Karen Jane Allen was born October 5, 1951, in Carrollton, Illinois. Her parents were Carroll Thompson Allen and Patricia A Howell, an FBI agent and teacher respectively. She traveled extensively with her family until she was ten. Displaying a quick mind and a strong work ethic, Allen graduated high school a year early at age seventeen. She quickly made the move to New York in order to study both design and art. She also attended the University of Maryland, College Park, and spent another three years traveling, this time exploring South America and Central America.
By the mid-70s, Allen was bitten by the acting bug and moved back to New York where she studied at the Lee Strasberg Theater Institute.
Allen made her on-screen debut in the quintessential party film, 1978’s National Lampoon’s Animal House. With co-stars John Belushi, Tim Matheson, John Vernon, and Peter Riegert, the film’s commercial success proved a major boost to all involved. But it was Allen in particular who caught Hollywood’s eye.
The following year, she won a very small part in the Woody Allen comedy Manhattan, along with leads Diane Keaton, Mariel Hemingway, Meryl Streep, and Michael Murphy. However, her star status was well on its way after she landed the lead in 1979’s The Wanderers, as well as 1980’s A Small Circle of Friends. Continuing to win coveted roles, Allen acted in the well-received John Steinbeck miniseries adaptation East of Eden, opposite Timothy Bottoms, Jane Seymour, Anne Baxter, and Lloyd Bridges.
But far and away, it was her role as Marion Ravenwood in the George Lucas-written, Steven Spielberg-directed classic Raiders of the Lost Ark that thrust her into superstardom. She co-starred with Harrison Ford, John Rhys Davies, and Alfred Molina.
She worked steadily until her next major role in 1984 with John Carpenter’s Starman, opposite Jeff Bridges. Three years later, in a screen adaptation of Tennessee Williams’s The Glass Menagerie, Allen took her most critically acclaimed role. She was even nominated for an Independent Spirit Award, as was her co-star Joanne Woodward. Director Paul Newman won his share of praise as well as lead actor John Malkovich.
Many will also recognize Allen for her work beside Bill Murray, John Forsythe, and Jamie Farr in the comedy Scrooged.
Allen welcomed the birth of her son, Nicholas, in 1990. Ever since, she has limited her acting to smaller roles and television appearances. Notable appearances include Challenger, Malcolm X, The Sandlot, The Perfect Storm, and In the Bedroom.
In addition to screen acting, Allen also harbors a love of stage acting. She made her Broadway debut in 1982. In 2003, she established a textile company after she developed an interest in knitting. She now dedicates much of her time to teaching amateur actors at Simon’s Rock College of Bard.
Allen married fellow actor Kale Browne on May 1, 1988. They had one son before divorcing in 1997.
YUDDY
