Karen Valentine
Encyclopedia
Karen Valentine is an American
actress best-known for her role as the idealistic schoolteacher "Alice Johnson" in the television series Room 222
.
n chicken
ranch. She won a spot representing California at the Miss Teenage America
pageant where she was awarded the Talent Award. When Ed Sullivan
saw her act (where she would comically dance in a flamboyant costume while lip-syncing to Eydie Gormé
's "Blame it on the Bossa Nova
"), he was quoted as saying, "I want that girl on my show."
Valentine also was Miss Sonoma County and Top 10 at Miss California, state finals to Miss America.
television series Room 222, with Lloyd Haynes
and Michael Constantine
. She was discovered by Gene Reynolds, the director of Room 222, who saw her lip syncing in rehearsal and saw that she was funny. Mr. Reynolds recounts this story in a video which is currently located on YouTube.(She was nominated twice for an Emmy
and once for a Golden Globe, winning an Emmy in 1970 for Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role.
The actress later starred in the critically acclaimed true story Muggable Mary, Street Cop, as Gidget
in the film Gidget Grows Up
, and on her own television series in 1975, Karen
as well as many movies for television. Valentine was a regular on Hollywood Squares
, often trading quips with Paul Lynde
. She guest-starred on many series, including Starsky and Hutch
, Baretta
, McMillan & Wife and Murder, She Wrote
and multiple episodes of The Love Boat
and Love, American Style
.
She continues to work in television and on stage. She co-starred with John Larroquette
in a 2004 Hallmark Channel
TV movie, Wedding Daze. She also had a major role in an episode of another Hallmark series, Mystery Woman (aka Mystery Weekend). She has starred on stage in many productions, including Romantic Comedy
on Broadway and National Tour, Breaking Legs Off-Broadway and National Tour, and the Los Angeles production of Steel Magnolias
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress best-known for her role as the idealistic schoolteacher "Alice Johnson" in the television series Room 222
Room 222
Room 222 is an American comedy-drama television series produced by 20th Century Fox Television. The series aired on ABC from September 17, 1969, to January 11, 1974, for 112 episodes...
.
Early life
Valentine grew up on a Northern CaliforniaNorthern California
Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...
n chicken
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
ranch. She won a spot representing California at the Miss Teenage America
Miss Teenage America
The Miss Teenage America Pageant was started in 1961 as a pageant for High School girls. Sponsored by Dr Pepper, the pageant was held in Dallas, Texas for most of its run. Unlike today's Miss Teen USA and Miss America's Outstanding Teen, this pageant featured girls representing cities and not...
pageant where she was awarded the Talent Award. When Ed Sullivan
Ed Sullivan
Edward Vincent "Ed" Sullivan was an American entertainment writer and television host, best known as the presenter of the TV variety show The Ed Sullivan Show. The show was broadcast from 1948 to 1971 , which made it one of the longest-running variety shows in U.S...
saw her act (where she would comically dance in a flamboyant costume while lip-syncing to Eydie Gormé
Eydie Gormé
Eydie Gormé is an American singer, specializing, with her husband, Steve Lawrence, in traditional pop music, in the form of ballads and breezy swing. She has earned numerous awards, including the Grammy and the Emmy...
's "Blame it on the Bossa Nova
Blame It on the Bossa Nova
"Blame it on the Bossa Nova" is the title of a song written by Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann which was a 1963 hit single for Eydie Gormé, reaching #7 on the Hot 100 in Billboard in March 1963.-Background:...
"), he was quoted as saying, "I want that girl on my show."
Valentine also was Miss Sonoma County and Top 10 at Miss California, state finals to Miss America.
Career
In 1969, Valentine won her breakthrough role as a new teacher on the ABCAmerican Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
television series Room 222, with Lloyd Haynes
Lloyd Haynes
Samuel Lloyd Haynes was an African-American actor and television writer. Haynes was a member of the Bahá'í Faith.Haynes served in the Marines from 1952–1964 and during the Korean War...
and Michael Constantine
Michael Constantine
Michael Constantine is a Greek American actor.He is probably now best known for his portrayal of Gus Portokalos, the Windex bottle-toting Greek father of Toula Portokalos , in the 2002 surprise hit film My Big Fat Greek Wedding.Prior to that, he was well-known for his extensive TV work, especially...
. She was discovered by Gene Reynolds, the director of Room 222, who saw her lip syncing in rehearsal and saw that she was funny. Mr. Reynolds recounts this story in a video which is currently located on YouTube.(She was nominated twice for an Emmy
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
and once for a Golden Globe, winning an Emmy in 1970 for Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role.
The actress later starred in the critically acclaimed true story Muggable Mary, Street Cop, as Gidget
Gidget
Gidget is a fictional character created by author Frederick Kohner in his 1957 novel, Gidget, the Little Girl with Big Ideas. The novel follows the adventures of a teenage girl and her surfing friends on the beach at Malibu. The name Gidget is a portmanteau of "girl and midget"...
in the film Gidget Grows Up
Gidget Grows Up
Gidget Grows Up is a 1969 television film directed by James Sheldon and starring Karen Valentine, Paul Lynde and Edward Mulhare, freely adapted from the novel Gidget Goes New York by Frederick Kohner...
, and on her own television series in 1975, Karen
Karen (1975 TV series)
Karen was a short-lived ABC situation comedy starring Karen Valentine.A mid-season replacement, Karen lasted only five months before being canceled for low ratings.-Plot:...
as well as many movies for television. Valentine was a regular on Hollywood Squares
Hollywood Squares
Hollywood Squares is an American panel game show in which two contestants play tic-tac-toe to win cash and prizes. The "board" for the game is a 3 × 3 vertical stack of open-faced cubes, each occupied by a celebrity seated at a desk and facing the contestants...
, often trading quips with Paul Lynde
Paul Lynde
Paul Edward Lynde was an American comedian and actor. A noted character actor, Lynde was well known for his roles as Uncle Arthur on Bewitched and Harry MacAfee, the befuddled father in Bye Bye Birdie...
. She guest-starred on many series, including Starsky and Hutch
Starsky and Hutch
Starsky and Hutch is a 1970s American cop thriller television series that consisted of a 90-minute pilot movie and 92 episodes of 60 minutes each; created by William Blinn, produced by Spelling-Goldberg Productions, and broadcast between April 30, 1975 and May 15, 1979 on the ABC...
, Baretta
Baretta
Baretta is an American detective television series which ran on ABC from 1975 to 1978. The show was a milder version of a successful 1973–74 ABC series, Toma, starring Tony Musante as chameleon-like, real-life New Jersey police officer David Toma...
, McMillan & Wife and Murder, She Wrote
Murder, She Wrote
Murder, She Wrote is an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network, with 264 episodes transmitted. It was followed by four TV films and a spin-off series,...
and multiple episodes of The Love Boat
The Love Boat
The Love Boat is an American television series set on a cruise ship, which aired on the ABC Television Network from September 24,1977, until May 24,1986.The show starred Gavin MacLeod as the ship's captain...
and Love, American Style
Love, American Style
Love, American Style is an hour-long TV anthology produced by Paramount Television and originally aired between September 1969 and January 1974...
.
She continues to work in television and on stage. She co-starred with John Larroquette
John Larroquette
John Edgar Bernard Larroquette, Jr. is an American film, television and Broadway actor. His roles include Dan Fielding on the series Night Court, Mike McBride in the Hallmark Channel series McBride, John Hemingway on The John Larroquette Show, and Carl Sack in Boston Legal.-Personal...
in a 2004 Hallmark Channel
Hallmark Channel
The Hallmark Channel is a cable television network that broadcasts across the United States. Their programming includes a mix of television movies/miniseries, syndicated series, and lifestyle shows that are appropriate for the whole family...
TV movie, Wedding Daze. She also had a major role in an episode of another Hallmark series, Mystery Woman (aka Mystery Weekend). She has starred on stage in many productions, including Romantic Comedy
Romantic Comedy (play)
Romantic Comedy is a play by Bernard Slade, author of Same Time, Next Year.The plot focuses on Phoebe Craddock and Jason Carmichael, playwrights who meet and decide to collaborate just as he is getting married...
on Broadway and National Tour, Breaking Legs Off-Broadway and National Tour, and the Los Angeles production of Steel Magnolias
Steel Magnolias
Steel Magnolias is a 1989 American comedy-drama film directed by Herbert Ross that stars Sally Field, Shirley MacLaine, Olympia Dukakis, Dolly Parton, Daryl Hannah and Julia Roberts....
.