James Karen(1923-2018)
- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Veteran Broadway, TV and film actor James Karen was encouraged as a
young man to take up an acting career by U.S. Congressman Daniel J.
Flood, who was an amateur actor himself. In 1947 Karen made his
Broadway debut in "A Streetcar Named Desire", which led to appearances
in over 20 Broadway productions. His television work began in 1948 with
the telecast of "A Christmas Carol", directed by pioneer television
producer / director Fred Coe. Since then he has
acted in over 100 television shows, including a stint as as Chief
Justice Michael Bancroft on
First Monday (2002) for CBS. In
1965 he began his film work in the low-budget sci-fi "epic"
Frankenstein Meets the Spacemonster (1965)
and now has an impressive resume of over 80 movies to his credit. He
has also filmed a record-breaking 5,000+ television commercials, most
while a spokesperson for the Pathmark Supermarket chain in the
northeast US. He has been honored with the "Saturn Award" for Lifetime
Achievement given by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror
Films. He has also been presented "The Buster Award", by The
International Buster Keaton Society. This award is given to the person
who has demonstrated professional excellence in the tradition of
Buster Keaton.
