James Karen, born Jacob Karnofsky; November 28, 1923 , Wilkes-Barre , PA , USA - October 23, 2018 , Los Angeles , California , USA ) is an American character actor . He played in the theater on Broadway , starred in films and television.
| James karen | |
|---|---|
| James karen | |
| Birth name | Jacob Karnofsky |
| Date of Birth | November 28, 1923 |
| Place of Birth | Wilkes-Barre , PA , USA |
| Date of death | October 23, 2018 (94 years old) |
| A place of death | Los Angeles , California , USA |
| Citizenship |  USA |
| Profession | actor |
| Career | since |
| IMDb | |
Among the most significant works are roles in Poltergeist , The Return of the Living Dead , Aliens from Mars and The Pursuit of Happiness [1] .
Karen is also known for the role of Eliot Randolph in the television series Eight Enough . He also appeared in an advertisement for the Pathmark supermarket chain, after which he received the nickname “Mr. Pathmark” [2] . He was nominated for a Saturn Award for his role in The Return of the Living Dead in 1985 [3] .
Content
- 1 Early years
- 2 Career
- 3 Personal life
- 4 Selected filmography
- 5 Awards
- 6 Further reading
- 7 notes
- 8 References
The early years
Karen, named at birth by Jacob Karnofsky , was born in Wilkes Barre , northeastern Pennsylvania , into a family of Jewish immigrants of Russian origin. Mother is May (née Fried), father is Joseph H. Karnofsky, a merchant. Morris Karnowski 's nephew. Congressman Daniel J. Flood , who himself was an amateur actor of the tragic genre, invited Karen, then still a young man, to become an actor and invited him to the Wilkes-Barre Small Theater. He also attended the theater school "Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater" in New York [4] .
Career
The first film Karen remembered what he saw was “ ” (1928) by Buster Keaton . He later became a very good friend of Keaton. In his career, a major breakthrough occurred when he was asked to replace Karl Molden in the original Broadway production of the play " Tram" Desire " " [4] .
On television, he played Dr. Burke in the American television soap opera , How the World Rotates , and was the original Lincoln Tyler in another soap opera, All My Children [4] . But he is perhaps best known for his constant role in the television series Eight Enough [4] . He is also well known on the East Coast as a representative of the Pathmark supermarket chain on television and radio for 20 years [5] .
Karen appeared in an episode of the situational comedy The Kallikaks in 1977 on the NBC channel, playing Earl Silbert in the 1979 miniseries Blind Ambition . Ten years later, he appeared in an episode of the television series Golden Girls . He is also known for the role of the evil tycoon Nathan Lassiter, who destroyed the city of Walnut Grove in the finale of the television series Little House on the Prairies [6] . Karen is a member of the Actors Studio , of notable films, the “ Chinese Syndrome ,” “Poltergeist,” “The Return of the Living Dead” and “ Wall Street ” by Oliver Stone should be noted [5] .
In recent years, Karen has received recognition for the role of Martin From in the 2006 film “Pursuit of Happiness” [1] .
Passed away on the 95th year of life on October 23, 2018 in Los Angeles .
Personal life
He was married to Susan Reed, a former actress and folk singer. [7] They divorced in 1967, and in 1986 he married Alba Francesca, who starred with him in Hardbodies 2. Karen had one child and two grandchildren.
Selected Filmography
- Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster (1965)
- Movie (1965)
- Hercules in New York (1970)
- Capricorn One (1978)
- Chinese Syndrome (1979)
- The Jazz Singer (1980)
- Take This Job and Shove It (1981)
- Being from Another Planet (also known as Time Walker ) (1982)
- Poltergeist (1982)
- The Return of the Living Dead (1985)
- Jagged Edge (1985)
- Aliens from Mars (1986) - General Klimet Wilson
- Hardbodies 2 (1986)
- Wall Street (1987)
- The Return of the Living Dead 2 (1988)
- The Willies (1991)
- Nixon (1995)
- Ned and Stacy (1995-1997)
- Joyride (1996)
- Every Sunday (1999)
- Thirteen Days (2000)
- Mulholland Drive (2001)
- Flickering Blue (2003)
- In pursuit of happiness (2006)
- Superman Returns (2006)
Rewards
Karen was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Actor for his role in Return of the Living Dead in 1985 [3] . For his contribution to the horror film industry, Karen received the Saturn Prize in 1998 [3] . He was nominated for the Fangoria Chainsaw Awards for Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Unborn Baby in 1991 [3] .
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 .
- Psychotronic Video Magazine, 1997 no.24 James Karen
- Filmfax Magazine, December 2010 no. 125 Frankenstein Meets The Space Monster
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 A Memorable Evening with Unforgettable Actor James Karen . NYFA.edu. Date of treatment December 26, 2016.
- ↑ Mr. Pathmark and Life Lessons . Nicholas Nigro.com. Date of treatment December 26, 2016.
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 Awards for James Karen . IMDb.com. Date of treatment December 26, 2016.
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 James Karen Biography (1923-) . Date of treatment December 26, 2016.
- ↑ 1 2 James Karen at Film Forum . UnPaidFilmCritic.com. Date of treatment December 26, 2016.
- ↑ James Karen by Gilbert Gottfried . Sound Cloud.com. Date of treatment September 7, 2015.
- ↑ 2010 January to June . Dead Rock Stars Club. Date of treatment December 26, 2016.