KAREN SHARPE BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Karen Sharpe was born on September 20th, 1934 in San Antonio, Texas with the middle name Kay.  From a young age she began taking ballet lessons and also excelled as a figure skater.  When she was twelve years old she traveled to California to further her figure skating, but was intrigued by the entertainment industry.
 
Before the age of twenty she had thrown herself full force into the industry making a living as a model and appearing in such films as, "The Sniper" (1952) starring Adolphe Menjou, Arthur Franz, Gerald Mohr, Marie Windsor, Wally Cox, Frank Faylen and Richard Kiley and "Holiday for Sinners" (1952) starring Gig Young, Keenan Wynn and Janice Rule. 

She developed a great relationship with producer, Hal Roach her cast her in a number of commercials for the shampoo, "White Rain".  She never limited herself to working with just one film studio and began adding such credits to her resume as, "Strange Fascination" (1952) starring Cleo Moore, Hugo Haas and Mona Barrie, "Army Bound" (1952) co-starring Stanley Clements and Steve Brodie, "The Vanquished" (1953) starring John Payne, Jan Sterling, Colleen Gray Lyle Bettger and Willard Parker, "Mexican Manhunt" (1953) starring George Brent, Hillary Brooke and Morris Ankrum and "The High and the Mighty" (1954) starring alongside John Wayne, Claire Trevor, Robert Stack, Arthur Franz, Paul Fix, Julie Bishop, Phil Harris, Jan Sterling, Regis Toomey, Carl 'Alfalfa' Switzer, Douglas Fowley, George Kennedy, Laraine Day, Robert Newton, William Schallert, David Brian, Paul Kelly, William Campbell and Sidney Blackmer, a role for which she earned her first Golden Globe Award for, "New Star of the Year".

Now that she had worked with such studio's as Republic, Columbia and MGM she agreed to sign a contract with Batjac, which was owned by John Wayne.  Although, she was still allowed to work with other studio's such as United Artists and Columbia appearing in more successful films such as, "Man with a Gun" (1955) also starring Jan Sterling, Henry Hull, Barbara Lawrence, Leo Gordon, Angie Dickinson, John Lupton, Ted de Corsia and Claude Akins and "Tarawa Beachhead" (1958) co-starring Kerwin Mathews, Ray Danton and Julie Adams.

She had gained so much experience in such a short amount of time as a film actress that she also chose to venture into television acting.  Soon she was appearing on such series as, "Lux Playhouse", "Perry Mason", "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.", "Racket Squad", "Climax!", "The Range Rider", "Gunsmoke", "The Wild Wild West", "The Abbott and Costello Show", "77 Sunset Strip","Burke's Law" and "Johnny Ringo".

Other films she appeared on over her course as a film actress included, "The Disorderly Orderly" (1964) starring Jerry Lewis and the television movie, "Valley of Mystery" (1967).  She then chose to retire from the industry as an actress and pursue the other side of entertainment as a producer, creating KNK Productions, Inc along with her husband, Stanley Kramer whom she wed in 1966. 

Since then, Karen Sharpe has produced a number of video shorts such as, "Brando: An Icon Is Born" (2008), "A Special Kind of Love" (2008) and "A Love Story of Today" (2008).  She remained married to her husband until he passed in 2001.  Together they had two children together and she continues to work occasionally in Hollywood.  She was married once before to Chester Marshall from 1957 through 1961. 

Filmography

1967         Valley of Mystery 
1966         The Wild Wild West 
1965         The Smothers Brothers Show 
1965         I Dream of Jeannie
1965         Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. 
1965         The Man from U.N.C.L.E. 
1964         The Disorderly Orderly
1964         Burke's Law 
1957-1964     Gunsmoke
1963         77 Sunset Strip 
1962-1963     Rawhide 
1963         Hawaiian Eye
1963         The Dakotas
1961         Laramie 
1961         Stagecoach West
1961         The Americans 
1960         Bonanza 
1958-1960     The Loretta Young Show 
1959-1960     Johnny Ringo
1960         Overland Trail 
1959         Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse 
1959         Richard Diamond, Private Detective 
1959         The Texan
1959         Yancy Derringer 
1959         The Rough Riders 
1958         Tarawa Beachhead
1956-1958     Matinee Theatre 
1958         Perry Mason 
1958         Trackdown 
1958         Mike Hammer 
1956-1958     Climax! 
1957         The Millionaire 
1956-1957     Playhouse 90 
1957         The Gray Ghost 
1956         Man in the Vault
1956         West Point
1953-1956     Lux Video Theatre 
1955         Man with the Gun
1955         Cameo Theatre 
1953-1955     The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse
1955         Mad at the World
1955         The Courtship of George Washington and Martha Custiss
1955         A Story About Henry Ford 
1955         G.E. True Theater
1954         Studio 57 
1954         Fireside Theatre 
1954         Big Town 
1954         The High and the Mighty
1953         Mexican Manhunt
1952-1953     Racket Squad
1953         The Vanquished
1953         Death Valley Days 
1953         The Ford Television Theatre
1953         The Abbott and Costello Show 
1953         The Range Rider 
1952         Bomba and the Jungle Girl
1952         Army Bound
1952         Strange Fascination
1952         Holiday for Sinners
1952         The Sniper