Karen Lynn Gorney
Encyclopedia
Karen Lynn Gorney is an American
actress, known for her roles on television and film.
. She is the daughter of 20th-century composer Jay Gorney
, who wrote the music for what many consider the definitive song about America's Great Depression
, "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
". She earned degrees from both Carnegie Mellon University
and Brandeis University
. Karen is the sister of author, professor and physician Rod Gorney, who has taught for many years at UCLA.
All My Children
. After she left the show Karen had agreed to return when her replacement, actress/writer Stephanie Braxton
, decided to leave the show. She returned for the 1976-77 season but was eventually fired as Tara and did not return to the show until almost 20 years later. In 1977 Karen co-starred in her biggest role to date as Stephanie Mangano in the film Saturday Night Fever
alongside John Travolta
.
, Ripe
and Rock the Cradle, and returning to All My Children during 1995 in cameo spots. More recently she has guest starred in a number of TV shows, including Law & Order
, The Sopranos
and Six Degrees
, as well as doing independent films and off-Broadway shows.
Due to her connection with disco music, via her popular role in Saturday Night Fever, she has been featured on a number of disco documentaries and specials including Get Down Tonight: The Disco Explosion
, which she co-hosted with Saturday Night Fever choreographer Deney Terrio
for PBS. During the show Gorney and Terrio dance to Tavares
' hit single "More Than a Woman
" as she did with co-star John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever back in 1977. She appeared on VH1's When Disco Ruled the World
and was interviewed for the disco video documentary Disco: Spinning the Story.
Karen appeared in the UK on ITV1's lunchtime programme Loose Women (a topical debate programme from a female perspective) on 28 September 2007, helping to promote the 30th anniversary since the launch of the film Saturday Night Fever and the Bee Gee's new Greatest Hits album.
She was featured in the role of the Judge in the 2008 independent feature film
Dear J.
Gorney is a long-time resident of New York City
. Recently she appeared in the stage production Monsterface at the Irish Rep Theater and is currently preparing for her role as "Belaria" in Frog and Peach Theatre Company's production of Cymbeline at the West End Theatre, October 2010.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress, known for her roles on television and film.
Early life
Gorney was born in Beverly Hills, CaliforniaBeverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
. She is the daughter of 20th-century composer Jay Gorney
Jay Gorney
Jay Gorney was an American theater and film song writer. He was born Abraham Jacob Gornetzsky in Białystok, Russia on December 12, 1894. In 1906, he witnessed the Bialystock pogrom which forced his family into hiding for nearly two weeks, after which they fled to the United States...
, who wrote the music for what many consider the definitive song about America's Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
"Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?", also sung as "Buddy, Can You Spare a Dime?", is one of the best-known American songs of the Great Depression. Written in 1931 by lyricist E. Y. "Yip" Harburg and composer Jay Gorney, "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" was part of the 1932 musical New Americana; the...
". She earned degrees from both Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
and Brandeis University
Brandeis University
Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
. Karen is the sister of author, professor and physician Rod Gorney, who has taught for many years at UCLA.
Early career
From 1970 to 1974 Karen played the role of Tara Martin on the soap operaSoap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
. After she left the show Karen had agreed to return when her replacement, actress/writer Stephanie Braxton
Stephanie Braxton
Stephanie Braxton is an American television writer, playwright and actress. She married Dan Hamilton in 1970, but they are currently divorced...
, decided to leave the show. She returned for the 1976-77 season but was eventually fired as Tara and did not return to the show until almost 20 years later. In 1977 Karen co-starred in her biggest role to date as Stephanie Mangano in the film Saturday Night Fever
Saturday Night Fever
Saturday Night Fever is a 1977 drama film directed by John Badham and starring: John Travolta as Tony Manero, an immature young man whose weekends are spent visiting a local Brooklyn discothèque; Karen Lynn Gorney as his dance partner and eventual friend; and Donna Pescow as Tony's former dance...
alongside John Travolta
John Travolta
John Joseph Travolta is an American actor, dancer and singer. Travolta first became known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever and Grease...
.
Return to film, stage and TV
After a lengthy hiatus, Gorney returned to acting in the early 90s, appearing in small roles in such films as The Hard WayThe Hard Way (1991 film)
The Hard Way is a 1991 action-comedy film starring Michael J. Fox and James Woods. It is directed by John Badham. The film also had notable performances by Stephen Lang, Annabella Sciorra, Luis Guzmán, LL Cool J, Delroy Lindo, Penny Marshall, and Bryant Gumbel, as himself...
, Ripe
Ripe (film)
Ripe is a 1996 American independent drama film released in 1997. It was the first film written & directed by Mo Ogrodnik & starred Monica Keena & Daisy Eagan.- Plot :...
and Rock the Cradle, and returning to All My Children during 1995 in cameo spots. More recently she has guest starred in a number of TV shows, including Law & Order
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
, The Sopranos
The Sopranos
The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
and Six Degrees
Six Degrees
Six Degrees is an American dramatic television series about six residents of New York City and their respective relationships and connections with one another, based on the idea of six degrees of separation....
, as well as doing independent films and off-Broadway shows.
Due to her connection with disco music, via her popular role in Saturday Night Fever, she has been featured on a number of disco documentaries and specials including Get Down Tonight: The Disco Explosion
Get Down Tonight: The Disco Explosion
Get Down Tonight: The Disco Explosion was a 2004 musical documentary special which aired on PBS. The special featured Irene Cara, KC & The Sunshine Band, Yvonne Elliman, The Hues Corporation, Peaches & Herb, Karen Lynn Gorney, A Taste of Honey , Rob Parissi of Wild Cherry, Leo Sayer, Deney Terrio,...
, which she co-hosted with Saturday Night Fever choreographer Deney Terrio
Deney Terrio
Denis George Mahan , better known as Deney Terrio, is an American choreographer, former film actor and one-time host of the television musical variety series Dance Fever from 1979 to 1985...
for PBS. During the show Gorney and Terrio dance to Tavares
Tavares
-People:Tavares is a common surname in the Portuguese language, namely in Portugal and Brazil and other places – especially very common in the Cape Verde islands. It was originally a toponym...
' hit single "More Than a Woman
More Than a Woman (Bee Gees song)
"More Than a Woman" is a disco song written by the Bee Gees for the soundtrack to the film Saturday Night Fever....
" as she did with co-star John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever back in 1977. She appeared on VH1's When Disco Ruled the World
When Disco Ruled The World
When Disco Ruled The World is a music documentary that aired on VH1 in 2005.-Overview:The series documented the impact that disco music had on popular culture in the 1970s...
and was interviewed for the disco video documentary Disco: Spinning the Story.
Karen appeared in the UK on ITV1's lunchtime programme Loose Women (a topical debate programme from a female perspective) on 28 September 2007, helping to promote the 30th anniversary since the launch of the film Saturday Night Fever and the Bee Gee's new Greatest Hits album.
She was featured in the role of the Judge in the 2008 independent feature film
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
Dear J.
Gorney is a long-time resident of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Recently she appeared in the stage production Monsterface at the Irish Rep Theater and is currently preparing for her role as "Belaria" in Frog and Peach Theatre Company's production of Cymbeline at the West End Theatre, October 2010.