The Big Valley - Definition and Overview

The Big Valley was a television Western which ran on ABC from 1965 through 1969.

It starred Barbara Stanwyck as Victoria Barkley, the widowed matriarch of the Barkley family of Stockton, California. Richard Long played Jarrod Barkley, eldest son and a respected lawyer. Hot-tempered younger son Nick Barkley, who managed the family ranch, was played by Peter Breck. (Both Long and Breck had been regulars for a short time on another classic Western series Maverick, although in different seasons.) Linda Evans played Audra, Victoria's only daughter. In the first episode, Lee Majors was introduced as Heath, the youngest and illegitimate son of Victoria's late husband, who gradually gained acceptance from the rest of the Barkley clan. The regular cast was rounded out by Napoleon Whiting, who played Silas, the Barkley's majordomo.