Fans of iconic ’80s soap operas got a rare treat Tuesday when one of the era’s most glamorous stars showed up in Los Angeles.
The 82-year-old actress, who became a household name on Dallas and its spinoff Knots Landing, looked effortlessly chic while running errands with her husband of nearly six decades.
The stunning star, who made her Broadway debut in 1966 in Barefoot in the Park, married her high school sweetheart – award-winning TV reporter John Marshall – that same year.
Wearing a simple white shirt and black leggings, the Colorado native was a far cry from her days on the red carpet alongside her soap opera co-stars Charlene Tilton, Linda Gray and Patrick Duffy.
Still, longtime fans instantly recognized her platinum blonde locks — the same ones she debuted as the beautiful Valene Ewing, mother of Lucy Ewing and ex-wife of Gary Ewing in 1978’s Dallas.
Can you guess which reclusive soap star she is?
Fans of iconic ’80s soap operas got a rare treat on Tuesday when one of the era’s most glamorous stars appeared in Los Angeles
The 82-year-old actress, who became a household name on Dallas and its spinoff Knots Landing, looked effortlessly chic while running errands with her husband of nearly six decades.
If you said Joan Van Ark, you’re right!
The beloved actress has had a prolific TV and film career spanning more than five decades, with early hits including Frogs (1972), The Last Dinosaur (1977), My First Love (1988), Shakedown on Sunset Strip (1988) and Tainted Blood (1993), among many others.
But she’s best known for her iconic role as Valene Ewing, which began on Dallas in 1978 and continued on its spin-off Knots Landing the following year.
Over the course of 14 years, Van Ark appeared in 327 episodes of Knots Landing, portraying Valene’s tumultuous life, including her three marriages to on-screen love Gary Ewing, played by Ted Shackelford.
She left the show in 1992, although she returned for its final two episodes in 1993, the 1997 miniseries Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac, and even reprized the role in a 2013 episode of the new series Dallas.
Last year, Van Ark talked about one of his favorite Knots Landing stories – the unforgettable moment his twin sons were kidnapped and then returned.
“The only time Knots reached number one was when Val got her twins back,” she said Remember Magazine.
‘I will never forget this. We had Michele [Lee, Karen] there. Julia [Harris, Lilimae Clements]also. She was the love of my life. It was a blessing from heaven to bring that woman to our [Knots Landing] family and being my mother. The knots will never leave me. It’s in my DNA. It’s a great experience. It was something so special.
If you said Joan Van Ark, you’re right! (photo 1986)
Longtime fans instantly recognized her platinum blonde locks – the same ones she debuted as the beautiful Valene Ewing, mother of Lucy Ewing and ex-wife of Gary Ewing in 1978’s Dallas.
Wearing a simple white shirt and black leggings, the Colorado native was a far cry from her days on the red carpet alongside her soap opera co-stars Charlene Tilton, Linda Gray and Patrick Duffy
The stunning star, who made her Broadway debut in 1966 in Barefoot in the Park, married her high school sweetheart – award-winning TV reporter John Marshall (pictured) – that same year.
When asked about her return for the series finale, given that Valene was presumed dead, Joan reflected:
“I don’t remember exactly how it happened, but I was at the William Morris agency at the time and they called me in the middle of whatever I was working on and said they wanted you to come back for an episode.
‘ I knew I had to be there at the end because Val and Gary were the nucleus that started it all when they moved from Dallas to the cul-de-sac.
‘This had to come full circle. On the one hand, it was strange being back, but not entirely because I came back to direct a few episodes. But it was true that this happened.
Born in New York City before moving to Boulder, Colorado, Van Ark began her professional career in theater after graduating from Yale, appearing in classics such as The Miser, Death of a Salesman, and Barefoot in the Park.
She then moved to Los Angeles, co-starring with Bette Davis in the 1972 TV movies The Judge and Jake Wyler, and appearing as Erika in MASH* in 1973.
His TV credits from the 1970s and 80s read like a who’s who of the era: Bonanza, Night Gallery, The Six Million Dollar Man, Petrocelli, Quincy, Kojak, Barnaby Jones, Rhoda and Medical Center, as well as three appearances on Cannon and The Rockford Files.
She also starred in the comedies Temperatures Rising (1972–73) and We Got Each Other (1977–78).
She is best known for her iconic role as Valene Ewing, which began on Dallas in 1978 and continued on its spin-off Knots Landing the following year; (photo with Ted Shackelford in 1991)
The cast of Knots Landing are pictured: Joan, Shackelford, Donna Mills, Nicolette Sheridan, Kevin Dobson, William Devane and Michele Lee
Starring with Doug Sheehan in Knot’s Landing
Joan is pictured with her husband of 58 years, award-winning TV reporter John Marshall, in 2010
Van Ark has reunited with his Knots Landing co-stars several times, appearing in the 2005 reunion special Knots Landing Reunion: Together Again.
She later worked with Christopher Meloni on Spin Doctors and Boys Will Be Boys: The Ali Cooper Story (1994).
She originated the role of Gloria Fisher Abbott on The Young and the Restless from 2004 to 2005 and appeared alongside Shackelford in a 1978 episode of Wonder Woman.
After Knots Landing, she starred in The Nanny, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and, in 2001, Son of the Beach.
In 2008, she reunited with Donna Mills on an episode of Nip/Tuck.
In recent years, Van Ark has remained active in Hollywood, lending her voice to series such as Doom Patrol (2019) and Curious George (2021).
Her last on-screen appearance was in 2017, co-starring in the TV movie Psycho Wedding Crasher.
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