Dallas and Mommie Dearest Actress Priscilla Pointer Turns 100

Priscilla Pointer, who played Rebecca Barnes Wentworth, arguably J.R. Ewing’s fiercest enemy on Dallas, is celebrating a major milestone. The actress is turning 100 years old today! She is the oldest surviving cast member of the CBS prime time drama that dominated the ratings in the early to mid-1980s.

Dallas: The Early Years

Pointer was born on May 18, 1924, in New York City. Her parents, Augusta and Kenneth, were artists. She started out in the theater and then, began appearing on TV series in the 1950s. Pointer took a break for acting to raise her family, and returned to performing in the early 1970s.

Her big daytime drama credit was playing Adrienne Harris Rainey on Where the Heart Is. But it’s her role on Dallas that she’s most known for among soap opera fans.

She appeared in the 9th episode of the 4th season of Dallas as the mysterious Rebecca Wentworth. Pam (Victoria Principal) thought for sure that she’d located her long-lost mother, only to have her heart broken when Mrs. Wentworth sadly informed Pam that she was not her mother. By the end of the episode, however, Rebecca re-appeared to Pam and confessed that she was her indeed mom but had to keep their connection a secret to honor her current husband.

Later in the season, after Herbert Wentworth’s death, Rebecca reunited with both Pam and her son Cliff (Ken Kercheval) and introduced them to their half-sister Katherine (Morgan Brittany). “Priscilla was an amazing woman,” Brittany tells Soap Hub. “She’s such a real person, down to earth, a wonderful actress, and ultimate professional. I enjoyed working with her.”

The actress recalls meeting Pointer on her first day working on Dallas. “You can imagine how I was feeling,” Brittany says, coming onto the program that had become a worldwide pop culture phenomenon. “I was a little apprehensive. Priscilla took my hand and said, ‘Welcome daughter.’ She looked me and said, ‘We have the same eyes! That’s amazing!’ And we do! We have these piercing blue eyes. She looked at me and held my hand. It was the most wonderful introduction to that show.”

Pointer continued to recur on the show as Rebecca was drawn into the ongoing Barnes/Ewing feud. She threatened to bring down J.R. (Larry Hagman) after his machinations led to Cliff attempting suicide. Motivated to protect her son, Rebecca vowed to use her incredible wealth and power to ruin J.R. Tragically, Rebecca died from injuries she sustained in a plane crash while trying to follow through on her promise.

Principal posted on Instagram a photo of her and Pointer along with a lovely note her TV mom had written her as she was leaving the show. Check out the post below in which Principal sends her love and birthday wishes to Pointer.

Flash’s Mom, Mommie Dearest Adversary

Pointer played Nora Allen, mother to Barry Allen, played by John Wesley Shipp (ex-Kelly, Guiding Light; ex-Douglas, As the World Turns), in the 1990 series The Flash. Her other credits include Mommie Dearest as Mrs. Chadwick, the head mistress of Christina Crawford’s (Diana Scarwid) school. In the cult classic film, Mrs. Chadwick tried to contain Christina’s mother, Joan Crawford (Faye Dunaway), during a disciplinary meeting involving Christina. She suggested that Joan was overreacting. “And I think you’re under-reacting, Mrs. Chadwick!” Joan snarked.

Pointer played a compassionate mother to Amy Irving’s Sue, who was the lone survivor in the horror film Carrie, which starred Cissy Spacek as a telekinetic teen, who killed all the mean bullies at the prom. (Irving and Priscilla Pointer are real-life mother/daughter.) The acting duo also appeared in the films The Competition and Micki & Maude. Pointer’s last credit was 2007’s Sweet Nothing in My Ear.

Soap Hub joins Pointer’s family, friends, and fans in wishing her a Happy 100th Birthday!