Mary Frances Crosby (born September 14, 1959)[1] is an American actress, the only daughter of actor/singer Bing Crosby and his second wife Kathryn Grant. She played Kristin Shepard in the television series Dallas (1979–1981, 1991).[2]
Mary Frances Crosby was born on September 14, 1959 in Los Angeles, California, the second of three children of singer and actor Bing Crosby and actress Kathryn Grant. She graduated from high school at 15,[2] after which she entered the University of Texas at Austin, where she was a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority, but she never graduated. She is fluent in Spanish. She was married to Eb Lottimer from 1978 to 1989 and, since 1998, has been married to Mark Brodka, with whom she has two children.[citation needed]
Crosby made her television debut appearing in an episode of The Danny Thomas Hour in 1967. She appeared in the 1970 musical film Goldilocks with her family and performed with Betty White in the 1978 TV movie With This Ring.[3] She had supporting role in another television film A Guide for the Married Woman (1978) starring Cybill Shepherd and starred in the 1978 top-rated miniseries Pearl.[4] She guest-starred on Starsky & Hutch and CHiPs and had a series regular role in the 1979 comedy series Brothers and Sisters.[5]
Crosby played Kristin Shepard (Sue Ellen Ewing's scheming sister) on the prime time soap opera Dallas from 1979 to 1981, and a guest appearance in 1991. Her character is perhaps best remembered for her part in the cliffhanger ending of the 1979–1980 season of Dallas, titled "A House Divided", which was resolved in the fourth episode of the following season, "Who Done It".[6] In that highly watched episode, J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman) was shot by an unknown assailant. Viewers had to wait all summer (and most of the fall due to a Hollywood actors' strike) to learn whether J.R. would survive, and which of his many enemies was responsible. In the summer of 1980, the advertising catchphrase, "Who shot J.R.?", was widely publicized.
Ultimately, Kristin Shepard was revealed to have been the person who pulled the trigger in the classic episode, which aired on November 21, 1980. It was one of the highest-rated episodes of a TV show ever aired.[7][8] Her character, Kristin Shepard, later made an appearance in the Dallas spin-off series Knots Landing in 1980, before a brief return to Dallas in 1981. Once again the focus of a highly rated cliffhanger, it was revealed in the season opening episode (October 9, 1981) that it was Kristin's body floating in the Southfork Ranch swimming pool. She returned for the final episode of Dallas in 1991, playing the same character in a vision experienced by J.R.
After her breakthrough with Dallas, Crosby played the leading role in the television remake of Midnight Lace. It premiered on February 9, 1981 on NBC.[9] She went to England for starring in the ITV comedy-drama series, Dick Turpin opposite Richard O'Sullivan. Crosby also starred in the made-for-television movies Golden Gate (1981), The Big Easy (1982) and Confessions of a Married Man (1982). In 1983, she made her big screen debut in the action thriller film Last Plane Out distributed byNew World Pictures.[10] The following year, she played a female leading role in the science fiction comedy film The Ice Pirates by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film was compared to Star Wars and received mostly negative reviews from critics.[11] She later made guest appearances on The Fall Guy, Glitter, Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense, Hotel and The Love Boat.
In 1985, Crosby starred in the ABC miniseries Hollywood Wives alongside Candice Bergen, Joanna Cassidy and Angie Dickinson based on the 1983 novel of the same name by Jackie Collins and produced by Aaron Spelling. The following year, Crosby played Isabel Truscott Hazard in another ABC miniseries North and South, Book II. Her other television films credits include Final Jeopardy (1985) and Stagecoach (1986). In 1987, she starred as Adele Strauss in the German biographical film Johann Strauss - Der König ohne Krone about Johann Strauss II.[12] She later appeared in films Tapeheads (1988), Deadly Innocents (1989), Body Chemistry (1990), Eating (1990), The Berlin Conspiracy (1992) and The Night Caller (1998). On television, she guest-starred in In the Heat of the Night, Freddy's Nightmares, Murder, She Wrote, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Dream On, Beverly Hills, 90210 and Orleans reuning with Dallas' Larry Hagman.
In 2004, Crosby appeared in the Dallas Reunion: The Return to Southfork, a television special celebrating of Dallas.[13] In 2005, she played Bennet C. Riley's wife in the Western film The Legend of Zorro. She later appeared in films Queen of the Lot (2010), Just 45 Minutes from Broadway (2012) and The M Word (2014).
No, J.R.'s beautiful wife did not do it. She was too obvious a suspect. The real culprit was her conniving sister, Kristin, the only other character in Dallas capable of equalling J.R. at viciousness. At 10:54 last night, Kristin played by Mary, stepped forward to admit the dirty deed.