John Karlen
John Karlen was an American character actor who played multiple roles on the ABC serial Dark Shadows, in various episodes between 206 and 1245, which aired from 1966 to 1971.
In 1971, Karlen starred as the male lead in Daughters of Darkness. He played Harvey Lacey, husband of Mary Beth Lacey, on the CBS crime series Cagney & Lacey. Karlen recently reprised the role of "Willie Loomis" for a new series of Dark Shadows audio dramas, produced by Big Finish Productions.
Life and career
Karlen was born May 28, 1933, in Brooklyn, the son of Helen Agnes and Adam Marion Karlewicz. He was of Polish descent. He enrolled in the American Academy of Dramatic Arts on a scholarship. His first acting experiences were on early television productions such as From These Roots and Kraft Television Theatre. His stage career began in 1959 in Sweet Bird of Youth.He accumulated roles on both stage and television before winning one of his signature roles in 1967 in the daytime serial Dark Shadows. It was Karlen's pivotal character of Willie Loomis who released vampire Barnabas Collins from his coffin, setting off the events of the series. Karlen would stay with the television series for 182 episodes, playing various characters through 1971.
While not appearing on Dark Shadows during those times, he appeared on Love Is a Many Splendored Thing as Jock Porter and Hidden Faces as Sharkey Primrose. He reunited with his Dark Shadows co-stars for the 1970 House of Dark Shadows as Willie Loomis, and, in 1971, with Night of Dark Shadows as Alex Jenkins.
Karlen moved to a series of guest appearances on television productions, establishing himself in 1982 as Harvey Lacey, husband of Tyne Daly's character Mary Beth Lacey on Cagney & Lacey. He appeared in 110 episodes over six years. Karlen won an Emmy Award for his portrayal of Harvey Lacey in 1986; he received 2 further nominations, in 1985 and 1987.
His career included numerous movie roles, during which he reprised the "Harvey Lacey" character in four Cagney and Lacey television movies: in 1994, Cagney & Lacey: Together Again and Cagney & Lacey: The View Through the Glass Ceiling in 1995, and Cagney & Lacey: True Convictions in 1996.
Personal life and death
In 1963, Karlen married acting teacher Betty Karlen but divorced in 1998; they had one child, Adam.Karlen died from heart failure in Burbank, California on January 22, 2020, at age 86.
Theatre
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1949 | The Big Story | Andy Franks | "Theory and Practice" |
| 1957 | Kraft Television Theatre | Young man | "Heroes Walk on Sand" |
| 1959 | Naked City | Chuck | "The Manhole" |
| 1959 | Armstrong Circle Theatre | Pfc. James Cook | "Thunder Over Berlin" |
| 1962 | The Detectives | Frankie | "Strangers in the House" |
| 1962 | ' | Lieutenant Tyrell | "Signals for an End Run" |
| 1963 | Stoney Burke | Mickey | "Job" |
| 1963 | The Doctors | Danny Boy Delaney | 6 episodes |
| 1963 | Hallmark Hall of Fame | Ned | "The Patriots" |
| 1964 | East Side/West Side | Billy | "One Drink at a Time" |
| 1964 | Brenner | Ben Laney | "Laney's Boy" |
| 1966 | Hawk | John Polanski | "The Longleat Chronicles" |
| 1967 | N.Y.P.D. | Gary Doyle | "Murder for Infinity" |
| 1967 | Love Is a Many Splendored Thing | Jock Porter | "Episode #1.55" |
| 1968 | Hidden Faces | Sharkey Primrose | Unknown episodes |
| 1967–71 | Dark Shadows | Willie Loomis Carl Collins William H Loomis Desmond Collins Kendrick Young | 182 episodes |
| 1970 | Another World | Casey | Unknown episodes |
| 1972 | Night of Terror | Pete Manning | TV movie |
| 1972 | ' | Ed | "Through a Flame Darkly" |
| 1972 | ' | Johnny Wexford | "Belinda, End of Little Miss Bubble Gum" |
| 1973 | Shirts and Skins | Herbie Bush | TV movie |
| 1973 | ' | Jim Russel | "The Vanishing Lady" |
| 1973 | Egan | Jack/Ida Deveaux | TV movie |
| 1973 | Wide World Mystery | Otto Roget | "Frankenstein: Part 1" |
| 1973 | Medical Center | Frank Crane | "Judgment" |
| 1973 | Police Story | Detective #1 | "Slow Boy" |
| 1973 | Kojak | Pinky | "Web of Death" |
| 1974 | The Invasion of Carol Enders | David Hastings | TV movie |
| 1974 | Wide World Mystery | Frank Linwood | "Nightmare at 43 Hillcrest" |
| 1974 | Shazam! | Nick Roberts | "Thou Shalt Not Kill" |
| 1974 | Doc Elliot | Vincent Parker | "The Pharmacist" |
| 1974 | ' | Tony Anthony Redecci | TV movie |
| 1975 | Medical Center | Danny Taggert | "No Hiding Place" |
| 1975 | Mannix | Hood #1 | "Quartet for a Blunt Instrument" |
| 1975 | Delancey Street: The Crisis Within | Richard Copell | TV movie |
| 1975 | Trilogy of Terror | Mr. Anmar | TV movie |
| 1975 | The Kansas City Massacre | Sam Cowley | TV movie |
| 1975 | Police Story | Rush | "Incident in the Kill Zone" |
| 1975 | Joe Forrester | Mason | "The Witness" |
| 1975 | Mobile One | Mickey Scanlon | "The Boxer" |
| 1975 | ' | Vernon | "Poisoned Snow" |
| 1976 | ' | Alan Campbell | TV movie |
| 1976 | ' | Nat Reeves | "No Minor Vices" |
| 1976 | Serpico | Eddie Hibbard | "Rapid Fire" |
| 1976 | ' | Rev. Ezekiel L. Henshaw | "The Baptism" |
| 1976 | Hawaii Five-O | Harris | "Anatomy of a Bribe" |
| 1977 | Police Story | Shep | "Prime Rib" |
| 1977 | Charlie's Angels | Leonard Chaffey | "Angel Baby" |
| 1977 | ' | Benton | "Welcome Home, Vince" |
| 1977 | ABC Weekend Special | Bill Leggett | "My Dear Uncle Sherlock" |
| 1977 | Hunter | Power plant worker | "Bluebird Is Back" |
| 1977 | All in the Family | Leo | "Mike Goes Skiing" |
| 1977 | Most Wanted | Red Murphy | "The White Collar Killer" |
| 1978 | Kojak | Hicks | "The Captain's Brother's Wife" |
| 1978 | Barnaby Jones | Johnny Alban | "A Frame for Murder" |
| 1978 | Barnaby Jones | Easy Eddie | "The Scapegoat" |
| 1978 | ' | Leo | "Rosendahl and Gilda Stern Are Dead" |
| 1978 | Colorado C.I. | Kessler | TV movie |
| 1978 | ' | Rocky | "The Lady on Thursday at Ten" |
| 1979 | The Last Ride of the Dalton Gang | Charlie Powers | TV movie |
| 1979 | Lou Grant | Ken Navaretti | "Gambling" |
| 1979 | Sword of Justice | Jerry Lombardi | "Blackjack" |
| 1979 | The Return of Mod Squad | Marty | TV movie |
| 1979 | Kaz | Fred | "The Battered Bride" |
| 1979 | Supertrain | Quinn | "Express to Terror" |
| 1979 | Starsky & Hutch | Deputy D.A. Stanton | "Ballad for a Blue Lady" |
| 1979 | Quincy, M.E. | Marine Gunnery Sgt. Alistair Adams | "Semper-Fidelis" |
| 1979 | Quincy, M.E. | Customs Agent Brice | "Hot Ice" |
| 1979 | Vega$ | Eddie Stolvak | "The Day the Gambling Stopped" |
| 1980 | Duane Haley | TV movie | |
| 1981 | Vega$ | Geddes | "Out of Sight" |
| 1981 | Quincy, M.E. | Customs Agent Brice | "Dear Mummy" |
| 1981 | American Dream | Coach Ritter | "American Dream" |
| 1981 | Trapper John, M.D. | Marty | "A Case of the Crazies" |
| 1982 | Rosie: The Rosemary Clooney Story | Uncle George | TV movie |
| 1982 | King's Crossing | Sheriff | "The Home Front" |
| 1982 | Hill Street Blues | Corrupt South Ferry Cop Loomis | 2 episodes |
| 1982 | Fame | Detective Kessler | "Tomorrow's Farewell" |
| 1982–1988 | Cagney & Lacey | Harvey Lacey | 110 episodes |
| 1983 | Bay City Blues | Clancy | 2 episodes |
| 1983 | The Winds of War | Ed PBY Pilot | "Into the Maelstrom" |
| 1983 | Miss Lonelyhearts | Reverend Walker | TV movie |
| 1985 | Finder of Lost Loves | Doctor Arthur Barwell | "Final Analysis" |
| 1985 | Hostage Flight | DiSalvo | TV movie |
| 1986 | Welcome Home, Bobby | Geffin | TV movie |
| 1986 | The Return of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer | Chapel | TV movie |
| 1987 | Downpayment on Murder | Albert | TV movie |
| 1987 | The New Mike Hammer | Adam Simon | "Green Lipstick" |
| 1987 | Daddy | Mike Burnette | TV movie |
| 1988 | Police Story: Burnout | Capt. Harrison | TV movie |
| 1988 | ABC Afterschool Special | Joe Farrell | "Date Rape" |
| 1989 | Snoops | Lieutenant Sam Akers | 4 episodes |
| 1989 | 227 | Nathan Pollack | "Jackée" |
| 1989 | Baby Cakes | Al | TV movie |
| 1989 | The Cover Girl and the Cop | Lieutenant Wingo | TV movie |
| 1989 | Murder, She Wrote | Lt. Martin McGinn | "The Grand Old Lady"' |
| 1990 | Nightmare on the 13th Floor | Sgt Madden | TV movie |
| 1991 | In a Child's Name | Joe Silvano | 2 episodes |
| 1991 | Perry Mason: The Case of the Glass Coffin | Jake Morrison | TV movie |
| 1992 | Murder, She Wrote | Patrick MacNair | "To the Last Will I Grapple with Thee" |
| 1992 | Calendar Girl, Cop, Killer? The Bambi Bembenek Story | John Garner | TV movie |
| 1993 | Without Warning: Terror in the Towers | Jack McAllister | TV movie |
| 1994 | Roseanne: An Unauthorized Biography | Jerry Barr | TV movie |
| 1994 | MacShayne: Winner Takes All | Waldo Church | TV movie |
| 1994 | Cagney & Lacey: The Return | Harvey Lacey | TV movie |
| 1994–1995 | Mad About You | Gus Stemple | 3 episodes |
| 1995 | Murder, She Wrote | Superintendent Arthur Joyce | 2 episodes |
| 1995 | Cagney & Lacey: Together Again | Harvey Lacey | TV movie |
| 1995 | Cagney & Lacey: The View Through the Glass Ceiling | Harvey Lacey | TV movie |
| 1996 | Cagney & Lacey: True Convictions | Harvey Lacey | TV movie |