miss Ellie Ewing
Portrayed by	Barbara Bel Geddes (1978–1984, 1985–1990) Donna Reed (1984–1985) Molly Hagan (1986)
Duration	1978–1990
First appearance	April 2, 1978 Digger's Daughter
Last appearance	April 27, 1990 The Southfork Wedding Jinx
Created by	David Jacobs
Spin-off appearances	Dallas: The Early Years
Donna Reed as Miss Ellie Ewing Farlow
In-universe information Occupation Socialite Shareholder in Ewing Oil Southfork Ranch Co-Owner (1938–1982, 1988–1991) Southfork Ranch Owner (1982–1988) Family Southworth (by birth) 1. Ewing (by marriage) 2. Farlow (by marriage) Father Aaron Southworth Mother Barbara Southworth Brothers Garrison Southworth Husband Jock Ewing (1936–1982) Clayton Farlow (1984–1999) Sons J.R. Ewing Gary Ewing Bobby Ewing Stepchildren Ray Krebbs Steven "Dusty" Farlow Grandsons James Beaumont John Ross Ewing III Christopher Ewing (adoptive) Bobby Ewing II Lucas Krebbs unnamed grandson (J.R.'s child with Cally) Granddaughters Lucy Ewing Betsy Ewing Molly Whittaker unnamed granddaughter (J.R.'s daughter with an unknown woman) Grandfathers Enoch Southworth Grandmothers Eleanor Southworth

Eleanor "Miss Ellie" Ewing Farlow (maiden name Southworth) is a fictional character from the primetime CBS television series Dallas, a long-running serial centered on the lives of the wealthy Ewing family of Dallas, Texas. Created by writer David Jacobs, the character of family matriarch Miss Ellie was an important part of the show's structure and conflict, as she was another principal character of the series. The dynamic role was originated by stage and screen actress Barbara Bel Geddes, who was awarded both the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Series Drama.

Half-way through the show's historic 13-year run, real-life drama impacted the character of Miss Ellie when, only days after filming wrapped for the 1982–1983 season, Bel Geddes was confronted with emergency quadruple bypass surgery. Consequently, the character of Miss Ellie went unseen until the 12th episode of the 1983–1984 season when Bel Geddes returned. Facing continued health issues, she was replaced by movie and television actress Donna Reed for the entire 1984–1985 season. When she returned to health, Dallas producers asked Bel Geddes to return to the role again for the 1985–86 season, where she remained through the character's final appearance in the 1989–90 season.

The character of Miss Ellie appeared on Dallas in almost every episode of the series, with the exception of the final season, for a total of 300 episodes, 276 episodes played by Barbara Bel Geddes, and 24 episodes played by Donna Reed.

Miss Ellie's storylines focus on her family's troubles. As the matriarch of the Ewing family, she is portrayed as a strong and loving mother. Miss Ellie's marriage to oil baron Jock Ewing was central to the character for the first few years she appeared in the show, until his death in an episode in 1981, following the real-life death of actor Jim Davis.^[1]