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James Karen is a Actor American born on 28 november 1923 at Wilkes-Barre (USA)

James Karen

James Karen
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Birth name Jacob Karnofsky
Nationality USA
Birth 28 november 1923 at Wilkes-Barre (USA)
Death 23 october 2018 (at 94 years)

James Karen (born Jacob Karnofsky; November 28, 1923) is an American character actor of Broadway, film and television. 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.

Biography

He was married to Susan Reed, the former actress and folk singer. They divorced in 1967, and in 1986, he married current wife Alba Francesca, who costarred with him in Hardbodies 2. Karen has one child and two grandchildren.

Usually with

Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone
(3 films)
Allan Graf
Allan Graf
(3 films)
John Ottman
John Ottman
(2 films)
Bryan Singer
Bryan Singer
(2 films)
Source : Wikidata

Filmography of James Karen (57 films)

Display filmography as list

Actor

Drew Peterson: Untouchable, 1h24
Directed by Mikael Salomon
Genres Drama, Crime
Actors Rob Lowe, Kaley Cuoco, Catherine Dent, Cara Buono, Danielle Savre, Romy Rosemont
Roles Pastor Tom Keller
Rating59% 2.9965152.9965152.9965152.9965152.996515
Drew Peterson est un sergent de police d'une cinquantaine d'années apparemment irréprochable. Marié à sa troisième femme, Kathleen, avec qui il a eu deux enfants, il s'éprend de Stacy, 19 ans. Son mariage bat de l'aile et se termine par un divorce houleux. Peu de temps après, Kathleen est retrouvée morte dans une baignoire vide. Après son quatrième mariage avec Stacy et l'arrivée de deux autres enfants, Drew se révèle jaloux, possessif et autoritaire. Stacy lui demande de quitter la maison mais il refuse de perdre sa famille. Puis elle disparaît soudainement, en laissant les enfants. Grâce à l'intervention d'une voisine et à la mobilisation de la sœur de Stacy, l'affaire Drew Peterson attire l'attention de tous les médias.
The Butterfly Room
Origin USA
Genres Thriller, Horror
Actors Barbara Steele, Ellery Sprayberry, Heather Langenkamp, Ray Wise, Erica Leerhsen, Camille Keaton
Roles Sales Clerk
Rating54% 2.7142252.7142252.7142252.7142252.714225
Ann, a reclusive elegant lady, with an obsession for butterflies, is surprisingly befriended by the eerily beautiful young Alice. Using her seductive innocence, Alice establishes a disturbing mother daughter relationship with Ann. Lured into her twisted world, Ann soon discovers that she is not the only recipient of the girl's affections. Ann uncovers the truth; Alice takes advantage of lonely older women by using her childish and sweet demeanor in exchange for money. Enraged by Alice's facade and the other women partaking in a relationship with the young girl, Ann murders her mother as well as another woman who often gifted Alice nice things.
Sympathy for Delicious, 1h36
Directed by Mark Ruffalo
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy, Comedy-drama
Themes Films about disabilities
Actors Juliette Lewis, Laura Linney, Orlando Bloom, Mark Ruffalo, Noah Emmerich, John Carroll Lynch
Roles Father Rohn
Rating56% 2.8033852.8033852.8033852.8033852.803385
A newly paralyzed DJ (Thornton) gets more than he bargained for when he seeks out the world of faith healing.
Dark and Stormy Night, 1h33
Directed by Larry Blamire
Origin USA
Genres Thriller, Comedy, Horror
Actors Brian Howe, Fay Masterson, Jim Beaver, James Karen, Daniel Roebuck, Larry Blamire
Roles Seyton Ethelquake
Rating65% 3.292423.292423.292423.292423.29242
On a dark and stormy night in the 1930s, a number of people gather at an isolated country estate to hear the reading of the will of the wealthy Sinas Cavinder, including: wealthy nephew Burling Famish Jr. (Brian Howe) and his wife Pristy (Christine Romeo); Pristy's dim-witted lover Teak Armbruster (Kevin Quinn); big-game hunter Jack Tugdon (Jim Beaver); the foppish Lord Partfine (Andrew Parks); elderly Mrs. Hausenstout (Betty Garrett); kindly Seyton Ethelquake (James Karen); and the fragile Sabasha Fanmoore (Fay Masterson), Cavinder's ward.
Jack and the Beanstalk, 1h35
Genres Comedy, Fantasy, Adventure
Themes Films about magic and magicians, Mise en scène d'une plante
Actors Chevy Chase, Colin Ford, Madison Davenport, Chloë Grace Moretz, Christopher Lloyd, Katey Sagal
Roles Saddius
Rating46% 2.31732.31732.31732.31732.3173
Jack et sa mère sont très pauvres et ne peuvent plus payer leur loyer. Ils sont donc contraints de vendre leur vache au marché. Lorsque Jack rentre du marché, il s'aperçoit que l'argent de la vente a été remplacé par de simples haricots. Sa mère, furieuse, les jette dehors. Mais pendant la nuit, un pied de haricot pousse jusqu'au ciel. Jack décide de l'escalader et de découvrir ce qui se cache au-dessus des nuages...
Superman Returns, 2h34
Directed by Bryan Singer
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Fantastic, Fantasy, Action, Adventure
Themes Films about writers, Films about children, Films about journalists, Superman films, Films about extraterrestrial life, Superhero films, Super-héros inspiré de comics, Films about extraterrestrial life
Actors Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, James Marsden, Frank Langella, Eva Marie Saint, Parker Posey
Roles Ben Hubbard
Rating60% 3.0476753.0476753.0476753.0476753.047675
Superman (Brandon Routh) has been missing for five years, since traveling to the location where astronomers believed they had discovered the remains of Krypton. During his absence, Superman's nemesis, mad scientist Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey), was released from prison (due to Superman's failure to appear at Lex's trial) and married an old rich widow (Noel Neill) to obtain her fortune upon her death. Having failed in his quest to find surviving Kryptonians, Superman returns to Earth and, as Clark Kent, resumes his job at the Daily Planet in Metropolis. He subsequently learns that Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth) has won a Pulitzer Prize for her article "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman". Meanwhile, Lex travels to the Fortress of Solitude and steals Kryptonian crystals to use for an experiment that causes a mass power outage on the East Coast. The power loss interferes with the flight test of a space shuttle to be launched into space from its piggy-back mounting on an airliner, occupied by Lois Lane, who is covering the story. Clark flies into action as Superman and stops the plane from crashing onto a baseball stadium.
Outlaw Trail: The Treasure of Butch Cassidy, 1h27
Directed by Ryan Little
Origin USA
Genres Adventure, Western
Actors Ryan Kelley, Brian Wimmer, Arielle Kebbel, Dan Byrd, Brent Weber, Bruce McGill
Rating56% 2.8047752.8047752.8047752.8047752.804775
The film starts with a prologue scene set in Bolivia in 1908. Butch Cassidy writes a letter to his family, enclosing a belt buckle engraved with a treasure map. Cassidy and his accomplice, Harry Longabaugh (the "Sundance Kid"), attempt to elude capture when their hideout is surrounded by Bolivian police.
The Pursuit of Happyness, 1h57
Directed by Gabriele Muccino
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Biography, Comedy-drama
Themes Films about alcoholism, Films about children, La précarité
Actors Will Smith, Jaden Smith, Thandie Newton, Brian Howe, Dan Castellaneta, Kurt Fuller
Roles Martin Frohm
Rating79% 3.9991453.9991453.9991453.9991453.999145
In 1981, San Francisco salesman Chris Gardner (Will Smith) invests his entire life savings in portable bone-density scanners, which he demonstrates to doctors and pitches as a handy quantum leap over standard X-rays. The scanners play a vital role in Chris' life. While he is able to sell most of them, the time lag between the sales and his growing financial demands enrage his already bitter and alienated wife Linda (Thandie Newton), who works as a hotel maid. The financial instability increasingly erodes their marriage, in spite of them caring for their five-year-old son, Christopher (Jaden Smith).
Mulholland Drive, 2h26
Directed by David Lynch
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Horror, Crime, Romance
Themes Assassinat, Films about films, Les fantasmes, Medical-themed films, Films about sexuality, Films about suicide, Films about television, Bisexuality-related films, LGBT-related films, Films about psychiatry, Films about disabilities, LGBT-related films, LGBT-related film, Lesbian-related films
Actors Naomi Watts, Laura Harring, Justin Theroux, Ann Miller, Robert Forster, Brent Briscoe
Roles Wally Brown
Rating78% 3.949193.949193.949193.949193.94919
The story may not be linear and exhibits several instances of temporal disruption. A dark-haired woman (Harring) escapes her own murder, surviving a car accident on Mulholland Drive. Injured and in shock, she descends into Los Angeles and sneaks into an apartment which an older, red-headed woman has just vacated. An aspiring actress named Betty Elms (Watts) arrives at the same apartment and finds the dark-haired woman confused, not knowing her own name. The dark-haired woman assumes the name "Rita" after seeing a poster for the film Gilda (1946), starring Rita Hayworth. To help Rita remember her identity, Betty looks in Rita's purse, where she finds a large amount of money and an unusual blue key.
Thirteen Days, 2h25
Directed by Roger Donaldson
Origin USA
Genres Drama, War, Thriller, Documentary, Historical
Themes Films about families, Seafaring films, Politique, Transport films, Political films, Arme nucléaire
Actors Kevin Costner, Bruce Greenwood, Steven Culp, Stephanie Romanov, Dylan Baker, Kevin Conway
Roles George Ball
Rating72% 3.64823.64823.64823.64823.6482
In October 1962, U-2 surveillance photos reveal that the Soviet Union is in the process of placing missiles carrying nuclear weapons in Cuba. President John F. Kennedy (Bruce Greenwood) and his advisers must come up with a plan of action to prevent their activation. Kennedy is determined to show that the United States will not allow a missile threat. The Joint Chiefs of Staff advise immediate U.S. military strikes against the missile sites followed by an invasion of Cuba. However, Kennedy is reluctant to attack and invade because it would very likely cause the Soviets to invade Berlin, which could lead to an all-out war. Citing The Guns of August, Kennedy sees an analogy to the events that started World War I, where the tactics of both sides commanders had not evolved since the previous war and were obsolete, only this time nuclear weapons are involved. War appears to be almost inevitable.
Any Given Sunday, 2h30
Directed by Oliver Stone
Origin USA
Genres Drama
Themes Sports films, American football films
Actors Al Pacino, Dennis Quaid, Cameron Diaz, James Woods, Jamie Foxx, LL Cool J
Roles Christina's Advisor
Rating68% 3.4494253.4494253.4494253.4494253.449425
The Miami Sharks, a once-great American football team, are now in turmoil and struggling to make the 2001 Associated Football Franchises of America (AFFA) playoffs. They are coached by 30-year veteran Tony D'Amato (Al Pacino), who has fallen out of favor with young owner Christina Pagniacci (Cameron Diaz), who inherited the team, and offensive coordinator Nick Crozier (Aaron Eckhart), who is expected to succeed D'Amato as head coach.
My Last Love, 1h36
Directed by Michael Schultz
Genres Drama, Romance
Actors Scott Bairstow, Nancy Travis, Mary-Pat Green, James Karen, Janet MacLachlan, Jamie Renée Smith
Roles Phil Morton
Rating65% 3.28933.28933.28933.28933.2893
Avocate à Chicago, Susan, atteinte d'un cancer, abandonne son emploi pour consacrer le temps qu'il lui reste à vivre à sa fille Carole, âgée de onze ans... Le beau-père de la fillette, Peter, dont elle est divorcée depuis cinq ans, accueille Carole pendant les vacances, et Susan en profite pour louer une maison face à la mer où elle compte se reposer...Au bar de la plage, elle fait la connaissance de Michael, le serveur, qui tombe sous son charme. Après une nuit d'amour, Susan revoit Michael mais refuse de s'engager, car elle sait que ses jours sont comptés.
Apt Pupil
Apt Pupil (1998)
, 1h51
Directed by Bryan Singer
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller
Themes Films about religion, Political films, Films about Jews and Judaism
Actors Ian McKellen, Brad Renfro, David Schwimmer, Joshua Jackson, Bruce Davison, Elias Koteas
Roles Victor Bowden
Rating66% 3.3484453.3484453.3484453.3484453.348445
In southern California in 1984, 16-year-old high school student Todd Bowden (Renfro) discovers that his elderly neighbor, Arthur Denker (McKellen), is in reality Kurt Dussander — a former Sturmbannführer in the SS who is now a fugitive war criminal hiding from justice. Todd blackmails Dussander by threatening to turn him in to the police. However, the teenager is fascinated with Nazi atrocities perpetrated during World War II, and forces Dussander to share disturbing stories of what it was like working at Nazi extermination camps, and how it felt to participate in genocide.
Girl
Girl (1998)
, 1h39
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy, Musical, Romance
Themes Films about sexuality, Films about virginity
Actors Dominique Swain, Sean Patrick Flanery, Summer Phoenix, Tara Reid, Selma Blair, Channon Roe
Roles Dad
Rating56% 2.848342.848342.848342.848342.84834
Andrea Marr (Dominique Swain) is a bright, straight-A, mature, 18-year-old high school senior on the verge of womanhood who decides to abandon her sheltered, boring lifestyle and her bookish friend Darcy (Selma Blair) for a look into the local rock and roll scene. There she meets local rock singer Todd Sparrow (Sean Patrick Flanery), with whom she has a groupie fling. Aspiring rock star Cybil (Tara Reid), fellow student outgoing fellow groupie Rebecca (Summer Phoenix) guide Andrea during her time as a groupie.
Shadow of Doubt, 1h43
Directed by Randal Kleiser
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Crime
Themes Political films
Actors Melanie Griffith, Tom Berenger, Craig Sheffer, Huey Lewis, Wade Dominguez, James Morrison
Roles Norman Calloway
Rating52% 2.6002352.6002352.6002352.6002352.600235
After the daughter of a prominent businessman is brutally murdered, high profile defense attorney Kitt Devereux takes the case of the accused murderer, rapper Bobby Medina. With a history of drugs and violence, Medina is a likely suspect, but Devereux suspects there's more to the case as she locks horns with her ex-husband, D.A. Jack Campioni, and a wealthy woman whose son is a presidential candidate. Dealing with her own tainted past and the unreliable Medina, Devereux struggles to prove her client's innocence even to herself.