Joan Van Ark facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Joan Van Ark
Joan Van Ark in 2007
Born	Joan Martha Van Ark (1943-06-16) June 16, 1943 (age 82) New York City, U.S.
Education	Yale University
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1963–present
Spouse(s)	John Marshall ​ (m. 1966)​
Children	Vanessa Marshall

Joan Martha Van Ark (born June 16, 1943) is an American actress. She is most famous for playing Valene Ewing on the TV show Knots Landing. She started acting on Broadway in 1966 in a play called Barefoot in the Park. In 1971, she won a Theatre World Award and was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her role in The School for Wives.

In 1978, Joan Van Ark got her most well-known role as Valene Ewing. This character first appeared on the TV show Dallas. Then, Valene became a main character for 13 seasons on its spin-off show, Knots Landing (1979–1992). For her acting on Knots Landing, she won the Soap Opera Digest Award for Best Actress in 1986 and 1989. She left the show in 1992 but came back for the last two episodes in 1993. She also appeared in the 1997 miniseries Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac. In 2013, she played Valene again in an episode of the new Dallas series.

Early Life and Education

Joan Martha Van Ark was born on June 16, 1943, in New York City. Her parents were Dorothy Jean Van Ark and Carroll Clement Van Ark. Her father worked in advertising and public relations. Both of her parents were also writers. After 1952, Joan grew up in Boulder, Colorado, with her three siblings.

When Joan was 15, she was a student reporter and met actress Julie Harris. Julie Harris suggested that Joan apply to the Yale School of Drama. Joan followed this advice and went to Yale Drama on a scholarship. In 1964, she was one of the few students accepted into the Yale graduate program without having a college degree first. She was also reportedly the only female student there at the time. She attended for one year. Years later, Julie Harris played Valene Ewing's mother, Lilimae Clements, on Knots Landing.

After Julie Harris passed away in 2013, Joan Van Ark helped create the Julie Harris Scholarship. This scholarship helps actors who study at the Yale Drama School.

Acting Career Highlights

Van Ark and Howard Duff in Felony Squad (1968)

Joan Van Ark started her acting career in theater. She performed in plays like The Miser and Death of a Salesman at the Guthrie Theater. She then joined the national tour of Barefoot in the Park. In 1966, she performed this role in London and then made her Broadway debut in the same play.

In 1971, she returned to Broadway and earned a Theatre World Award. She was also nominated for a Tony Award for her role in The School for Wives.

Van Ark also acted in movies. She starred in the horror film Frogs in 1972. She also appeared in TV movies like The Judge and Jake Wyler (1972) and The Last Dinosaur (1977). She was a regular on the TV shows Temperatures Rising (1972–1973) and We've Got Each Other (1977–1978).

She also lent her voice to cartoons. She was the voice of Spider-Woman in the 1979 animated series.

Becoming Valene Ewing

In 1978, Joan Van Ark got the role of Valene Ewing on Dallas. At first, it was just a small part. However, the writers liked her character and brought her back for more episodes. In 1979, Valene Ewing became a main character on the spin-off show, Knots Landing. Joan Van Ark starred in Knots Landing for 13 of its 14 seasons. She left in 1992 but came back for the final two episodes in 1993.

On Knots Landing, her character Valene was married three times to Gary Ewing, played by Ted Shackelford. She also had two other marriages during the show.

During her time on Knots Landing, Joan Van Ark won two Soap Opera Digest Awards for Best Actress (1986, 1989). One of her most famous storylines was when Valene's twin babies were stolen. This story was very popular and helped Knots Landing become one of the top 10 TV shows in 1984–1985. The episode where Valene found out her babies were alive was the number one show in the weekly Nielsen ratings on May 23, 1985. Joan Van Ark also directed two episodes of Knots Landing.

Other Notable Roles

In 1985, Joan Van Ark co-hosted the Tournament of Roses Parade on CBS. This show was nominated for a Daytime Emmy.

Joan Van Ark and her Knots Landing co-star Michele Lee became good friends. In 1997, Joan played Valene Ewing again in the mini-series Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac. In 2005, she appeared in a reunion special called Knots Landing Reunion: Together Again.

She also directed an ABC Afterschool Special in 1994, which was nominated for a Humanitas Award. In 1997, she directed a documentary about homelessness and domestic violence, which was nominated for an Emmy Award.

From 2004 to 2005, she played Gloria Fisher Abbott on the soap opera The Young and the Restless.

Joan Van Ark has also performed in many plays Off-Broadway and in Los Angeles. She appeared in Love Letters and Three Tall Women. She also acted in plays like Cyrano de Bergerac and Macbeth.

She has made guest appearances on many TV shows, including Bonanza, M*A*S*H, The Six Million Dollar Man, Kojak, Barnaby Jones, and The Love Boat. In 1978, she appeared on Wonder Woman with Ted Shackelford, who would later play her husband on Dallas and Knots Landing. After Knots Landing, she appeared on The Nanny and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

In 2008, she reunited with her Knots Landing co-star Donna Mills on an episode of Nip/Tuck. In 2011, she did voice work for the animated show Archer. In 2013, she was a guest judge on the show RuPaul's Drag Race.

In 2025, Joan Van Ark reunited with Michele Lee and Donna Mills for a podcast called We're Knot Done Yet.

Personal Life

On February 1, 1966, Joan Van Ark married news reporter John Marshall. They were high school sweethearts. They got married in Trier, Germany, where John was working in the Armed Forces Television Service. For their honeymoon, they visited places in Europe made famous by Joan of Arc, who was Joan Van Ark's namesake.

Their only child is Vanessa Marshall, who is a voice actress, model, and singer. In 1997, Joan and Vanessa acted together in a play called Star Dust.

Joan Van Ark is also a long-distance runner. She has run in 14 marathons and was featured on the cover of Runner's World magazine.

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Joan Van Ark para niños