Bobby Ewing

Robert "Bobby" James Ewing is a fictional character in the American television series Dallas and its 2012 revival. The youngest son of Jock and Miss Ellie Ewing, he was portrayed by actor Patrick Duffy (1978–1985, 1986–1991). Bobby had been killed off in the final episode of the 1984–1985 season, and Patrick Duffy left the show for a year. Bobby returned in the famous "shower scene" at the end of the following season. The subsequent "dream revelation" at the start of the next season explained Bobby's accident, his death, and all but the final scene, as a dream of Bobby's fiancée and ex-wife, Pamela Barnes Ewing (Victoria Principal). Patrick Duffy returned to play Bobby in the films Dallas: J.R. Returns (1996) and Dallas: War of the Ewings (1998), as well as in the new Dallas series (2012–2014). Dallas was planned to center on Bobby's Romeo and Juliet–style marriage to Pamela Barnes, who was from the rival Barnes family. According to Dallas scriptwriter and story editor Camille Marchetta, Bobby was initially going to be killed off by the end of season 1, leaving Pamela to become the central character of the series. Bobby's character was kept, but the show ended up focusing on his older brother, J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman), as it became clear that he was the breakout character. Still, Bobby retained his central role as the show's primary hero, and the Abel to J.R.'s Cain.