Dallas star Sheree J. Wilson takes Closer through her Texasinspired LA digs.
The Dallas star enjoys a down-home life in her sunny town house
She is best known for living in the Lone Star State on Dallas and Walker, Texas Ranger, but Sheree J. Wilson decided to settle down in a peaceful place even farther West — deep in the heart of California’s Santa Monica Mountains. “It’s not a traditional town house,” Sheree, 58, tells Closer. “While we have one adjoining wall, we’re on the corner with wraparound gardens, and it appears as if a whole golf course is our backyard! It’s kind of like our little estate.”
There’s plenty of room (and plenty to impress) in the 4,300-square-foot space, even if it’s not quite as grand as Dallas’ Southfork Ranch. Sheree shares the three-bedroom, four-bath home with her producer husband, Vince Morella, 66, who is CFO of their production company Sandalphon Entertainment.
The contemporary design is a far cry from what Sheree saw when she found the place five years ago. “It was the original showroom for all the town houses, so it was very ’80s,” she recalls. “I thought I was walking into a Vegas lounge act — all red velvet carpet
and brass everything!” Fortunately, the owner was also a contractor who’d worked on Oprah Winfrey’s house and offered to make changes. “I said, ‘hardwood floors throughout’ — the kitchen tile was so busy it made me dizzy — and I said I’d buy chrome and stainless steel fixtures to give it a modern twist,” she says.
There are a few “Dallas touches” she added as an homage to her old shows. “That’s why I have cowhide chairs, a lot of wrought iron and a little Remington,” she says. And that’s not the only thing reminiscent of the series. “The floor plan here is so open and spacious, and I feel like I’m in nature because the windows all lead to the outside,” she explains of her one-third-acre plot.
Former Dallas co-star Larry Hagman made the connection to Southfork when he visited shortly before his passing. “He walked in and said, ‘Darling, you sure did this right — gosh dang!’ ” Sheree recalls with a smile. “We’ve had some big dinner parties here with the entire Walker clan and some people from Dallas, and we’re having Patrick
Duffy and Linda Gray over again very soon.”
Her fellow actors love the dramatic foyer.
“It has these sweeping staircases, so my girlfriends and I can do Evita in the entryway!” she jokes. But when she’s not enacting diva fantasies or prepping for her national tour of Driving Miss Daisy with her Walker co-star Clarence Gilyard, Sheree enjoys her real-life role of mom. She has two sons from her first marriage: Nicolas DeRobbio, 19, a student at the University of Arizona, and Luke DeRobbio, 26, a personal trainer who sometimes stays in their guest room.
Her boys love coming back home, and after her grueling Daisy shows, so does Sheree. Returning to her own homestead
“is really just a huge sigh of relief,” she shares. “This place is my sanctuary, and
“Daisy may be my most rewarding work. Clarence gives me so much strength and kills me with his talent!”
— Sheree (with Clarence Gilyard in Driving Miss Daisy)