Karen Carlson

Karen Carlson
Born (1945-01-15) January 15, 1945 (age 79)[1]
Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S.
EducationC.E. Byrd High School
Alma materUniversity of Arkansas
Occupations
Years active1967–present
Known for
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1968; div. 1977)​
Devin Payne
​
​
(m. 1983; div. 1996)​
Children3
Websitekarencarlson.org Edit this at Wikidata

Karen Carlson (born January 15, 1945) is an American retired actress. She is also a director, producer and writer.[2]

Early life

[edit]

Carlson was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. M.W. Carlson.[3] She was educated at C.E. Byrd High School[4] and the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, where she was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma. She represented the university and the state of Arkansas in the 1964 Miss America Pageant, finishing as the first runner-up to Vonda Kay Van Dyke.[5]

Career

[edit]

Carlson started her career in Bob Hope and Phyllis Diller variety shows, Laugh In, and The Hollywood Palace. She also appeared in television series and films, including The Candidate (1972) with Robert Redford and The Octagon (1980) with Chuck Norris. On television, Carlson played Nancy Scotfield in ten episodes of the soap opera Dallas[4] (1986) and Sarah Hallisey in twelve episodes of In the Heat of the Night. She was also a series regular in American Dream with Stephen Macht,[6] The Yellow Rose with her first husband, David Soul, and Cybill Shepherd,[6]: 1202  and Two Marriages with Michael Murphy.[6]: 1121 

She was later cast as Mary Ellen in ABC's Here Come the Brides.[6]: 452  She guest-starred in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1967), Mission: Impossible (1971), Bonanza (1973), Starsky and Hutch (1976–77) with David Soul, Centennial (1978), The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo (1979), Hart to Hart (1980), Hill Street Blues (1983), and Hotel (1987). Her last appearance was a small part in the film Out of Ashes (2013).

Personal life

[edit]

Carlson is divorced from actor David Soul and musician Devin Payne. She has one child by Soul and two children with Payne.[4]

Filmography

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1968 The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Helene Episode: "The THRUSH Roulette Affair"
1968 Here Comes the Brides Girl Episode: "Here Comes the Brides"
1968–1969 Here Comes the Brides Mary Ellen 3 episodes
1969 I Dream of Jeannie Betty Episode: "Jeannie-Go-Round"
1969 The F.B.I. Susan Episode: "Boomerang"
1969 Shame, Shame, Everybody Knows Her Name Susan Barton
1970 Death Valley Days Sarah Ewing Episode: "The Mezcla Man"
1970 Death Valley Days Annabelle Colvin Episode: "Pioneer Pluck"
1970 Bracken's World Katy Episode: "One, Two, Three... Cry"
1970 The Student Nurses Phred
1970 Night Chase Vico's wife TV movie
1971 Mission Impossible Doris Gordon Episode: "The Missile"
1971 My Three Sons Sherry Cross Episode: "After the Honeymoon"
1971 Getting Together Connie Episode: "Beep, Beep"
1971 The Smith Family Elsa Martine Episode: "Rumpus Room"
1971 Days of Our Lives Sheila Hammond 1 episode
1971 McCloud Receptionist Episode: "A Little Plot at Tranquil Valley"
1971 Ironside Gracie Atkins Episode: "And Then There Was One"
1972 Love, American Style (segment "Love and the Advice Column) Episode: "Love and the Advice Column / Love and the Bathtub / Love and the Fullback / Love and the Guru / Love and the Physical"
1972 The Candidate Nancy McKay
1972 The F.B.I. Dana Evans Episode: "Edge of Desperation"
1972 Banyon Juanita Episode: "Sally Overman is Missing"
1972 Bonanza Theodora Duffy Episode: "The Marriage of Theodora Duffy:
1973 Mannix Jennifer Holt Episode: ‘’Search for a Whisper’’
1973 The Streets of San Francisco Cathy Cullen Episode: "Legion of the Lost"
1973 Shaft Nancy Williamson Episode: "The Kidnapping"
1974 Firehouse Diane Harding Episode: "Trapped"
1974 Police Woman Gloria Episode: "Seven Ellen"
1975 Movin' On Janet Kingman Episode: "Ransom"
1975 Archer Judith Foster Episode: "The Vanished Man"
1975 Cage Without a Key Betty Holian TV movie
1975 Barnaby Jones Mrs. Jennings Episode: "Jeopardy for Two"
1975 The First 36 Hours of Dr. Durant Nurse Clive Olin TV movie
1975 Matt Helm Janet Larson Episode: "Murder on Ice"
1975 Medical Story Sheila Barringer Episode: "Woman in White"
1976 S.W.A.T. Laurie Wendell Episode: "Dragons and Owls"
1976 Starsky and Hutch Gillian Ingram Episode: "Gillian"
1977 Tail Gunner Joe Jean Kerr TV movie
1977 Black Oak Conspiracy Lucy Metcalf
1977 Starsky and Hutch Christine D. Phelps Episode: "The Heroes"
1977 It Happened One Christmas Violet TV movie
1977 The Mask of Alexander Cross Samantha TV movie
1978 Matilda Kathleen Smith
1978 Centennial Lisette Mercy 3 episodes
1978 CHiPs Sheila Marin Episode: "Supercycle"
1979 Buck Rogers in the 25th Century Stella Warden Episode: "Planet of the Slave Girls"
1979 The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo Lani Episode: "The Mob Comes to Orly"
1980 The Incredible Hulk Lorraine Episode: "Broken Image"
1980 The Octagon Justine
1980 Hart to Hart Marcie Episode: "Murder, Murder On The Wall"
1981 American Dream Donna Novak 7 episodes
1982 Lou Grant Meredith Hall-Sutton Episode: "Review"
1982 Dangerous Company Janet Brody TV movie
1982 T.J. Hooker Tracy Hill Episode: "The Streets"
1982 In Love with an Older Woman Isobel TV movie
1983 Hill Street Blues Nancy McCoy Episodes: "Moon Over Uranus", "Moon Over Uranus: The Sequel"
1983 Two Marriages Ann Daley Episodes: "Pilot", "Relativity"
1983 Lottery! Episode: "Portland: Treasure Hunt"
1983–1984 The Yellow Rose Marlene Episodes: "The Yellow Rose", "Hell Hath No Fury", "Deadline"
1984 Fleshburn Shirley Pinter
1984 Finder of Lost Loves Lorna Hodges Episode: "White Lies"
1985 Brotherly Love Donna Ryder TV movie
1985 Wild Horses Ann Cooper TV movie
1986 Spenser: For Hire Lanore Freemont 1 episode
1986 On Wings of Eagles Ruth Chiapparone Miniseries
1986 Shattered...If Your Kid's on Drugs Eileen Wilson Direct-to-video
1986–1987 Dallas Nancy Scotfield Recurring role (Season 10)
1985 Hotel Diana Renard Episode: "Identities"
1987 Hotel Mrs. Harper Episode: "Born to Run"
1989 Teen Vamp Mrs. Murphy
1992 Where the Red Fern Grows: Part Two Direct-to-video
1993 I'll Fly Away Jeanette Foster Episode: "What's in a Name?"
1994 XXX's & OOO's TV movie
1990–1994 In the Heat of the Night Atty. Sarah Hallisey 12 episodes
1995 A Horse for Danny Mrs. Slauson TV movie
1997 The Man Next Door Grace
2008 A Father's Rights Ms. Little
2013 Shuffleton's Barbershop Leslie Anne Cameron Voice role
2018 Sparky & Butch Cora Short film
TBA In a Quiet Room † Julia Short film
Key
† Denotes films that have not yet been released

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Year Award Category Nominated work Result
1999 Heartland International Film Festival Crystal Heart Award Climb Against the Odds Won
Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival Audience Award Best Documentary Won

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Karen Carlson Overview
  2. ^ "Karen Carlson - Actress, Director, Producer, Writer". Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  3. ^ "Actress Karen Carlson Returns to Byrd High". The Times. Shreveport, Louisiana. March 2, 1973. p. 3. Retrieved July 28, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b c Crockett, Lane (August 7, 1987). "Home base: Karen Carlson back in town". The Times. Shreveport, Louisiana. p. 47. Retrieved July 28, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Montgomery, Jim (July 16, 1972). "Karen Carlson: A Beauty Queen No More". The Times. Shreveport, Louisiana. p. 18 - F. Retrieved July 28, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ a b c d Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 36. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
[edit]
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Pam Jackson
 Miss Arkansas
1964 		Succeeded by
Rhonda Oglesby


Stub icon

This article about an American television actor born in the 1940s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Stub icon

This article about a United States film actor born in the 1940s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Karen_Carlson&oldid=1250436131"