James Karen (born November 28, 1923) is an American character actor of Broadway, film and television.
Karen was born Jacob Karnofsky in Wilkes-Barre, Northeastern Pennsylvania, the son of Russian-born Jewish immigrants Mae (née Freed) and Joseph H. Karnofsky, a produce dealer. As a young man, Karen was encouraged to be an actor by U.S. Congressman Daniel J. Flood, who was an amateur thespian himself, recruiting him into a production at the Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre. He attended the Neigborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York.
On the television soap operas, he played Dr. Burke on As the World Turns and was the original Lincoln Tyler on All My Children. He is perhaps best known for his recurring role on the television series Eight Is Enough and for his role in the 1985 horror film The Return of the Living Dead. He is also well-known on the east coast for his 20 years as television and radio spokesman for the Pathmark supermarket chain.
He was married, for a time, to recording folk singer Susan Reed.
James Karen is a veteran actor of Broadway, television and film. As a young man, he was encouraged to be an Actor by U.S. Congressman Daniel J. Flood, who was an amateur actor himself. In 1947, James made his Broadway debut in "A Streetcar Named Desire", and this led to appearances in over 20 Broadway productions. His television work began in 1948 with the telecast of "A Christmas Carol", directed by the pioneer television director Fred Coe. Since then, he has acted in over 100 television shows, most recently as Chief Justice Michael Bancroft on "First Monday" (2002) for CBS. In 1965, he began his film work in Frankenstein Meets the Spacemonster (1965) and now has an impressive resume of over 80 films to his credit. He has filmed a record breaking 5,000 plus television commercials, most while a spokesperson for the Pathmark Supermarket chain. Mr. Karen has been honoured with the "Saturn Award" for Lifetime Achievement given by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. James 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.
