Dallas Actress Pat Colbert, Who Played Dora Mae, Dead at 77

Actress Pat Colbert, best known for her run as the Oil Baron’s Club hostess Dora Mae for nine seasons on Dallas, has died. She was 77.

Hello, Darlin’

Colbert died on June 23 in her home in Compton, California. The actress’s passing was confirmed to the Los Angeles Times by her younger sister, Tami Colbert. The former Dallas actress had suffered three strokes over the past decade. While a cause of death has not been announced, Colbert’s sister believes the strokes played a significant role in her passing.

Colbert’s acting career spanned from the late 1970s all the way up to 2015, but it’s her 67-episode run on the hit series Dallas that made her a familiar face to TV viewers. Dressed in stylish gowns, Dora Mae greeted J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman), Cliff Barnes (Ken Kercheval), and members of the cartel with friendly professionalism.

In the 1985 episode titled “Swan Song,” J.R. playfully tossed his hat to Dora Mae upon entering the Oil Baron’s Club. after he scored a major courtroom victory over Cliff. The following season, the show’s infamous dream season, Colbert got to soften the already welcoming Dora Mae a tiny bit when she met J.R.’s son, John Ross (Omri Katz), to the dining mainstay.

While Colbert’s Dora Mae never got a storyline of her own, fans have a great fondness for the supporting characters on Dallas. In the 1980s, Colbert and other actors from the hit nighttime soap opera –Deborah Rennard (Sly), George O. Petrie (Harve Smithfield), Sherril Lynn Rettino (Jackie), Deborah Tranelli (Phyllis), and William Smithers (Jeremy Wendell) — posed for a photo, which was shared by Dallas.Fanzine almost two years ago.

Colbert’s other credits include Flamingo Road, Capitol, The Fall Guy, Knots Landing, Sisters, and True Colors. Born Sandra Patricia Colbert on January 16, 1947, to parents LeRoy, a construction worker, and Eula, who worked in foster care, the actress also had interests in high fashion and modeling.

In addition to Tami, Pat Colbert is survived by older sister Johnetta Driscoll, brother Aaron Colbert, son Michael, and nieces and nephews. Soap Hub sends sincere condolences to Colbert’s family at this difficult time.