The Big Valley was one of the last prominent TV shows of the Western craze that swept Hollywood for decades. Waning viewer interest in the genre cut the four-season drama short. Yet even with a truncated run, the show launched several Big Valley cast members to stardom and embedded itself in the public consciousness via syndication.
Without The Big Valley, audiences might never have gotten iconic shows like The Six Million Dollar Man. There are actors still working today whose careers benefitted from appearances in the Western series. But are any main cast members from The Big Valley still alive?
The Western series was a big hit in syndication
The Big Valley was a primetime drama that aired on ABC from Sept. 15, 1965, to May 19, 1969. While each episode wore the traditional Western genre trappings, the plot’s core was the multi-generational family drama of the wealthy Barkleys. Their trials, tribulations, and adventures dealt with the tension of being seemingly the only upstanding family with wealth in the Central Valley region.
Victoria Barkley, played by Barbara Stanwyck, was the widowed matriarch. She took care of most matters, but often with the support of her oldest son, Jarrod Thomas Barkley. Played by Richard Long, Jarrod was a trained lawyer with a keen eye for resolving matters peacefully — to a point.
Nick Barkley, played by Peter Breck, was Jarrod’s younger opposite in most ways. Hot-headed, uninterested in academia or the law, and generally loudmouthed, Nick was the source of many conflicts in The Big Valley.
Audra Barkley, the only daughter in the family, was played by Linda Evans. Her personality was between Jarrod’s and Nick’s: hungry for adventure but smarter and more careful about feeding that appetite.
And finally, there was Lee Majors in his first star-making role as Heath Barkley. He was the illegitimate son of the late Barkley patriarch and returned to the family as an adult. The first season largely centers on his quest for acceptance to carry the Barkley name, which he receives by the end. From season 2 onward, Victoria refers to Heath as “my son.”
There were many recurring stars and one-off appearances in the sprawling Western epic. Some, like William Shatner and Dennis Hopper, went on to massive fame in television and film.
Which ‘Big Valley’ cast members are still alive?
Although The Big Valley aired decades ago, many of its actors remain alive. However, most of the top cast members have died. Only Lee Majors, 83, and Linda Evans, 80, are alive and working.
Majors mainly stuck to action TV throughout his career. The Six Million Dollar Man and its spinoff, The Bionic Woman, kept him busy for much of the 1970s. After starring in The Fall Guy for most of the 1980s, the actor limited his schedule to guest roles.
Evans followed up The Big Valley with guest spots throughout the 1970s. She had a significant return to the forefront of primetime TV with Dynasty, where played the loyal Krystle Carrington in the popular drama. Evans formally retired from acting in 1997 but has made several guest appearances on TV.
‘Big Valley’ cast members who have died
Given the age of The Big Valley, it’s not shocking that a few notable celebrity deaths have come in the decades since the show originally aired. According to IMDb, the actors who played Victoria and Nick have both died.
Barbara Stanwyck was a well-established actor before landing the role of Victoria. She was a favorite of director Frank Capra, who cast her in the 1930 romantic drama Ladies of Leisure. Her final role was as Constance Colby Patterson in The Colbys, a Dynasty spinoff. She died of congestive heart failure in 1990 at 82.
Peter Breck also had a well-established career before he played Nick. The young actor already had the TV Westerns Maverick and Black Saddle under his belt before appearing in The Big Valley. After the series ended, he moved on to guest roles on television and mainly acted in smaller independent films. Starting in the 1980s, he primarily concetrated on his well-regarded acting school. He died in 2012 at age 82 of complications from dementia.
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