If you like movies about Indiana Jones, you probably know this actress. What should a connoisseur of cinema 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 school’s annual changes prevented her from making 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 some time, Karen studied at the University of Maryland, and then traveled to South and Central America. In 1974, she joined the theater troupe. Three years later, Karen Allen returned to New York. There she began to study at the theater institute.
First roles
In 1978, the debut film Karen Allen was released. The actress starred in the film "Menagerie" directed by John Landis. Her next two major works were Wanderers in 1979 and 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 Pier”, which went on CBS for a long time. Performed Karen and episodic roles. In 1981, she worked on the mini-series East of Paradise. The moment of tremendous success was drawing near.
Successful career
Karen Allen's life changed when the blockbuster Steven Spielberg came out. In the movie Indiana Jones: Finding the Lost Ark, she played the bold Marion Ravenwood, Harrison Ford's lover. For her work, the girl even received an award as the best actress. After that, Karen began to regularly receive offers.
In 1982, she appeared in the movie "split personality." In the romantic drama "Until September," Karen Allen also played. The filmography of the actress in 1984 was replenished with the successful sci-fi film "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 her film career in order to engage in theatrical art. Despite the intense work in the plays, in 1987 she played in the “Glass Menagerie” by Paul Newman along with John Malkovich. The following year, Karen brought the role of Claire in the festive comedy "New Christmas Tale", where she appeared on the screen with Bill Murray. In 1989, the actress released the melodrama Animal Behavior. In 1990, she worked on several television films at once. In 1992, the famous Spike Lee 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 Falling Skies, and in 1999, in the dramatic film The Basket.
At the beginning of the two thousandth actress appeared in a large number of television films, including works such as The Wanderer, Kill Edgar, When They Love Me, and others. In 2008, the film “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” was released, where Karen Allen reappeared with Harrison Ford. In the story, the heroes already had a son. He was played by Shia LaBeouf. The film received neutral reviews from critics and brought good box office, although it is worth recognizing that he could not repeat the success of the first part.
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 Cale 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 one of the culinary television shows last year.
The actress herself was carried away by knitting. In 2003, she opened her own textile company. The company sells products of Allen herself, created on a special Japanese knitting machine. In 2009, Allen received an honorary bachelor's degree for her works from textiles at New York University of Technology, in the same educational institution that she attended for some time in the seventies. Now Karen lives in Massachusetts and teaches acting, and also leads yoga courses.
Creative plans
In the near future it is planned to release a television movie in which Karen took part. In addition, in 2016, she first tested herself as a director and released a short film in which her ex-husband Cale Brown played, among others. It is likely that in the future we are waiting for other directorial work.
In addition, fans can wait for Karen to appear on Broadway. She is still part of the theater troupe and is actively involved in performances.
Allen has no major roles in the cinema at the moment. However, according to some reports, the release of the next film from the Indiana Jones franchise is planned for 2019. Perhaps Spielberg will again offer Karen to play the role of Marion Ravenwood.