Charlene L. Tilton (born December 1, 1958) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for playing Lucy Ewing, the saucy niece of John "J.R." Ewing Jr. (played by Larry Hagman), on the television series Dallas.
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Career
Tilton had early roles on television series such as Happy Days and Eight Is Enough. She made her first film appearance alongside Jodie Foster in Freaky Friday (1976). In 1978, Tilton made a cameo appearance in the John Milius film Big Wednesday. The following year, she made her big break by landing the role of Lucy Ewing, the sly, vixenish, frequently frustrated granddaughter of John "Jock" Ewing Sr. and the former Eleanor "Ellie" Southworth on the television series Dallas, alongside actors Jim Davis, Barbara Bel Geddes and Larry Hagman, from 1978 to 1985 and from 1988 to 1990. She also appeared on one episode of the series spin-off series, Knots Landing, in 1980. After Dallas fame, she received $50,000 salary per episode, appeared on 500 magazine covers and drew 65 million viewers for her 1981 TV wedding.
Tilton is also a singer, lending her vocals on a 1978 episode of Dallas titled "Runaway", in which Greg Evigan guest-starred. In 1984, she released a dance-pop single, "C'est La Vie", which became a hit in several countries in Europe. She appeared on Circus of the Stars in 1979 and 1991, on one occasion acting as a knife thrower's target girl in a gold bikini. Tilton also compiled experience on game shows, as a panelist on the 1979-1982 syndicated version of Match Game. She also hosted the pilot for a potential revival of the show in syndication as Match Game 2/MG2 in 1996.
Tilton was the guest host on Saturday Night Live on February 21, 1981. The episode in question featured a parody of the famed "Who shot J.R.?" episode of Dallas. In the episode, cast member Charles Rocket was shot in the chest by a sniper while doing a sketch about a sexy couple (with Gail Matthius as his partner) bathing a dog and spouting innuendo. At the end of the series, as its cast members traditionally gathered around the host to say good night, Tilton asked Rocket how he felt about being shot. In character, a wheelchair-using Rocket improvised, "Oh, man, it's the first time I've ever been shot in my life. I'd like to know who the fuck did it." The improvisation by Rocket, which violated NBC-TV broadcast standards, was during a season generally considered one of the show's poorest, and it led to Rocket's dismissal from the show's cast.
Tilton appeared in a number of commercials for the Abdominizer line of directly-marketed workout equipment in the 1990s. She appeared as herself in an episode of Married... with Children which sent up her involvement with the "Abdominizer". In addition, she has appeared in several send-up comedies, such as The Silence of the Hams (1994), Superhero Movie (2008) and Paranormal Calamity (2010). In 2005, she appeared in the British reality television show The Farm.
In 2001, Tilton was honored by the Young Artist Foundation with its Former Child Star "Lifetime Achievement" Award for her role as Lucy Ewing on the original Dallas television series. In January 2012, Tilton was a contestant on the British ice-skating show Dancing on Ice in its seventh season. She was paired with American figure skater, Matthew Gonzalez, who has previously worked with British actress Danniella Westbrook. But Tilton was voted out of the competition in week five of a twelve-week run.
In 2012, Tilton joined the cast of TNT's Dallas revival series, and reprised her role as Lucy Ewing in multiple episodes.
Personal life
Tilton was born on December 1, 1958 in San Diego, California, the daughter of Katherine Thacker, a secretary; she grew up without knowing her father and with few financial resources available to her or her mother.
Tilton is approximately 4'11" (1.50 m).
Tilton was married to country singer Johnny Lee from 1982 to 1984. She has one daughter, Cherish Lee Dunn, born in 1982. In 2001, Tilton began dating cinematographer, Cheddy Hart. The couple enjoyed boating and lived together in a modest home in Oxnard, California. In December 2009, Hart suddenly died from heart failure at age 54.
Tilton is a strong advocate for Autism Awareness in the media. She is currently the ambassador for Actors For Autism, an organization that leads improv and acting workshops for children and adults with autism. She approached AFA in 2010 with the desire to volunteer and has been affiliated with them ever since.
Filmography
Film
Television
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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