Karen Valentine (born May 25, 1947, Sebastopol, California) is an American actress of Italian and Portuguese extraction. She is best-known for her role as school teacher "Alice Johnson" in the TV series Room 222.
Valentine grew up on a Northern Californian chicken ranch. She won a spot representing California at the Miss Teenage America pageant. When Ed Sullivan saw her act (where she would comically dance in a flamboyant costume while lip-syncin...
more
Karen Valentine (born May 25, 1947, Sebastopol, California) is an American actress of Italian and Portuguese extraction. She is best-known for her role as school teacher "Alice Johnson" in the TV series Room 222.
Valentine grew up on a Northern Californian chicken ranch. She won a spot representing California at the Miss Teenage America pageant. When Ed Sullivan saw her act (where she would comically dance in a flamboyant costume while lip-syncing to Eydie Gormé's "Blame it on the Bossa Nova"), he was quoted as saying, "I want that girl on my show."
In 1969, Valentine won her breakthrough role as a school teacher on the TV series Room 222. She was nominated twice for an Emmy and once for a Golden Globe, winning an Emmy in 1970 for Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role.
The actress later starred as Gidget in the film Gidget Grows Up, and on her own television series in 1975, Karen. Valentine was a regular on Hollywood Squares, often trading quips with Paul Lynde. She guest-starred...
less