Background
Karen was born Jacob Karnofsky in Wilkes-Barre, in northeastern Pennsylvania, the son of Russian-born Jewish immigrants Mae (née Freed) and Joseph H. Karnofsky, a produce dealer.
Karen was born Jacob Karnofsky in Wilkes-Barre, in northeastern Pennsylvania, the son of Russian-born Jewish immigrants Mae (née Freed) and Joseph H. Karnofsky, a produce dealer.
He attended the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New New York
Karen is best remembered for his roles in Poltergeist, The Return of the Living Dead, Invaders from Mars, and in The Pursuit of Happyness. Karen is also known for his recurring television role as Eliot Randolph in Eight is Enough. He also appeared in commercials for Pathmark which earned his nickname "Mr.
Pathmark".
He was nominated for a Saturn Award for his role in The Return of the Living Dead in 1985. As a young man, Karen was encouraged to be an actor by United States. Congressman Daniel J. Flood, who was an amateur thespian himself, recruiting him into a production at the Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre. The first movie Karen has recalled seeing was the Buster Keaton film Steamboat Bill Junior.
(1928).
His big break came when he was asked to understudy Karl Malden in the original Broadway production of A Streetcar Named Desire. On television he played Doctor Burke on As the World Turns and was the original Lincoln Tyler on All My Children. He is perhaps best known for his recurring role on the television series Eight Is Enough.
He is also well-known on the east coast for his 20 years as television and radio spokesman for the Pathmark supermarket chain.
On the streets of New York James was known as "Mr. Pathmark". He appeared in an episode of the 1977 National Broadcasting Company situation comedy The Kallikaks.
He also appeared in the Golden Girls as a prospective love interest for Dorothy. He is also known for playing the evil tycoon Nathan Lassiter, who killed the town of Walnut Grove in the final television movie of Little House on the Prairie.
Karen"s notable film credits include in The China Syndrome, Poltergeist, The Return of the Living Dead, and in Oliver Stone"s Wall Street.
In most recent years, Karen has been recognized for his role as Martin Frohm in the 2006 film The Pursuit of Happyness.
Karen was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Actor for his role in The Return of the Living Dead in 1985. Foreign his contributions to the horror film industry, Karen received an honorary Saturn Award in 1998. He was nominated for a Fangoria Chainsaw for Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Unborn in 1991.
Karen has been a lifelong member of The Actors Studio.
