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Legendary actor Larry Hagman, best known for playing Major Anthony "Tony" Nelson in I Dream of Jeannie and J.R. Ewing in Dallas, has died. He died on November 23 at Medical City Dallas Hospital in Dallas from complications of throat cancer. Mr. Hagman was 81.

Hagman's television career began with guest appearances in Decoy, Goodyear Playhouse, Studio One in Hollywood, Search for Tomorrow, Kraft Theatre, Harbormaster, Sea Hunt, The Defenders and The Rogues. He appeared in the daytime soap opera The Edge of Night as Ed Gibson for two years from 1961-1963. In 1965, he landed the role of befuddled astronaut Air Force Captain (later Major) Anthony "Tony" Nelson in I Dream of Jeannie. The series was about a 2000-year-old genie named Jeannie who falls in love and later marries her master. The popular NBC sitcom, co-starring Barbara Eden, Bill Daily and Hayden Rorke, ran for five seasons and 139 episodes. Hagman didn't appear in the two television reunion movies: I Dream of Jeannie: 15 Years Later in 1985 or I Still Dream of Jeannie in 1991. He said that five years of the series was enough for him. He did reunite with Eden several times on The Donny and Marie Show, Larry King Live and at the TV Land Awards in 2004.

His next sitcom role was in the The Good Life. The short-lived 1971-1972 NBC series, which co-starred Donna Mills, was about a middle-class American couple who decide to work as the live-in butler and cook for a wealthy family. In 1973, he starred with Diane Baker, Dick Gauthier and Leslie Graves in the ABC sitcom Here We Go Again. The series about the post-divorce life of two couples ran for 13 episodes. Some of his many other television guest appearances included Love, American Style, Rod Serling's Night Gallery, Dan August, The Name of the Game, Medical Story, Police Woman, McCloud, Police Story, Lucas Tanner, Marcus Welby, M.D., Harry O, Ellery Queen, The Streets of San Francisco, Barnaby Jones, McMillan and Wife and The Rockford Files. In 1997, he starred in the short-lived CBS drama Orleans. In 2011, he appeared in two episodes of Desperate Housewives as the husband of Lynette Scavo's mother. He also directed episodes of I Dream of Jeannie, The Good Life, Dallas and In the Heat of the Night.

Hagman's signature role came in 1977 when he was offered the role of ruthless oil baron J.R. Ewing in Dallas. The popular primetime soap opera ran for 14 seasons and 357 episodes from 1978-1991 on CBS. He was the only actor to appear in all 357 episodes of the series. In the 1980 third season cliffhanger finale, there was a big mystery of who shot J.R. two times. The November 1980 episode where the assailant was identified was watched by an estimated 80 million viewers that set a ratings record at the time. Hagman received two Emmy Awards nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1980 and 1981. He didn't win, but the show did receive four Emmy Awards. He also received four Golden Globe Awards nominations from 1981 to 1985. Hagman made five guest appearances as J.R. Ewing on the Dallas spin-off series Knots Landing in 1980-1982. He also returned for the two Dallas television reunion movies: 1996's J.R. Returns and 1998's War of the Ewings. In 2012, he starred in the TNT revival series Dallas, which continued the story of the Ewing family. Hagman had completed 6 of 15 episodes for the upcoming second season. His death will be incorporated into the storyline. The second season is scheduled to premiere on January 28, 2013.

The Archive of American Television conducted an extensive interview with him on December 7, 2004, to discuss his life and career. Survivors include his wife, Maj; daughter, Heidi; and son, Preston. Mr. Hagman was a true television icon and legend. J.R. Ewing was a character you loved to hate. He played one of the all-time greatest television villains to perfection. We thank him for all of the entertainment he brought us over the years. He will be greatly missed.

Several networks will be airing tributes this week. Me-TV is still in planning mode, but they will air the following episodes:

Monday, November 26, 11am CST - The Rockford Files "Forced Retirement" (1977)
Tuesday, November 27, 1:30am CST - Night Gallery "The Housekeeper"
Wednesday, November 28, 1:30am CST - Night Gallery "The Dead Man"

Me-Too in Chicago will have an I Dream of Jeannie marathon on Saturday, December 1 from 12pm-4pm CST. We'll post the episodes listing when it becomes available. Stay with us for news on any other tributes.

What are your favorite Larry Hagman memories? Discuss them on our I Dream of Jeannie or Dallas message boards. View photos in our I Dream of Jeannie, The Good Life, Here We Go Again and Dallas photo galleries.

Sirius XM Radio announced that iconic comedic actress Betty White will sit down with SiriusXM listeners for a special Q&A session/broadcast event hosted by legendary entertainer Regis Philbin, who is her longtime friend and a recurring star on her hit TV Land sitcom Hot in Cleveland. The special SiriusXM's Town Hall with Betty White will take place at SiriusXM's New York City studios in celebration of the fourth season of Hot in Cleveland, which premieres November 28 at 10:00 pm ET/PT on TV Land. White will answer a variety of questions from an intimate studio audience of SiriusXM listeners about her life, work and the award-winning cable series.

SiriusXM's Town Hall with Betty White will air on Wednesday, November 28 at 10:00 am ET (12 hours before the premiere of Hot in Cleveland on TV Land) on SiriusXM Stars channel 107. Encore presentations will air on SiriusXM Stars on Friday, November 30 at 7:00 pm; Saturday, December 1 at 6:00 pm and Sunday, December 2 at 11:00 am (all times ET). SiriusXM's Town Hall with Betty White will also air on SiriusXM OutQ channel 108 on November 30 at 10:00 am.
SiriusXM's Town Hall with Betty White is part of SiriusXM's Town Hall series -- intimate gatherings with iconic entertainers sitting down with a studio audience of SiriusXM listeners. Previous SiriusXM "Town Hall" specials have featured Bruce Springsteen, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Carol Burnett, Tom Petty, KISS, Coldplay, Ringo Starr, Roger Waters, the surviving members of Nirvana, Renée Fleming, Gregg Allman, Usher, Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski and Tony Hawk. "SiriusXM's Town Hall with Betty White" will be available on SiriusXM On Demand after it airs on SiriusXM Stars for subscribers listening via the SiriusXM Internet Radio App for smartphones and other mobile devices or online at SiriusXM.com.
Visit www.siriusxm.com/ondemand and www.siriusxm.com/siriusxmstars for more information.