Hollywood actress Karen Allen: biography and filmography

If you like movies about Indiana Jones, you probably know this actress. What should a filmmaker know about Karen Allen?

Biography

The actress was born in Illinois in October 1951. Her mother, Ratricia Howell, was a teacher, and her father, Carroll Allen, was an FBI agent. The origin of the actress is British. As a child, Karen Allen often moved because of her father's work. She admits that the annual changes in the school prevented her from having at least one true friend. Nevertheless, the family had a warm relationship.

The actress graduated from college in Maryland and went to study art and design in New York. For a while, Karen studied at the University of Maryland, and then traveled to South and Central America. In 1974, she joined the theatrical company. Three years later, Karen Allen returned to New York. There she began to study at the Theater Institute.

First roles

In 1978 there was a debut film Karen Allen. The actress starred in the tape "Zverinets" directed by John Landis. Her next two major works were The Wanderers in 1979 and The Little Circle of Friends in 1980. In the last film, Karen played the role of one of the radical students of the sixties. In addition, she appeared in the series "Quiet Quay", which for a long time was on the CBS channel. Karen played and episodic roles. In 1981, she worked on a mini-series "East of Paradise". A moment of tremendous success was approaching.

Successful career

Life Karen Allen changed when the screenshots came blockbuster Stephen Spielberg. In the movie Indiana Jones: In Search of the Lost Ark, she played the lively Marion Ravenwood, the beloved character of Harrison Ford. For her work the girl even received an award as the best actress. After that, Karen began receiving regular offers.

In 1982, she appeared in the film "Split Personality." In the romantic drama "Before September" Karen Allen also played. The filmography of the actress in 1984 was replenished with a successful science fiction film "The Man from the Star", where she worked with Jeff Bridges.

In 1982, Karen also made her debut in a production on Broadway and since then has often been distracted from film career in order to engage in theatrical art. Despite the intense work in the plays, in 1987 she played in the "Glass Menagerie" Paul Newman, along with John Malkovich. The following year brought Karen the role of Claire in the festive comedy "New Christmas Tale", where she appeared on the screen with Bill Murray. In 1989, the melodrama "Behavior of animals" was released with the actress. In 1990 she worked on several television films at once. In 1992, Spike Lee's famous film "Malcolm X" was released.

After him, the actress again engaged in small television roles. She appeared in the series. It can be seen in several seasons of "Law and Order". Among other things, she even worked on a video game. In 1998, Karen starred in the movie "Falling Heaven", and in 1999 - in the drama "Basket".

At the beginning of the two thousandths, the actress appeared in a large number of television films, among which such works as "The Wanderer", "Kill Edgar", "When I Love" and others. In 2008, the film "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" was released, where Karen Allen appeared again with Harrison Ford. According to the plot, the heroes already had a son. He was played by Shia LaBeouf. The film received neutral criticism and brought good box office, although it is recognized that the success of the first part, he could not repeat.

Personal life

Karen Allen was married to musician Stephen Bishop in the early eighties, but the marriage was not too happy. In 1988, the actress married actor Keil Brown. In 1990, the couple had a son, Nicholas, and in 1998 they divorced. After the birth of Nicholas, the actress paid a lot of attention to his upbringing. He became a famous chef and won in one of the culinary TV shows last year.

The actress was carried away by knitting. In 2003 she opened her own textile company. The firm is engaged in selling products of Allen itself, created on a special Japanese knitting machine. For her works of textiles, Allen received in 2009 an honorary bachelor's degree from the New York University of Technology, in the same educational institution that she visited for some time in the seventies. Now Karen lives in Massachusetts and teaches acting skills, and also conducts yoga classes.

Creative plans

In the near future we plan to release a TV movie, in which Karen took part. In addition, in 2016 she first tested herself in the role of director and released a short film, in which she played, among others, her ex-husband Cale Brown. It is likely that in the future we are waiting for other director's work.

In addition, fans can wait for Karen to appear on Broadway. She is still a member of the theater troupe and is actively involved in performances.

Major roles in the cinema at the moment, Allen does not. However, according to some sources, the release of the next film from the franchise about Indiana Jones is planned for 2019. Perhaps Spielberg will again offer Karen to perform the role of Marion Ravenwood.