Joan Van Ark

Joan Van Ark was born on June 16, 1943 in New York City, New York. She attended the Yale School of Drama on a scholarship, being the second youngest student to do so behind Julie Harris. Her career started in theater, starring in plays such as The Miser, Death of a Salesman, and Barefoot in the Park. Her performance in The School for Wives would earn her a Tony nomination for “Best Featured Actress in a Play.” She would also win a Theater World Award for her role in The Rules of the Game.

She has also starred in a Pulitzer Prize winning play known as Three Tall Women (1994) and she has many theater credits in Los Angeles. However, she is best known for starring in Dallas (1978) and its spinoff series Knots Landing (1979). She is one of only five actors to play the same character in both series, including the third version of Dallas in 2012, totaling twenty-four years of dedication to the same franchise.