The Dallas spin-off series Knots Landing is where Joan Van Ark first gained notoriety as Valene Ewing. With her high school sweetheart, with whom she has one daughter, the actress happily reenacted her role for one episode in 2012 and is now married.
Despite getting older, Van Ark is still in good health at the age of 78. This tells you everything you need to know about Joan Van Ark’s life and the reasons she believes Knots Landing’s demise was entirely her fault.
One of Dorothy Jean Van Ark and Carroll Van Ark’s four children, Joan Van Ark was born on June 16, 1943 in New York City, New York. When she was 7 years old, she and her family moved to Boulder, Colorado, and the change of scenery was very beneficial to her later in life.
Early life and career of Joan Van Ark.
Van Ark always knew she wanted to be an actress, despite the fact that her parents never worked in the movie industry (her mother was a writer and her father was in public relations).
Joan claimed that she decided to pursue a career in show business after the quarterback of her high school football team declined to extend an invitation to the prom.
“In Boulder, that really took off.
At the Community Playhouse, I went for a play’s audition.
I said, “Screw boys,” and went to an audition for a play after the football team’s quarterback declined to ask me to the prom, according to Joan Van Ark.
“I was given the flower girl and the bug bit, but I didn’t get the part I auditioned for. You could have heard a pin drop when I performed my monologue during the audition. I responded, “Who needs guys?” after they complimented me so much.
During an interview for a neighborhood newspaper while performing in Denver, Van Ark met the actress Julie Harris, who convinced her to enroll in the Yale Drama School’s acting and drama program.
Van Ark was the second woman to enroll at the prestigious school and the youngest student to ever receive a scholarship as a result. Julie Harris was the first female, assisting Van Ark with entrance into the school.
She requested to meet me in writing to the dean. Short version: My parents drove me to New Haven, Connecticut, where I met the dean and received a scholarship. It had to happen. “.
Both “Dallas” and “Knots Landing” featured Valene Ewing.
Van Ark made her stage debut at the Minneapolis Guthrie Theater, where she played the title role in Molière’s The Miser. After working at the Arena Stage in Washington, DC, for about a year, she relocated to work with the national touring company Barefoot in the Park in 1963, which resulted in her Broadway debut. After starring in The School for Wives, she was nominated for a Tony Award in 1971 for Best Featured Actress in a Play.
Joan Van Ark had started working in front of a screen instead of on stage at that point. She made guest appearances on several television shows, such as Temperature’s Rising, Spider-Woman, Days of Our Lives, and even in a Bonanza episode.
Even though Joan Van Ark had plenty of work, as the 1980s drew near, she was still looking for her significant breakthrough role. She appeared on Dallas several times as Valene Ewing in 1978, which helped her land the part of a lifetime.
In 1979, Joan Van Ark returned to play Valene Ewing in the Dallas spinoff Knots Landing. She played alongside Ted Schakleford as Gary and Michele Lee as Karen in 327 episodes and rose to fame.
It was originally brought to CBS years before it became a Dallas spinoff and was about the corrupt but affluent Ewing Clan.
But Dallas was chosen because the network wanted a “big rich family” show. But as the studio came to realize just how big of a show Dallas had become, Knots Landing later went on to become a huge hit, rising into the top 20 of TV ratings after just one season.
How Joan Van Ark nearly lost her biggest role.
The story of Gary Ewing and his wife Valene, who were portrayed by Van Ark, and how they chose to begin a new life in Knots Landing, became the focus of Knots Landing.
Van Ark, however, almost missed the opportunity to cast Valene Ewing. She explained that she had a “three-way clash” in which she shot The Love Boat and a commercial in New York at the same time.
Her husband, John Marshall, who we will return to in a moment, ultimately convinced her to choose Dallas. Furthermore, the choice was significant and crucial.
She told Express, “I got the call asking me to do a guest appearance in this buzz-worthy show called Dallas, but I said to my husband, ‘John, why should I even read this script? I can’t be in three places at once.'”. Then he read it and told her, “No, you must carry it out. It has a gorgeous appearance. ‘”.
Basically, he persuaded me to agree to a schedule that had me spending one day in LA, two days in Dallas, two days in New York, and then returning to Texas. But looking at this old cast photo from Knots Landing, the Dallas spinoff, I’m so glad I listened to him,” she continued.
Van Ark, who became known for her role, committed herself to Dallas and Knots Landing for 15 years. She and Julie Harris, who had a long history together as was previously mentioned, reconnected in 1980.
I could remain risk-free on the show indefinitely.
As the mother of Van Arks’ character in Knots Landing, Harris’ casting seemed almost too good to be true for the actress.
During a 1984 interview with Florida Today, she recalled, “I held my breath when the producers told me they had finally last someone to play my mother.
“Oh my God, I wondered if they were going to say Phyllis Diller, Zsa Zsa Gabor, or who. When they announced Julie Harris, I nearly fell out of my chair with joy. She was chosen to be my mother, which I found incomprehensible. We were friends, but they had no idea. “.
In total, Joan Van Ark appeared in 327 episodes over the course of 13 seasons. Then, only one season after she left, Knots Landing was cancelled in 1993. However, Joan didn’t leave because she didn’t enjoy it. It was all about her taking on new challenges, instead.
Van Ark told the Los Angeles Times in 1992, “I could stay on the show indefinitely and be safe.”.
But I performed Night of the Iguana in Williamstown, Massachusetts, three years ago. ), and I had a Tennessee Williams quotation from an essay he’d written on success taped to my mirror. It said, and I’m paraphrasing here, “Security is in the shape of a kidney-shaped pool in Los Angeles, where you sit waiting for your residual checks.”. On Knots, I was sitting in a comfortable place, which is the opposite of what an artist should do. “.
At the same time, the television show grew significantly in importance in Van Ark’s life. So even though she felt comfortable leaving, it was a hard blow because she believed it would be simpler.
she was to blame for the cancellation of “Knots Landing.”.
She said, “I have loved the 13 years I’ve had on that show more than life.”. David Jacobs, the creator of Knots Landing, has had a significant impact on my life and taught me a lot about a variety of topics. Every breath I take on the show is accompanied by Ted [Shackelford], who also occupies a significant portion of my heart. The individuals are members of my family, and we have experienced the same marriages, divorces, and deaths. I underestimated how difficult it would be to leave. “.
Without the fantastic chemistry between characters Valen and Gary, the show didn’t quite work. In actuality, Joan accepted responsibility for the show’s cancellation.
Obviously, I’m to blame. I quickly switched to NBC to work on a pilot that did not sell, she claimed. “I had been with the same woman for fourteen years and was so ready to move on. I went to the pilot audition and got the part. It wasn’t negotiated as clearly as it ought to have been. I was asked back after the pilot didn’t do well, and I agreed to do the show’s four-hour finale. “.
Joan Van Ark retired from the soap opera industry but continued to appear in numerous television shows. She appeared in a few television movies and had small roles in several television series, including Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The Young and the Restless, a hugely popular television drama, featured Joan as Gloria Fisher in 55 episodes between 2004 and 2005.
Married with a husband and kids, Joan Van Ark.
Hollywood is known for its celebrity marriages, and these unions aren’t always very committed.
The love of Joan Van Ark’s life, however, was someone she met in high school, so that was not the case for her. While they were both attending Boulder University, she met her husband, John Marshall. On a German military installation, the couple was married in 1966.
Believe me, it was nothing compared to the marriages [Valene Ewing] has experienced, she said to UPI.
They welcomed Vanessa Marshall, who also decided to pursue a career in entertainment, in 1969. She actually gave up her career as an on-camera actor after becoming a successful voice-over performer. Instead, Vanessa Marshall has provided voices for a number of video games, television shows, and animated movies.
John Marshall later went on to work for NBC and KNBC-TV and win an Emmy for his reporting. While the couple struggled to succeed in their respective fields, Vanessa was growing up. He has had a successful career, much like his wife Joan.
Being a new mother and attempting to run her business was challenging for Van Ark. She also acknowledges the role her husband John played in preserving the family unit during those trying times.
He is the reason our marriage has endured and we have the most amazing daughter in the entire world, Van Ark said to The Leader-Post in 1988. “I believe myself to be the dedicated individual who can’t sacrifice time for this or that. “.
She continued, “He didn’t want to miss me or missing watching Venessa grow up.”.
He is aware that journalists travel light.
Since I would have packed my bags and been waiting at the airport if it had been me, John made career decisions I disagreed with. “.
The wealth of Joan Van Ark.
Joan Van Ark is an actor who also enjoys running. The 78-year-old, who has run multiple marathons, explained why she doesn’t see a psychologist but instead prefers to run. On the other hand, she declared that she would never go running with her husband.
Because “it’s the quickest way to a divorce that I know of,”. You constantly criticize how other people dress, Joan said.
Joan Van Ark has continued to work in theater over the past ten years, appearing in a number of stage productions in addition to appearing in films and television shows like Psycho Wedding Crasher and Watercolor Postcards. However, she will always be best known for her magnificent influence over Dallas and Knots Landing.
Joan Van Ark reportedly has a net worth of around $10 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
In the comments section, please let us know what you thought of Joan Van Ark’s performances in Dallas and Knots Landing.
