While things didn’t exactly end up as happily ever after between Mary Jo and J.D, it did work out for J.D and someone else. J.D, or rather, Richard Gilliland fell in love with Jean Smart from the very beginning.
Gilliland was active on the silver screen, consistently appearing in a string of TV shows. Some of them included Desperate Housewives, CSI, and a dark comedy series called Imposters. In 2021 he passed away at the age of 71.
Jean Smart Today
Film and TV sets are breeding grounds for tense relationships. Sometimes it's heated arguments, other times it's wild love affairs. For the actress, it was, fortunately, the latter. Smart fell in love with her co-star Richard Gilliland. The two got married and spent their life together up until Gilliland's death in 2021.
With a lucky love life, Smart has also kept herself pretty active in the biz. She's had a number of roles on shows such as The District, 24, Frasier, Arrested Development and Dirty John just to name a few. In 2021 she won an Emmy for her outstanding performance in HBO's series Hacks.
Richard Gilliland As J.D. Shackleford
J.D Shackleford was one of the first love interests that Mary Jo encountered. The character, who worked as a scout for the Atlantic Braves caught the eye of the newly divorced lead character, but it was also the handsome Richard Gilliand who caught the eye of the many female viewers.
In the show, Suzanne sets the two up on a romantic date. Though the sparks flew pretty quickly at first, as these characters continued with their relationship, they both slowly revealed their share of baggage. In the end, it fizzled out and the two parted ways.
Douglas Barr As Bill Stillfield
The show did focus largely on the gals' careers, but that doesn't mean they were made of stone. Another handsome love interest swooped in and stole the heart of one of our favorite ladies. Yup, The character Colonel William "Bill" Stillfield, played by the great Douglas Barr charmed us all and especially the sweet Charlene.
While Stillfield had something going on with Julia Sugarbaker, his story arc ended up matching up better with Charlene, who he ultimately married.
Douglas Barr Today
Before Designing Women, Barr garnered some attention as the character Harry Munson, on the show, The Fall Guy. It was viewed as a pretty noteworthy performance back in the 80s, which is why he got such a significant role on the CBS sitcom. Following his departure from the show in 1991, it may have looked like Barr would have a pretty good TV career ahead of him.
Unfortunately, the actor was last seen in the 1994 film, Temptation. Things may have not panned out in that department, but in 2017 the Designing Women actor directed Site Unseen: An Emma Fielding Mystery.