Kari Michaelsen

Kari Michaelsen
Kari Michaelsen
Born	Kari Markussen; November 3, 1961 (age 62); Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Actress, motivational speaker
Years active	1976–2001 (Acting); 1990–present (Motivational speaking)
Spouse	David Waldock (m. 2002; div. 2009)
Children	1
Website	http://www.karimichaelsen.com

Kari Michaelsen (born Kari Markussen, November 3, 1961) is an American actress, television personality, and motivational speaker. As an actress, she is best known for her role as Katie Kanisky on the sitcom Gimme a Break! (1981–1987).

Biography[edit]

Born in Manhattan, Michaelsen followed her parents into show business. Her father, Arne Markussen, is a singer. Her mother, Roberta Stevenson, was a dancer. She sang on the soundtrack for Sesame Street and was performing in Off-Broadway plays by age 11. In 1975, her family moved to Beverly Hills, and Michaelsen (who changed her name from Markussen) soon won guest spots on such shows as Diff'rent Strokes and Eight Is Enough. Her father is of Norwegian heritage.^[1]

She graduated from Beverly Hills High School in 1979 and studied at University of California, Los Angeles. She retired from television work in 2001. Kari has been doing public speaking and hosting educational seminars since 1990. She married David Waldock, a Mercedes-Benz executive, in July 2002. The couple had a son named Nickolas. Michaelsen and David Waldock were divorced in 2009.^[2]

Michaelsen dated pop star Andy Gibb in 1983.^[3] Michaelsen is longtime friends with retired actress Kristy McNichol.

Filmography[edit]

Film[edit]

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1976	Joy Ride: An Auto Theft	Kari	Short
1981	Saturday the 14th	Debbie Hyatt
1984	Terror in the Aisles	Herself
1989	Girl Talk	Marcia

Television[edit]

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1980	Scared Straight! Another Story		Television film
1980	Diff'rent Strokes	Ellen Marshall	Episode: "Little Mother"
1980	ABC Afterschool Special	Karala Murtaugh	Episode: "The Gymnast"
1981	The Choice	Teenager	Television film
1981	Eight Is Enough	Lisa	Episode: "Vows"
1981	CHiPs	Teri	Episode: "Karate"
1981	The Incredible Hulk	Linda	Episode: "The First: Part 1"
1981-86	Gimme a Break!	Kathleen "Katie" Kanisky	Main role
1981-1983	Rosie	Kelly Larson	25 episodes
1982	Fantasy Island	Cassie	1 episode
1983	The Kid with the 200 I.Q.	Julie Gordon	Television film
1983	ABC Afterschool Special	Fran Davies	Episode: "Have You Ever Been Ashamed of Your Parents?"
1983	Hart to Hart	Lisa Carrigan	Episode: "Trust Your Hart"
1989	Full House	Stacey Fleetwood	Episode: "Joey & Stacy and... Oh, Yeah, Jesse"

Awards and nominations[edit]


Year	Award	Category	Title of work	Result
1983	Young Artist Award	Best Young Actress in a Comedy Series	Gimme a Break!	Nominated
1984	Young Artist Award	Best Young Actress in a Movie Made for Television	The Kid with the 200 I.Q.	Nominated

References[edit]

^ Former Gimme a Break Star Kari Michaelsen Returns to TV as a Talk Show Host People Magazine. December 10, 2001)
^ The Get Motivated! tour that barnstormed into St. Louis last week is as American as a get-rich-quick scheme, By Sarah Fenske of the Riverfront Times, May 5, 2011
^ "Looking for Answers". PEOPLE.com. December 10, 2001. Retrieved February 25, 2019.

External links[edit]

Kari Michaelsen at IMDb

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[1] Former Gimme a Break Star Kari Michaelsen Returns to TV as a Talk Show Host People Magazine. December 10, 2001)

[2] The Get Motivated! tour that barnstormed into St. Louis last week is as American as a get-rich-quick scheme, By Sarah Fenske of the Riverfront Times, May 5, 2011

[3] "Looking for Answers". PEOPLE.com. December 10, 2001. Retrieved February 25, 2019.

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