In this Thursday, Oct. 9, 2008 photo, actor Larry Hagman listens to a reporter's question while visiting the Southfork Ranch in Parker, Texas, made famous in the television show "Dallas." Actor Larry Hagman, who for more than a decade played villainous patriarch JR Ewing in the TV soap Dallas, has died at the age of 81, his family said Saturday Nov. 24, 2012(AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
This 1981 file photo provided by CBS shows Larry Hagman in character as J.R. Ewing in the television series "Dallas." Actor Larry Hagman, who for more than a decade played villainous patriarch J.R. Ewing in the TV soap "Dallas," has died at the age of 81, his family said Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012. (AP Photo/CBS, file)
FILE - This 1967 file photo shows Barbara Eden, left, and Larry Hagman in a scene from the television show "I Dream of Jeannie." Actor Larry Hagman, who for more than a decade played villainous patriarch JR Ewing in the TV soap Dallas, has died at the age of 81, his family said Saturday Nov. 24, 2012. (AP Photo/NBC, file)
FILE - In this Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2003 file photo, actor Larry Hagman sits in front of a poster of himself during a news conference in Berlin during a tour to promote the German translation of his autobiography. Actor Larry Hagman, who for more than a decade played villainous patriarch J.R. Ewing in the TV soap "Dallas," has died at the age of 81, his family said Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
FILE - In this Nov. 4, 2011 file photo, actor Larry Hagman pauses during an interview on location during the filming for the upcoming new television show "Dallas" in Dallas. Actor Larry Hagman, who for more than a decade played villainous patriarch J.R. Ewing in the TV soap "Dallas," has died at the age of 81, his family said Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)
Linda Gray cuts the ribbon as Larry Hagman holds the ribbon at the grand opening of the Omni Dallas Hotel on Friday, November 11, 2011. In the background, Hattie Hill, chairman of the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau; Jack Matthews, former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert; and Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings look on. Hagman, who for more than a decade played villainous patriarch J.R. Ewing in the TV soap "Dallas," has died at the age of 81, his family said Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012. (AP Photo/David Woo, The Dallas Morning News)
J.R. Ewing was a business cheat, faithless husband and bottomless well of corruption. Yet with his sparkling grin, Larry Hagman masterfully created the charmingly loathsome oil baron — and coaxed forth a Texas-size gusher of ratings — on television’s long-running and hugely successful nighttime soap, …