John Karlen

== Biography ==
John Karlen (May 28, 1933 - January 22, 2020) was born John Adam Karlewicz in Brooklyn, New York. In the realm of Dark Shadows, he is most famous for portraying the role of the henchman, Willie Loomis, in the original 1966 series. He joined the cast in early 1967, and remained a series regular until the final episode in 1971. During his tenure on the show, he also portrayed the characters of Carl Collins (1897 flashback), William Hollingshead Loomis (1970 PT), Desmond Collins (1840 flashback), and Kendrick Young (1840 PT). Between the five characters, Karlen appeared in a total of 179 episodes of Dark Shadows.
In 1970, Karlen reprised his most infamous character, Willie Loomis, in the revisionist feature film House of Dark Shadows. In 1971, Karlen found himself back at Collinwood, this time playing the part of writer Alex Jenkins in the movie Night of Dark Shadows.
John Karlen made a career for himself as a character actor, appearing on such notable television programs including: Hawaii Five-O, Police Story, Kojak, Barnaby Jones, Trapper John M.D. and many others. His most famous role (outside of Dark Shadows) was the character of Harvey Lacey, the husband to Tyne Daly’s character Mary Beth Lacey, from the 1980s TV series Cagney and Lacey, for which he won an Emmy for Best Supporting Actor (Drama) in 1986.
=== Personal life ===
In 1963, Karlen married acting teacher Betty Karlen, but they divorced in 1998; they had one child, Adam (born 1966).
Karlen died from heart failure in Burbank, California on January 22, 2020, at age 86.
== Appearances ==
===As Willie Loomis (111 Episodes)===
206 207 208 209 210 215 216 217 219 220 221 222 224 230 232 234 237 238 239 243 245 247 248 250 251 253 254 255 256 258 260 264 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 282 286 287 289 291 293 300 301 304 305 310 311 312 314 316 319 320 321 322 329 483 484 485 493 494 497 498 500 502 503 506 514 515 516 522 531 536 537 540 552 560 561 562 564 566 570 574 582 583 584 587 588 589 590 593 598 599 616 621 666 667 696 956 957 970 971 972 1099 1100 1105 1106
===As Carl Collins (11 Episodes)===
706 707 714 722 723 771 772 777 778 779 780
===As William Hollingshead Loomis (9 Episodes)===
971 1011 1012 1017 1020 1036 1043 1044 1045
===As Desmond Collins (27 Episodes)===
1117 1118 1120 1122 1123 1124 1125 1126 1127 1141 1151 1152 1153 1160 1161 1162 1163 1165 1166 1174/1175 1176 1189 1191 1193 1196 1197 1198
===As Kendrick Young (23 Episodes)===
1191 1193 1202 1205 1207 1209 1216 1217 1222 1225 1226 1227 1228 1233 1237 1238 1239 1240 1241 1242 1243 1244 1245
===As Willie Loomis===
House of Dark Shadows
===As Alex Jenkins===
Night of Dark Shadows
==Audio Performances==
*Return to Collinwood
*The House of Despair
*The Book of Temptation
*The Christmas Presence
*The Rage Beneath
*The Wicked and the Dead
*The Night Whispers
*Echoes of Insanity
*Kingdom of the Dead
*Bloodline
== External Links ==
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*Podcast: An Interview with John Karlen
Karlen, John
Category:Television Actors
Category:Original Series Actors
Category:Feature Film Actors
Category:House Of Dark Shadows Actors
Category:Night Of Dark Shadows Actors
Category:Audio Drama Actors
Category:Return To Collinwood Actors
Category:Big Finish Audio Drama Actors