James Karen - Biography

James Karen (born November 28, 1923) is an American character actor of Broadway, film and television.

Life and career

Karen was born Jacob Karnofsky in Wilkes-Barre, in northeastern Pennsylvania, the son of Russian-born Jewish immigrants Mae (née Freed) and Joseph H. Karnofsky, a produce dealer. As a young man, Karen was encouraged to be an actor by U.S. Congressman Daniel J. Flood, who was an amateur thespian himself, recruiting him into a production at the Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre. He attended the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York. His big break came when he was asked to understudy Karl Malden in the original Broadway production of A Streetcar Named Desire.

On television he played Dr. Burke on As the World Turns and was the original Lincoln Tyler on All My Children. He is perhaps best known for his recurring role on the television series Eight Is Enough. He is also well-known on the east coast for his 20 years as television and radio spokesman for the Pathmark supermarket chain. He also appeared in the Golden Girls as a prospective love interest for Dorothy.

His notable film credits include 1979's The China Syndrome, 1982's Poltergeist, 1985's The Return of the Living Dead, 1987's Wall Street and most recently in 2006's The Pursuit of Happyness. Full filmography is below.

He was married, for a time, to Susan Reed, the former actress and folk singer. They divorced and he later married current wife Alba Francesca.

Filmography

• Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster (1965)
• Film (1965)
• Hercules in New York (1970)
• All the President's Men (1976)
• Capricorn One (1978)
• The China Syndrome (1979)
• The Jazz Singer (1980)
• Take This Job and Shove It (1981)
• Time Walker (1982)
• Poltergeist (1982)
• The Return of the Living Dead (1985)
• Jagged Edge (1985)
• Invaders from Mars (1986)
• Hardbodies 2 (1986)
• Wall Street (1987)
• Return of the Living Dead Part II (1988)
• The Willies (1991)
• Congo (1995)
• Nixon (1995)
• Joyride (1996)
• Spycraft: The Great Game (PC Game) (1996)
• Behind Enemy Lines (1997)
• Apt Pupil (1998)
• Any Given Sunday (1999)
• Thirteen Days (2000)
• Mulholland Drive (2001)
• Flickering Blue (2003)
• Unscripted" (TV Series) (2005)
• The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
• Superman Returns (2006)
• Outlaw Trail: The Treasure of Butch Cassidy (2006)

Further reading

Voisin, Scott, Character Kings: Hollywood's Familiar Faces Discuss the Art & Business of Acting. BearManor Media, 2009. ISBN 978-1-59393-342-5.

External links

• Great Character Actors / James Karen
• Pathmark TV commercial with James Karen (YouTube)