Jared Martin, a veteran actor likely best known for his role as Steven “Dusty” Farlow on the beloved series Dallas, died on Wednesday night from pancreatic cancer.
He was 75 years old.
Martin’s son, Christian, has confirmed the sad news via Twitter and also to The Hollywood Reporter, telling the publication that his father passed away at home in Philadelphia.
Farlow was a rodeo cowboy who seduced main character on the aforementioned drama,
He actually perished in a plane crash… only to have producers resurrect his character by popular demand shortly afterward.
As for the actor himself?
Martin was born in Manhattan and attended Columbia University where he roomed future filmmaker Brian De Palma, who cast his pal in his 1968 film Murder à la Mod.
“I played a mad photographer-murderer who liked to lick the blood off his victims’ bodies,” Martin told People Magazine way back in 1981, adding:
“Brian used Hershey syrup for blood and paid me $ 35.”
Martin’s impressive resume also included starring roles on two sci-fi TV shows: 1977’s The Fantastic Journey at NBC and a 1988-1990 adaptation of War of the Worlds, which aired in syndication.
He signed on for just three episodes of Dallas Season 3 in 1979 as Dusty.
But he became such a fan favorite that producers had no choice but to keep him around for longer than initially planned.
“They brought Dusty Farlow on to make goo-goo eyes at Sue Ellen [Linda Gray], become moderately involved with her, tempt her and then she basically remembered who she was and went back to J.R. [Larry Hagman],” Martin said a few years ago in an interview for a Dallas fan site.
The character was killed off in a plane crash to conclude Martin’s initial stint on the series.
However…
After J.R. Ewing was shot by an unseen assailant in what many consider to be the most buzzworthy season finale in TV history, viewer polls and Las Vegas oddsmakers made Dusty a favorite to be the answer to the question on literally everyone’s minds:
“Who shot J.R.?”
For this reason, the series brought Dusty back from the dead.
“My agent said, ‘Get ready, they are going to bring you back,"” Martin said in the past, explaining:
“I said, ‘How? I’m dead.’ My agent says, “Oh, this is Hollywood, they will think of something."”
HA! That remains the case today, really.
Dusty would make an amazing recovery and even return to the rodeo circuit.
Upon his retirement from acting, Martin co-founded and served as the creative director for the non-profit Big Picture Alliance, which brought the world of filmmaking to inner-city kids.
He also spent his time as a painter and photographer after his acting days were over.
Martin is survived by Christian, wife Yu Wei, and grandchildren.
We send our condolences to the family members and loved ones of Jared Martin, as well as to those close to every celebrity who has passed away this year.
May they rest in peace.