Gayle Hunnicutt dies: Dallas and Sherlock Holmes actress dies at age 80
Gayle Hunnicutt has passed away at the age of 80.
The actress reportedly passed away on August 31. A cause of death has yet to be revealed.
Gayle was known for playing Vanessa Beaumont in Dallas from 1981 to 1991, and Irene Adler in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes in 1984.
The Texas-born star settled in Britain and her extensive list of TV credits includes the series Fall of Eagles, The Golden Bowl and The Return of the Saint.
She is survived by her two sons Edward and Band Of Brothers actor Nolan, 53, as well as five grandchildren, Poppy, Theo, Oscar, Dash and Nia.
Gayle Hunnicutt has passed away at the age of 80: The actress reportedly passed away on August 31. A cause of death has yet to be revealed
Actress: The Texas-born actress boasts an extensive list of TV credits
Star: Gayle was known for playing Vanessa Beaumont in Dallas from 1981 to 1991 (pictured)
Gayle grew up in a “typical American suburban house” in Fort Worth, the only child of her father Sam, who served in the South Pacific during World War II, and mother Virginia.
Although she wanted to be an actress from the age of five, Gayle’s parents also placed a high value on academic achievement and she won a scholarship to the University of California at Los Angeles to study English literature and theater.
There she was spotted by a Warner Bros. talent scout while performing in a student production.
Gayle met her first husband, the late British actor David Hemmings (of Blow-Up and The Charge Of The Light Brigade fame), at a party hosted by Rat Pack actor Peter Lawford.
They married in 1968 and moved to Britain the following year before welcoming a son, the actor Nolan Hemmings. The couple divorced in 1974 after David’s many infidelities. The actor died in 2003 at the age of 62.
Gayle previously told the Daily Mail: “I don’t regret marrying David. He was one of the most exciting people I’ve ever met.’
Gayle remarried journalist Sir Simon Jenkins in 1978. The couple lived in Primrose Hill, London, where they raised their son Edward. They later divorced in 2000.
The Dallas star was dating tennis correspondent Richard Evans at the time.
Talented: She also played the role of Irene Adler in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes in 1984.
First Husband: Gayle married the late British actor David Hemmings in 1968. They welcomed a son, Nolan Hemmings. The couple divorced in 1974. The actor died in 2003 (pictured in 1968)
Second Husband: Gayle remarried in 1978 to journalist Sir Simon Jenkins, with whom she shares a son Edward. They later divorced in 2000 (pictured in 2007)