Karen Valentine – Biography, Family Life, Movies and TV Shows

Quick Facts

In a glamorous, ever-changing Hollywood movie industry, it’s a tough feat for one to remain relevant for a long period of time but somehow, Karen Valentine has been able to remain a notable figure in the movie industry for over 4 decades. This accomplishment is an attestation of her unique acting ability and dynamism to portray whatever role she is being cast to play by directors. Her talent and skills have seen her feature in a long list of TV series and movies most notably, Room 222 and Hot Lead and Cold Feet.

Karen Valentine Biography

Karen Valentine was born on May 25, 1947, on a Chicken farm in Sebastopol, California. She is of white ethnicity and an American by nationality. There is no information available to the mainstream about her childhood, early educational background or qualifications.

As a teenager Karen was hugely interested in pageantry; with a pretty face, a cute smile, and an equally sexy body, there was no stopping her from contesting in the Miss Teenage America Pageant at the age of 16. Although she didn’t win the pageantry, her beauty and elegance caught the eye of Ed Sullivan who in turn placed a call to her and invited her to appear on “The Ed Sullivan Show” a week after the pageantry.

That singular phone call changed the life of Karen Valentine forever. It paved way for her to project herself in a countless number of movies and series. Today, she is idolized by many for her achievements both as an individual and actress.

Movies and TV Shows

The year 1967 is a year that will always be fresh in the mind of Karen Valentine, as it was the year she made her television debut on the show, The Dream Girl with her taking up the role of “The Resident Girl”. The following year, she appeared on yet another game show titled The Dating Game.

Her big break eventually came in 1969, when she was cast to play the role of Miss Alice Johnson, a Caucasian student teacher, on the ABC television series Room 222 alongside already established acts like , Denise Nicholas, and Lloyd Haynes. The show became an instant hit on its first season grabbing a Primetime Emmy Award for “Outstanding New Series” in 1970, while Karen was awarded an Emmy for “Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series”. Also in 1969, Karen made her big screen debut in the movie Gidget Grows Up, in which she played the role of Gidget. As time went by Karen began amassing a large number of loyal fans. As a result of her popularity, ABC created her own personal sitcom in January 1975 titled Karen, but steady low rating saw it canceled after 4 months.

Ever since her breakthrough in 1969, the actress has accumulated a total of 52 registered acting credits to her name. Some of the high profile movies and TV shows she has starred in during the course of her career are: Perfect People, She’s the Sheriff, The Magical World of Disney, Goodbye Doesn’t Mean Forever, The North Avenue Irregulars, The Untouchables, The Power Within, CBS School Break Special, The Twilight Zone, and Wedding Daze to name but a few. In 2004, she announced she would be retiring from professional acting, having made her mark on the Hollywood movie scene. She currently lives in California where she is known to perform from time to time at off-Broadway theatres.

Karen Valentine’s Family Life

Despite having reiterated her love for family in several interviews in the past, not much is known about the family of Karen Valentine except the fact that her grandparents were of Portuguese ancestry. While it’s not a secret that she was raised by her parents, their identities are still currently unknown, there is no information as regards her siblings either.

As regards her marital life, she has been married twice in her lifetime. Her first marriage was to Carl MacLaughlin in 1969 but they ended up getting divorced in 1973. In 1977, she got married to a music composer named Gary Verna and they have remained together ever since.

Also Read: Top 10 Richest People in the world with full biography and details.