Joan Van Ark (born June , ) is an American actress and voiceover
artist. She is best-known for her role as Valene Ewing on the
primetime soap opera Knots Landing. A life member of The Actors
Studio, she made her Broadway debut in in Barefoot in the Park. In ,
she received a Theatre World Award and was nominated for the Tony
Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for the revival of The
School for Wives.Van Ark landed her most famous role of Valene Ewing
in , first on the CBS series Dallas, then for seasons on its spin-off
Knots Landing (â€"). For this role, she won the Soap Opera Digest
Award for Best Actress in and . She left the show in , although she
did return for the final episode of the series in and for the
miniseries Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac. In , she received a
Daytime Emmy Award nomination as host of the Tournament of Roses
Parade on CBS. From to , she starred in the soap opera The Young and
the Restless. She reprised her role of Valene in an episode of the new
Dallas series in .Van Ark was born in New York City to Dorothy Jean
Van Ark (née Hemenway) and Carroll Van Ark (â€"), an advertiser and
public relations consultant from Holland, Michigan, of Dutch ancestry.
Carroll Van Ark's paternal grandfather was an immigrant from Holland.
Both parents were also writers. She grew up in Boulder, Colorado, with
three siblings: Carol, Mark and Dexter.
artist. She is best-known for her role as Valene Ewing on the
primetime soap opera Knots Landing. A life member of The Actors
Studio, she made her Broadway debut in in Barefoot in the Park. In ,
she received a Theatre World Award and was nominated for the Tony
Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for the revival of The
School for Wives.Van Ark landed her most famous role of Valene Ewing
in , first on the CBS series Dallas, then for seasons on its spin-off
Knots Landing (â€"). For this role, she won the Soap Opera Digest
Award for Best Actress in and . She left the show in , although she
did return for the final episode of the series in and for the
miniseries Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac. In , she received a
Daytime Emmy Award nomination as host of the Tournament of Roses
Parade on CBS. From to , she starred in the soap opera The Young and
the Restless. She reprised her role of Valene in an episode of the new
Dallas series in .Van Ark was born in New York City to Dorothy Jean
Van Ark (née Hemenway) and Carroll Van Ark (â€"), an advertiser and
public relations consultant from Holland, Michigan, of Dutch ancestry.
Carroll Van Ark's paternal grandfather was an immigrant from Holland.
Both parents were also writers. She grew up in Boulder, Colorado, with
three siblings: Carol, Mark and Dexter.
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