All The Babes
Joan Van Ark
Also known as Joan Martha Van Ark
Career
Active 1963 – present
Biography
About Joan Van Ark
Joan Van Ark is an American actress born on June 16, 1943, in New York City, New York. She grew up in Boulder, Colorado, after 1952. At age 15, she interviewed actress Julie Harris and was encouraged to apply to the Yale School of Drama. In 1964, she attended the graduate program without an undergraduate degree, reportedly the only female student on campus at the time. She studied under Nikos Psacharopoulos, who later directed her in stage productions.
Van Ark made her professional debut at the Guthrie Theater in Molière's The Miser. She originated the role of Corie in the national touring company of Barefoot in the Park and made her Broadway debut in 1966. In 1971, she earned a Theatre World Award and a Tony nomination for The School for Wives. Her television career included roles in Frogs, The Judge and Jake Wyler, and the voice of Spider-Woman in a 1979 animated series.
Her most famous role was Valene Ewing, first on Dallas in 1978, then on the spin-off Knots Landing from 1979 to 1992. She won two Soap Opera Digest Awards for Best Actress in 1986 and 1989. She returned for the series finale in 1993 and the miniseries in 1997. She also appeared on The Young and the Restless from 2004 to 2005 and reprised her role in the new Dallas series in 2013.
Van Ark has acted in numerous stage productions, including Three Tall Women and The Exonerated. She directed two episodes of Knots Landing and a documentary short nominated for an Emmy. She married news reporter John Marshall in 1966; they have one daughter, voice actress Vanessa Marshall.
Record
Profile details
Personal
- Years Active
- 1963-present (started around 20 years old; 63 years active)
- Birthplace
- New York City, New York, United States
- Ethnicity
- Caucasian
- Sexuality
- Straight
Body
- Hair Color
- Blonde
- Eye Color
- Green
- Weight
- 118 lbs (or 54 kg)
- Measurements
- 34–24–35 (B–W–H) · WHR 0.69
- Bra/Cup Size
- 34B show conversions - UK: 34B, EU: 75B, AU: 12B, JP: 75B
- Boobs
- Real/Natural
Frequently asked
How did Joan Van Ark get into acting?
At age 15, she interviewed actress Julie Harris, who recommended she apply to the Yale School of Drama. She attended on scholarship, and Harris later appeared on Knots Landing as her character's mother.
What awards did Joan Van Ark win for Knots Landing?
She won two Soap Opera Digest Awards for Best Actress, in 1986 and 1989, and was nominated six more times.
Did Joan Van Ark direct any episodes of Knots Landing?
Yes, she directed two episodes, including one in the final season after she had left as a regular cast member.
Did you know
- She was the second woman admitted to the Yale School of Drama, following Julie Harris, and the only female student during her year there.
- Her husband John Marshall was a high school sweetheart; they married in Germany, where he was stationed, and honeymooned in places associated with Joan of Arc, her namesake.
- Her daughter Vanessa Marshall is a voice actress; they appeared together in the play Star Dust in 1997.
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