The show Dallas was on for 14 seasons, and anyone who watched it will remember that, during that time, a lot of characters came and went. One character who was there on the very first episode and stayed around for a good chunk of its run was Lucy Ewing, the daughter of Val and Gary Ewing. Lucy was portrayed by Charlene Tilton, who was a main cast member through Season 8 and then returned again in later seasons. She also reprised her role in the Dallas revival that premiered in 2012.
So, clearly, Tilton is heavily associated with the role of Lucy. But, what has she been up to ever since the days of "Who shot J.R."? Read on to learn about the 64-year-old actor's life today.
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She's still a working actor.
Hulton Archive/Getty ImagesWhile Lucy is Tilton's most famous role, she has appeared in many other projects over the years. Around the time of Dallas, she also appeared on The Love Boat, Laverne & Shirley, and Murder, She Wrote. Since Dallas aired, she's had roles in episodes of Married... with Children and The Middle, and in the films Superhero Movie and Hemingway. Recently, she has appeared in a few TV movies, including Road Less Traveled, Second Chance Christmas, A Welcome Home Christmas, and A Unicorn Christmas. She also appeared as herself on Battle of the Network Stars in 2017 and has several projects upcoming.
She got married and welcomed a daughter.
Jennifer Lourie/Getty ImagesTilton was married to country singer Johnny Lee from 1982 to 1984, and they welcomed a daughter—Tilton's only child—Cherish Lee, who is also a singer. When Cherish got married in 2014, the wedding was held at Southfork Ranch where Dallas was filmed.
"When my daughter Cherish was born in 1982, I used to bring her down on the set, and she loved running around the ranch and through the fields at Southfork, and we both agreed it would be a dream location for a wedding," Tilton told the Daily Mail.
Tilton got married again in 1985 to musician Domenick Allen; they divorced in 1992.
She also has two grandchildren.
Sara Kauss/Getty ImagesCherish has two sons, and Tilton loves being their grandmother. "There is success and there is significance. Honestly, I’ve had a lot of money and I’ve had no money. Spending time with my two grandsons, they are everything to me," she told Digital Journal in 2020. "Just being a grandmother, a glam-ma (a glamorous grandma) as they call me."
Tilton grew up without a father and also spent some time in foster homes while her mother was suffering with mental illness. She shared with Closer Weekly in 2018 how her experience shapes how she views her daughter's family. "My daughter is now a mom to my two-year-old grandson, who has a beautiful father. What a blessing it is to see a father take part in raising a child. I take Wyatt to our neighborhood playground, and when I see the fathers there, I tear up."
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She's an advocate for people with autism.
Harmony Gerber/Getty ImagesTilton became involved with the organizations Actors for Autism after going through a hard time in her life and is now a member of the non-profit's board. Actors for Autism trains people with autism to take on jobs in the entertainment industry.
"I was engaged to be married, this was in 2009, and my fiancé [cinematographer Cheddy Hart] passed away just completely unexpectedly of heart failure the day before Christmas,” Tilton told Page Six in April 2021. “I was in shock, I was devastated, I was in grief. I was laying on the couch after that for a couple of months, smoking cigarettes, drinking wine, just sitting on my couch.” During this time, a friend told her about Actors with Autism, and she ended up devoting her time to the organization and teaching classes.
She credits her co-stars with setting her on a positive path.
Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Princess CruisesTilton was very close with Larry Hagman, who played J.R. Ewing, and has said he was a father figure for her. "He and his wife, Maj, were two of the most wonderful people. I learned a lot from him," she told Closer.
Tilton has also credited Hagman, along with co-stars Barbara Bel Geddes and Jim Davis with keeping her on the straight and narrow during the time they were on the show.
"It really was about the work, and they protected me," she told Page Six. "There was a lot of stuff going on in the ‘80s, if you remember. And I’m telling you, it was by the grace of God in their protection that I was not a casualty of the things that were going on in the ’80s. They expected me to not show up on time—to show up early, to be prepared. They taught me how to work like that. So I really learned from the best. I had these people protecting me, but at the same time expecting me to do the work, and I wanted to do the work. I loved it."
In 2021, Tilton addressed long-standing rumors that there was some tension on set, particularly between Victoria Principal and other cast members. "I'm clueless, I guess. And if there was any friction or whatever, I wasn't brought into it and I wasn't a part of it," she told the Behind the Velvet Rope podcast. "And I don't know that there was, and I don't believe there was."
