Karen Carlson

Karen Carlson
Born	Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Arkansas
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1967–present
Spouses	David Soul ​ ​ (m. 1968; div. 1977)​ Devin Payne
Children	3

Karen Carlson is an American actress.

Life and career

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

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 (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, The Yellow Rose with her first husband, David Soul, and Cybill Shepherd, and Two Marriages with Michael Murphy.

She was later cast as Mary Ellen in ABC's Here Come the Brides. 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 in the film Out of Ashes (2013). She has since turned her focus from acting to directing and screenwriting.

Personal life

Carlson was married to actor and co-star David Soul. They divorced and she later married musician Devin Payne. She had one child with Soul and two children with Payne.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1969	Shame, Shame, Everybody Knows Her Name	Susan Barton
1970	The Student Nurses	Phred
1971	Mission Impossible	Doris Gordon	Episode: "The Missile"
1972	The Candidate	Nancy McKay
1973	Mannix	Jennifer Holt	Episode: ‘’Search for a Whisper’’
1973	The Streets of San Francisco	Cathy Cullen	Episode: "Legion of the Lost"
1975	Cage Without a Key	Betty Holian	TV movie
1976-1977	Starsky and Hutch	Christine D. Phelps / Gillian Ingrahm	2 episodes
1977	Black Oak Conspiracy	Lucy Metcalf
1977	It Happened One Christmas	Violet	TV movie
1978	Matilda	Kathleen Smith
1978	Centennial	Lisette Mercy	3 episodes
1979	Buck Rogers in the 25th Century	Stella Warden	Episode: "Planet of the Slave Girls"
1980	The Incredible Hulk	Lorraine	Episode: "Broken Image"
1980	The Octagon	Justine	1982 " In Love with an Older Woman"
1980	Hart to Hart	Marcie	Episode: "Murder, Murder On The Wall"
1984	Fleshburn	Shirley Pinter
1985	Brotherly Love	Donna Ryder	TV movie
1986	Dallas	Nancy Scotfield	7 episodes
1986	Spenser: For Hire	Lanore Freemont	1 episode
1988	Teen Vamp	Mrs. Murphy
1990	In the Heat of the Night	Atty. Sarah Hallisey	12 episodes
1997	The Man Next Door	Grace
2008	A Father's Rights	Ms. Little

External links

• Karen Carlson at IMDb
• Template:Amg name