Ken Kercheval obit

Ken Kercheval, Cliff Barnes on ‘Dallas,’ Dies at 83

He was not on the list.

Ken Kercheval, who played oil tycoon Cliff Barnes, the rival of Larry Hagman’s J.R. Ewing on “Dallas,” has died. He was 83.

A spokeswoman at Frist Funeral Home in Kercheval’s hometown of Clinton, Ind., confirmed his death on Wednesday to Variety, but did not provide additional information.

Kercheval and Hagman were the only two stars who appeared on CBS’ soap opera “Dallas” for its entire 14-season run between 1978 to 1991. Kercheval was a recurring character for the first two seasons, but was then upped to a regular in the 1979-1980 season. He reprised his role in the 1996 “Dallas” reunion, the 2004 CBS reunion special and the 2012-2014 TNT revival. He was among five series stars who directed episodes, taking the helm for two episodes for Seasons 13-14.

When “Dallas” viewers asked him when Cliff was “finally going to get J.R.,” Kercheval always answered: “This Friday night!”

In the 1960s, Kercheval appeared on Broadway in Mike Nichols’ “The Apple Tree” and Harold Prince’s “Cabaret.” He also had roles in films like “Pretty Poison,” “Rabbit Run” and Sidney Lumet’s “Network” and “F.I.S.T.” Kercheval’s small-screen career was prolific, with appearances on “Search for Tomorrow” in the ’60s and early ’70s, “CHiPs,” “The Love Boat,” “Murder, She Wrote,” “ER” and more.

Kercheval was born on July 15, 1935, in Wolcottville, Ind., and raised nearby in Clinton. He attended the Indiana University to major in music and drama, and later studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York with Sanford Meisner.

A heavy smoker, Kercheval had part of his lung removed in 1994 after he was diagnosed with lung cancer.

Filmography

    Naked City (1962, TV Series) as Acting Student (uncredited)

    The Defenders (1962–1965, TV Series) as Harry Grant / Jack Wilks

    The Nurses (1965, TV Series) as Mac

    The Trials of O'Brien (1965–1966, TV Series) as Jerry Quinlan / Dr. McCahey

    Hawk (1966, TV Series) as Clark

    An Enemy of the People (1966, TV Movie) as Billing

    Pretty Poison (1968) as Harry Jackson

    The Secret Storm (1968, TV series regular) as Archie Borman

    Cover Me Babe (1970) as Jerry

    Rabbit, Run (1970) as Barney

    The Coming Asunder of Jimmy Bright (1971, TV Movie) as Jimmy Bright

    Search for Tomorrow (1965-1973, TV series regular) as Dr. Nick Hunter

    The Seven-Ups (1973) as Ansel – Seven-Up

    Get Christie Love! (1974, TV Series) as Alec Palmer

    The Disappearance of Flight 412 (1974, TV Movie) as White

    How to Survive a Marriage (1974, TV series regular) as Larry Kirby

    Beacon Hill (1975, TV Series) as Dist. Attorney

    The Adams Chronicles (1976, TV Series) as James Madison

    Judge Horton and the Scottsboro Boys (1976, TV Movie) as District Attorney Tom Knight

    Network (1976) as Merrill Grant

    The Lincoln Conspiracy (1977) as John Surratt

    Rafferty (1977, TV Series) as Jerry Parks

    Family (1978, TV Series) as Mark Adams

    Kojak (1973–1978, TV Series) as Teddy Maclay / Professor Lacey / Ray Fromm

    F.I.S.T (1978) as Bernie Marr

    Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell (1978, TV Movie) as Miles Amory

    CHiPs (1978, TV Series) as Dr. Faraday

    Too Far to Go (1979, TV Movie) as Jack Dennis

    Starsky and Hutch (1979, TV Series) as Deputy D.A. Clayburn

    Walking Through the Fire (1979, TV Movie) as Dr. Freeman

    Here's Boomer (1980, TV Series) as Dr. Haggert

    Trapper John, M.D. (1981, TV Series) as Marty Wicks

    The Patricia Neal Story (1981, TV Movie) as Dr. Charles Canton

    The Demon Murder Case (1983, TV Movie) as Richard Clarion

    Calamity Jane (1984, TV Movie) as Buffalo Bill Cody

    The Love Boat (1981–1984, TV Series) as Lester Erwin / Don Bartlett

    Glitter (1985, TV Series) as John Ramsey Jr.

    Hotel (1983–1986, TV Series) as Frank Jessup / Leo Cooney

    You Are the Jury (1986, TV Series) as Stanley Nelson

    Mike Hammer (1987, TV Series) as A. Walter Decker

    Matlock (1987, TV Series) as Louis Devlin

    Highway to Heaven (1988, TV Series) as Richard Osbourne

    Perry Mason: The Case of the Defiant Daughter (1990, TV Movie) as L.D. Ryan

    Corporate Affairs (1990) as Arthur Strickland

    Dallas (1978–1991, TV series regular) as Cliff Barnes

    California Casanova (1991) as Willie

    Keeping Secrets (1991, TV Movie) as Frank Mahoney

    I Still Dream of Jeannie (1991, TV Movie) as Mr. Simpson

    Diagnosis Murder: Diagnosis of Murder (1992, TV Movie) as Frank Stevens

    L.A. Law (1992, TV Series) as Al Bremmer

    Murder, She Wrote (1992, TV Series) as Alex Ericson

    Dangerous Curves (1992, TV Series) as Jimmy Douglas

    In the Heat of the Night (1993, TV Series) as Judge Lawton Gray

    Woman on the Ledge (1993, TV Movie) as Doctor Martin

    The Golden Palace (1993, TV Series) as Charlie

    Beretta's Island (1994) as Barone

    Walker, Texas Ranger (1993, TV Series) as Dr. Slade

    Lovejoy (1993, TV Series) as Rutherford Lovejoy

    Burke's Law (1994, TV Series) as Bernie Green

    A Perry Mason Mystery: The Case of the Grimacing Governor (1994, TV Movie) as Harlan Richards

    Dallas: J.R. Returns (1996, TV Movie) as Clifford 'Cliff' Barnes

    Rusty: A Dog's Tale (1998) as Carl Winthrope

    ER (1 episode, 1998) as Mr. Zwicki

    Diagnosis Murder (1993–2000, TV Series) as Keith Dunn / Duke Fallon / William P. Bissell / Alex Ridlin

    Blind Obsession (2001) as Harrison Pendragon

    Crossing Jordan (2002–2006, TV Series) as Claude Manning

    Corrado (2009) as Vittorio

    Dallas (2012–2014, TV Series, recurring role) as Cliff Barnes

    The Promise (2017) as Dr. Christopher Webber

    Surviving in L.A. (2019) as Charlie (final film role)