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Barbara Stock never thought she would be fired from the hit show “Dallas.”
For two seasons, the actress played Liz Adams, a sharp, street-savvy government employee and friend of Patrick Duffy’s Bobby Ewing, who becomes romantically involved with Cliff Burns (Ken Kercheval). The prime-time soap opera was one of the most-watched series of the 1980s.
Stock, who first came to viewers’ attention with the 1980s series “CHiPs,” saw “Dallas” as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, one that would end just as quickly as it began.
Barbara Stock played the role of Liz Adams in the final chapter of the iconic television drama “Dallas.” (© Warner Bros. Television/Everett Collection)
“The day someone came up to me in the makeup room and said, “Today is your last day!” I knew I was being rejected.” Stock Currently an interior designer based in California.he told FOX News Digital.
“I should have known,” she admitted. “This shows my level of intelligence regarding these things.”
In Stock’s last episode, there were clear clues that she wasn’t coming back.
Barbara Stock, seen here in 1987, told FOX News Digital that the scene involving a packed suitcase was a sure sign that her time on the show was limited. ((c) Alive Films Pictures/Courtesy of Everett Collection)
“There was a scene where I was packing my suitcase,” she said. “There was no reason to think I wouldn’t come back. But looking back, that’s always a big clue for any actor. When you’re packing your suitcase for a show, it could be the end. You’re about to take a surprise trip or vacation forever.”
Stock said the realization “broke my heart.” She had hoped to take part in the show’s final send-off. “Dallas,” which premiered in 1978, followed the powerful Ewing family and their ongoing battle for an oil empire. series It was the inspiration for the spin-off “Knots Landing.” It captivated audiences from 1979 to 1993.
“Dallas” ended in 1991.
Barbara Stock told Fox News Digital that she has no hard feelings about the surprise ending of “Dallas.” (Peter Sorrell/American Broadcasting Company, via Getty Images)
“The good thing is that if you have a contract for every episode, even if you’re not in an episode, you’ll get paid anyway,” she said. “I had the freedom to go out and do other jobs. Everything worked out well, but I was lonely. Everyone really had fun. Whether it was a big group scene or a small group scene, I looked forward to going to work every day. There were no bad apples. The cast was really great.”
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Larry Hagman, who played the ruthless J.R. Ewing, later told Stock that his wife believed that J.R. should have quit his role once the show ended.
“It would have been interesting if I ended up being J.R.’s last love interest, as his wife suggested,” Stock said. “But when it’s over, it’s over. I didn’t overthink it.”
Barbara Stock, pictured here in Hollywood in 1982, now lives a quiet life as an interior designer. (Peter Sorrell/American Broadcasting Company, via Getty Images)
“I remember Larry welcoming me with open arms,” she recalled. “He was a very down-to-earth, very kind person. … And then all of a sudden I packed my suitcase and was about to leave. I found out later that it was because I needed to finish all the other stories with the original characters before I finished. So I was disappointed that I couldn’t do all the episodes that I had signed up for, but it worked out well for everyone.”
“Dallas” cast members Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing) and Larry Hagman (John Ross “JR” Ewing Jr.), circa 1978. Barbara Stock told Fox News Digital that the actors welcomed her on set with open arms. (CBS via Getty Images)
Stock emphasized that there are no hard feelings. There’s nothing but great things about her Memories of my time in Dallas.
“I just adored [Duffy]”Like Larry, he was very down-to-earth. I actually saw him last year at a book signing and it was so fun to see him again. And he still works all the time, he does theater work, so he seems to have a very happy life. He was great, and everyone else was. George Kennedy, who I worked with a few times, and Ken really made me feel welcome.”
Larry Hagman (appeared here as J.R. Ewing in 1978) passed away in 2012. He passed away at the age of 81. (CBS via Getty Images)
Stock is used to working with greats. She also played Florence Henderson’s daughter in a 1986 episode of “Murder, She Wrote.”
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Florence Henderson, best known as the matriarch of “The Brady Bunch,” played Barbara Stock’s mother on “Murder, She Wrote.” She is photographed at the 4th Annual Nancy Reagan Tennis Tournament in Los Angeles in 1992. (Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
“We’ve worked together before,” Stock said. “We did a stage show in Los Angeles, and I was in the chorus. I got my Actor’s Equity card in that show. I was 22 years old, and Florence starred in it. For those three months, she was great. She was a great gal. And it was fun to play mother and daughter afterwards.”
“At first I thought it was strange casting because she was small and petite and I was tall and brunette,” Stock continued. “But it was a lovely experience. Florence had such a great sense of humor, and she was also a great singer. She was sweet and kind to everyone on set. And it was a gift to work with the icon Angela Lansbury, who was a consummate professional.”
Stock said the actor she bonded with the most on set was Robert Urich, her co-star in the detective series “Spencer: The Hired Man,” which aired from 1985 to 1988.
Barbara Stock starred opposite Robert Urich in Spencer: For Hire. The series aired from 1985 to 1988. (ABC Photo Archive/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
“He was in my corner when I needed him,” she said. “We were real friends, and that’s one of the reasons why our on-screen relationship was so good. We genuinely liked each other. We respected him for being the star of the show. When I met him, I was a little scared at first, but he immediately put me at ease. I remember after the audition, when I called him back to meet him, his face just lit up. I felt like he wanted me there, and I had a good chance of getting the role. case.
Mr. Urich passed away in 2002. After a long battle with cancer. He was 55 years old.
Robert Urich passed away in 2002 at the age of 55. (ABC Photo Archive/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
“I was heartbroken when he passed away,” Stock said. “I remember having a really nice conversation with him. At one point he thought he beat cancer, I think it was around 1997 or 1998. He said, ‘Yesterday I found out I beat this. I don’t have cancer.’ I was overjoyed for him. And then he and his wife adopted a child. But four years later, the cancer came back. …It was heartbreaking. He was too young.”
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Spencer (Robert Yurich, front) is a gourmet chef, former boxer, and former Boston police officer. As a detective, he drives a vintage Mustang, operates out of a converted fire station, and his main street contact is freelance enforcement officer Hawk (Avery Brooks). Susan Silverman (Barbara Stock) is a guidance counselor and Spencer’s girlfriend. (ABC Photo Archive/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
Stock retired from acting in the early 2000s. She has no regrets about that decision.
“I fell in love with design,” she explained. “And when my son was born, my husband and I stayed home and just wanted to be with him. When my son was born, my husband was working on a TV series and he was away for at least 12 hours every day. So when the show ended, we looked at each other and said, ‘I want to be home with my son.'”
After welcoming her son, Barbara Stock began to question whether the Hollywood life was still worth pursuing. (© Warner Bros. Television / Courtesy of Everett Collection)
“And to be honest, I’m older,” she continued. “I was 38 years old when I had him. I started working a year after he was born. I shot a movie this week and it was great.” It was filmed on location in Tucson. So I took my son there. However, balancing a career such as acting with a personal life is starting to become difficult. ”
Barbara Stock appeared in the television movie “I, Desire” in 1982. (Peter Sorrell/American Broadcasting Company, via Getty Images)
“I did a few things here and there, but always took my son with me. But I found myself torn between working on set and being with my son. Eventually, I realized that I liked working on houses and designing, and that I could be at home more with my son. So I made the transition. It wasn’t a difficult decision, and I’ve always been happy to have done it.”
Stock said she doesn’t know what show business is like these days. But the only advice she gives to aspiring actors is to study their craft.
Barbara Stock appears in 1998’s “Port Charles.” She retired from acting in the 2000s. (Cathy Blaivas /Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
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“Do what you have to do to get a job,” she said. “That doesn’t mean sleeping your way to the top. You can have a great career without doing that.”
