James Karen Net Worth

What is James Karen's Net Worth?

James Karen was an American actor who had a net worth of $8 million at the time of his death in 2018. James Karen passed away on October 23, 2018 at 94 years old.

Over a six-decade career, James Karen appeared in such films as "The China Syndrome," "Poltergeist," "The Return of the Living Dead," "Wall Street," and "Mulholland Drive." On television, he was known for his recurring role as Eliot Randolph on the ABC series "Eight is Enough" and for his appearances in commercials for the East Coast supermarket chain Pathmark.

Early Life and Education

James Karen was born Jacob Karnofsky on November 28, 1923 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania to Russian Jewish immigrants Mae and Joseph. He got his start in acting as a young man when Democratic US Representative Daniel J. Flood recruited him for a stage production at the Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre. Karen went on to attend the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York. During World War II, he served in the US Army Air Forces.

Film Career

Karen had his first major film role in the 1965 science-fiction film "Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster." In the first half of the 1970s, he appeared in such titles as "Hercules in New York," "I Never Sang for My Father," "Rivals," and "Amazing Grace." Karen's credits in the latter half of the decade included Alan J. Pakula's Oscar-winning political thriller "All the President's Men" and the thrillers "Capricorn One" and "The China Syndrome." Commencing the 1980s, he appeared in the Neil Diamond-starring remake of "The Jazz Singer" and the comedy "Take This Job and Shove It." In 1982, Karen was in three films: the biopic "Frances" and the horror films "Time Walker" and "Poltergeist." He played real estate developer Mr. Teague in the lattermost film. After appearing in "Sam's Son" in 1984, Karen had one of his most famous roles in 1985, as a medical warehouse manager-turned-zombie in the horror comedy "The Return of the Living Dead." The same year, he had a supporting part in the neo-noir legal thriller "Jagged Edge." Karen's subsequent credits included "Invaders from Mars," "Hardbodies 2," and Oliver Stone's "Wall Street." In 1988, he starred in "Return of the Living Dead Part II," but played a different character than in the first film. Closing out the decade, Karen appeared in another horror comedy, "Girlfriend from Hell."

Karen was in a number of films in 1990, including the dramedy "Vital Signs" and the comedy horror anthology film "The Willies." The following year, he played the creator of an experimental in-vitro fertilization program in the science-fiction horror film "The Unborn." Karen was especially prolific in the second half of the decade. In 1995, he was in the science-fiction adventure film "Congo" and portrayed politician Bill Rogers in the biopic "Nixon." Karen went on to appear in such films as "Up Close & Personal," "Behind Enemy Lines," "Joyride," "River Made to Drown In," "Shadow of a Doubt," and "Girl." In 1999, he appeared in Bryan Singer's thriller "Apt Pupil" and Oliver Stone's football drama "Any Given Sunday." Kicking off the 2000s, Karen portrayed diplomat and banker George Ball in the political thriller "Thirteen Days." He then appeared in David Lynch's acclaimed surrealist neo-noir "Mulholland Drive." Karen's subsequent credits included "A House on a Hill," "Outlaw Trail: The Treasure of Butch Cassidy," "The Pursuit of Happyness," "Trail of the Screaming Forehead," and "Dark and Stormy Night." In the early 2010s, he appeared in "Sympathy for Delicious," "The Butterfly Room," and "Ambush at Dark Canyon," among other films. Among Karen's final film credits were "Bender" (2016), "Confessions of a Teenage Jesus Jerk" (2017), and "Cynthia" (2018).

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Television Career

In 1970, Karen originated the role of Lincoln Tyler on the ABC soap opera "All My Children." Later in the decade, he appeared in the television films "Something for Joey," "Mary Jane Harper Cried Last Night," "The Gathering," and "Institute for Revenge." Karen also began playing the recurring role of Eliot Randolph on the ABC series "Eight is Enough," a part he played for all five seasons of the show from 1978 to 1981. During that time, in 1979, he portrayed federal prosecutor Earl Silbert in the CBS miniseries "Blind Ambition." Karen's television credits in the 1980s included episodes of "M*A*S*H" and "The Jeffersons" and the television films "The Boy Who Loved Trolls" and "Billionaire Boys Club." In the 1990s, he was in such television films as "Revenge of the Nerds IV: Nerds in Love" and "My Last Love." Beyond national television, Karen was famous on the East Coast for his appearances in commercials for the regional supermarket chain Pathmark.

Personal Life and Death

Karen married his first wife, folk musician Susan Reed, in 1958. They had a son named Reed and divorced in 1967. Karen wed his second wife, Alba Francesca, in 1986.

On October 23, 2018, Karen passed away at his home in Los Angeles, California. He was 94 years of age.

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