'Dallas' actress Linda Gray coming to Naperville

Actress Linda Gray, who rose to fame as Sue Ellen Ewing on television's iconic "Dallas" series, will be in Naperville next month to talk about and sign her new book, "The Road to Happiness Is Always Under Construction."

Gray, who wrote the memoir to celebrate her 75th birthday, will be appearing at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, at Anderson's Bookshop, 123 W. Jefferson Ave., Naperville. Priority numbers for the book-signing line are available with the purchase of the book.

Gray says she was 20 years old when a magazine editor coldly rejected her as a model, writing that, perhaps one day, "you might shape into something."

Since then, Gray has been evolving and grew into a role model for women of every age in her grace, beauty, generosity and wisdom. She's been through more pain and tragedy than her longtime fans realize, having suffered paralyzing polio as a child, growing up with an alcoholic mother, landing in an emotionally abusive marriage at 22 and living by her husband's rules for 16 years before she openly rebelled against him to take an acting class.

At 38, Gray's big break came with the role of J.R. Ewing's (Larry Hagman's) wife on "Dallas." The original show ran from 1978 to 1991.

With fame came a bitter, public divorce; trouble at home with her two children; and the loss of her sister to breast cancer.

Gray got through all the challenges of sexism in Hollywood and the pressures of being a single working mom with a relentlessly positive attitude that kept her cruising, with a few speed bumps, to the place of serenity she thrives in now.

Gray is opening up about her life for the first time in the book, telling personal stories with wit, humor and candor, and revealing how she's learned to love every day as the blessing it is and to treat herself with the kindness she bestows on friends and strangers alike.

Gray also has accumulated a lot of practical tips about maintaining a healthy lifestyle, including how to strengthen and detoxify your body, liberate your mind, and uplift your soul. Her message is to "give, love, and shine, baby, shine."

In addition to her TV work, Gray has appeared on stage in England in the original stage production of "Terms of Endearment," based on the screenplay of the Oscar-winning motion picture, and starred in the West End production of "The Graduate."

Gray directed many episodes of the first "Dallas" series and made her theater directing debut with "Murder in the First." Her other acting stage work includes "The Vagina Monologues," "Agnes of God" and "Love Letters." She has numerous TV credits including the successful series "Melrose Place" and "Models Inc." and has starred in many movies of the week and feature films.

She's actively involved in charity work, including Meals on Wheels, and supports AIDS fundraisers.

For details about her Naperville appearance, visit andersonsbookshop.com.