FROM OCTOBER 2006
Larry Hagman
Deep In The Heart Of Texans
“I’m just an ordinary boy
from Weatherford who
struck it lucky.”
SPONSORED BY COLORS ON CABINETS
STORY BY S. KARNES
PHOTO BY MEGAN PARKS
W
Hagman: I only lived in Weatherford until I was
about five. Then I moved out to California where my
grandmother had charge of me. I was a handful and
attended a series of military schools. I came back to
Weatherford at age 15. I came from Vermont and took
the train out from Dallas—does the train still run?—and
when I got off, my dad took one look at me--I had shaggy
hair--and said, ‘Let’s go to Zeddy’s Barbershop and get a
haircut.’ When I stepped out of Zeddy’s, I had a crew cut,
but when I looked around, I saw that every other boy in
town had a crew cut, so that was okay. But I also wore
glasses and had a crew cut, so I was a real misfit.
PCT: It’s hard to picture the man who played J.R.
Ewing as a misfit … people weren’t impressed by your
famous mother?
Hagman: If anything, that made it worse. I wasn’t
athletic at all. When I got down here, Dad said, ‘Well,
you’ve got to play football.’ I said, ‘Dad I’ve never played
football in my life. I don’t know anything about football.’
He said, ‘Well, football is king down here. You’ve got to
play football.’
So I went in and I got on the B string—(he laughs
heartily)—and the first game, the first play of the game, I
tripped over my left foot and broke it. I was about three
months out of action. When Dad said, ‘You’ve got to go
back to football,’ I said, ‘Dad, there are eleven guys out
there who want to kill me—and they’re all on my team!’
And so he let me go into the Golden Gloves boxing.
The odds were much better—there was only one guy
trying to kill me.
DECEMBER 2015 PA R K E R C O U N T Y T O D AY
eatherford’s native son Larry Hagman may be
forever linked to his iconic portrayal of the
despicable J.R. Ewing on the legendary television series
Dallas, but his recent appearance for the opening of the
Doss Heritage and Culture Center revealed a man with
a sentimental heart, bountiful charm, quick wit, Puerto
Rican liver—and a deep love for his Parker County ties.
Hagman is the son of Weatherford natives Mary
Martin, legendary star of stage and screen, and Ben
Hagman, an attorney who had a longtime practice near
the Parker County courthouse. His years in Weatherford
may have been few (from birth to age five, and again
for his high school education) but they gave him a hero,
a proficient boxing jab, a passion for the outdoors and
loving friendships that last to this day.
Married for 52 years to the engaging Maj, the father of
a son and daughter, Hagman is 75 years old. Rejuvenated
by a liver transplant in 1995, he maintains the breakneck
pace of a youngster, shooting episodes for Nip/Tuck,
advocating for organ donation and solar energy, speaking
at special events and tending his ranch in California…all
while declaring he is “semi-retired.”
Recently, he spoke with Parker County Today, and
after a lengthy, delightful and laughter-filled conversation,
we knew he’d inherited more than his mother’s acting
and singing talents (yes, he serenaded us!) and legendary
star status. Larry Hagman, like his own description of
Mary Martin, has “the ability to make you feel you are the
only one in the room.”
PCT: Your August 2006 Casa Manana event was
called Laugh with a Texas Legend. How does it feel to be
called a legend?
Hagman: Well, the answer to that goes back about
twenty-five years ago, when CBS threw a huge party out
in CA. Mother was there, and some young journalist
came up to me and enthusiastically asked, ‘How does it
feel to be an icon?’ And my mother drew herself up and
said, ‘Larry is a star. I am an icon.’ (He laughs heartily.)
So that’s the answer to that question.
PCT: Tell us about your childhood and early years in
Weatherford
Continued on page 52
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