Mary Crosby is the daughter of Bing Crosby and Bing’s second wife, actress Kathryn Grant. Mary followed in her father’s footsteps, appearing in several Hollywood movies, and is most famously remembered as the lady who shot Larry Hagman’s character, J R Ewing, in the popular 1980’s TV series Dallas.
Born Mary Frances Crosby on September 14, 1959 in Los Angeles, Mary grew up around movies and Hollywood stars making it no coincidence that she too would follow her father’s lead into movies after graduating from high school at fifteen and then dropping out of the University of Texas at Austin.
By 1978 Mary was appearing in films and television series such as Love Boat and Brothers and Sisters.
While starring in Brothers and Sisters, Crosby married her first husband, Eb Lottimer. The marriage was soon to end in divorce and without any children being born to the couple.
Mary increased her presence in Hollywood when she landed the role of Kristin Shepherd in the long running television series Dallas. Cast as the scheming, and later murderous sister of Sue Ellen Ewing, played by Linda Grey, Mary remained in the series from 1978 until 1981.
During her years with the cast of Dallas, which included Barbara Bel Geddes, Patrick Duffy, Charlene Tilton and Victoria Principal, her character was responsible for the cliffhanger ending of the 1979-1980 series where the world was left wondering exactly just who shot J.R.
In one of the highest rated episodes ever aired on TV, Kristin was revealed as the would be killer who pulled the trigger. But due to a strike by Hollywood actors in the summer of 1981 the world had to wait slightly longer than anticipated, until November of that year, to find out the answer to the whodunit mystery.
During the 1980’s, Mary also made a short appearance on another successful series of that time, Knots Landing. After returning to Dallas in 1981, Mary’s character was killed off in a swimming pool accident at the home of the Ewings, South Fork Ranch.
Remaining in Hollywood, in 1985 Crosby landed the role of Karen Lancaster in the mini series Hollywood Wives. The series saw her starring alongside veteran actors such as Anthony Hopkins, Candice Bergen, and Angie Dickinson.
Following Hollywood Wives, Crosby appeared in several lesser known television series in the 1980s from Final Jeopardy to Stagecoach and Quicker Than the Eye where she played the role of Mrs Lucy Mallory with Willie Nelson as Doc Holiday, Kris Kristofferson as Ringo Kid, and Johnny Cash as Marshall Wilcox.
Remaining single throughout the 1980’s and well into the 1990’s, Mary married once again in 1998. This time she and new husband Mark Brodka produced two children in 2000 and 2002.
Once again in 2005, the big screen called Mary back to star alongside Catherine Zeta Jones and Antonio Banderas in the 2005 remake of The Legend of Zorro where she was cast as the governor's wife.
Mary and Mark remain married and reside in Los Angeles, California.
