# Karen Carlson

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

## Early life

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 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.

## Career

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,$^{:1202}$ and Two Marriages with Michael Murphy.$^{:1121}$
She was later cast as Mary Ellen in ABC's Here Come the Brides.$^{:452}$ 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

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

## Filmography

| 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

| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 1999 | Heartland International Film Festival Crystal Heart Award | | Climb Against the Odds | Won |
| 1999 | Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival Audience Award | Best Documentary | Climb Against the Odds | Won |
* United States
* Los Angeles
* California
* Film
* Television