Who is Karen Valentine?
Karen Valentine is a former American award-winning actress, perhaps best remembered as Alice Johnson in the TV series “Room 222” (1969-1974), and as the title character in the TV series “Karen” (1975), in addition to a number of other prominent roles that she portrayed during her active career, which lasted from the mid- ‘60s until the mid-2000s.
Where is Karen Valentine Today?
Karen Valentine left show business in 200, and since then has rarely appeared in public, making a guest appearance in 2009 in “Whatever Happened To?”, talking about her life following the end of her career.
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She is living a peaceful life with her second husband in California, and in 2019 talked about her awful encounter after her appearance on “The Dating Game”.
Karen Valentine Biography: Age, Childhood, and Education
Karen Lynne Valentine was born on 25 May 1947 under the Gemini zodiac sign, in Sebastopol, California USA the daughter of Lou Valentine and his wife, Angie, Karen grew up on a chicken farm owned by the Valentines, but wanted more than a simple farm life.
She became interested in modeling and acting at an early age, and in her teens participated in the Miss Teenage America pageant, and about the same time, she won the Apple Blossom Queen of Sebastopol.
Career Beginnings and Immediate Success
During her Miss America pageant performance, Ed Sullivan saw her and immediately realized what a talent she actually was and expressed his desire to bring her onto his show. Her debut happened later that year, as she showcased her dancing and singing talents on “The Ed Sullivan Show” (1964).
She continued her career with minor roles, before she was chosen as the next hostess of the show “Dream Girl of ‘67”, replacing Beverly Adams. This gained her an appearance in another show “The Dating Game”, during which she was noticed by Gene Reynolds, who gave her the role in the TV series “Room 222”, of schoolteacher Alice Johnson, working alongside Lloyd Haynes, Denise Nicholas and Michael Constantine, whom she now cites as her favorite acting mentor and best friend.
She starred in all 113 episodes through 1974, and won the Primetime Emmy Award in the category for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.
She enjoyed huge success in the late ’60 and through the entire ‘70s. She was Gidget Lawrence in the television movie “Gidget Grows Up” in 1969, while in 1972 she starred in the television western movie “The Daughters of Joshua Cabe”, next to Buddy Ebsen and Lesley Ann Warren, and the next year starred in the television comedy movie “Coffee, Tea, or Me?.
She continued to star in television movies, including the comedy “The Girl Who Came Gift-Wrapped” (1974), while in 1975 she got her own sitcom “Karen”, though it was short-lived, but the same year she starred in the drama film “Forever Young, Forever Free”.
Before the ‘70s ended, Karen was a star of the television movies “The Love Boat” and “Having Babies”, both in 1976, while in 1977 she guest-starred in the TV series “Starsky and Hutch”, and in 1978 starred in the comedy western “Go West, Young Girl”, alongside Sandra Will, and Stuart Whitman.
She finished the decade with the role of Margaret Manning in the Primetime Emmy Award-nominated TV crime-drama series “Eischied”, which deals with the investigations of NYPD Chief of Detectives Earl Eischied.
Career Decline and Retirement
She continued to dominate the acting scene until the mid-‘80s, appearing in such television movies as “Muggable Mary, Street Cop” (1982), then “Adams House” in the same year, and “Illusions” in 1983, after which she moved to a stage career, and would rarely appear on the screen.
Some of her later appearances included the role of Jeanie Kelvin in the television movie “Hurricane Sam” (1990), then as Wanda in the TV series “Cybill” in 1996, while her last on-screen portrayal was as Audrey Landry in the television movie “Wedding Daze” in 2004.
Career in Theater
Additionally to her career on screen, Karen has worked on and off-Broadway. She starred in the play “Romantic Comedy”, touring with the play across the USA, then appeared in the Off-Broadway play “Breaking Legs”, and her last appearance on stage was in the Los Angeles production of “Steel Magnolias”.
Personal Life, Marriage, Husband, Children
When it comes to her personal life, Karen has been married two times. Her first marriage was to actor Mac MacLaughlin which lasted from 1969 until 1973 when they divorced. Four years later she married Gary Lewis Verna, and the two are still together, living a quiet life away from the media buzz. They don’t have children.
Net Worth
As of late 2021, Karen Valentine’s net worth has been estimated to be around $5 million, earned largely through her career as an actress, appearing in more than 50 film and TV titles.
Appearance and Vital Statistics
The Primetime Emmy Award-winning actress has dark brown hair and brown eyes. She stands at a height of 5ft 4ins (1.63m), weighs approximately 120lbs (54kgs), while her vital statistics are 33-35-34, bra size 38B.
Hobbies, Interests, and Trivia
Before her career took off, Karen worked several odd jobs, including waiting tables, switchboard operator, while she also used her good looks to work as a model for some time.
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