Linda Carlson (May 12, 1945 – October 26, 2021) was an American actress.

Linda Carlson
Carlson in Westside Medical (1977)
Born(1945-05-12)May 12, 1945
DiedOctober 26, 2021(2021-10-26) (aged 76)
EducationUniversity of Iowa (BA)
New York University (MFA)
OccupationActress
Years active1977–2009
Spouse(s)Philip Charles MacKenzie
(m. 19??, div. 19??)
Jim Hart
(m. ??)

Early life

edit

Carlson was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, on May 12, 1945,[1] and raised in Minnesota;[2] she was of Swedish descent.[3] She attended the University of Iowa, where she received a bachelor's degree in speech and dramatic arts. She went on to teach for several months at a high school in Flint, Michigan, before moving to New York City, where she attended the NYU School of the Arts and received a master's degree.[4] She later taught acting at NYU.[5]

Stage

edit

Carlson broke into professional theater with the Negro Ensemble Company in New York, then spent a season at the Repertory Theatre in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.[4] She went on to appear at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota, at Canada's Manitoba Theatre Center in Winnipeg, and at the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, New Jersey, as well as with the Indiana Repertory Theatre in Indianapolis, Indiana.[4] Off-Broadway productions in which she appeared include The Harangues (1969), The Death of Lord Chatterly (1973), Miss Julie (1973), Demons: A Possession (1974), Winner Take All (1975) and Light Up the Sky (1990).[6] On Broadway, she portrayed Crete in Full Circle (1973) and was an understudy in A Memory of Two Mondays / 27 Wagons Full of Cotton (1976), and They Knew What They Wanted (1976).[7]

Television

edit

Carlson starred on Westside Medical,[5] portrayed Katie McKenna on Kaz[8] and appeared on Murder One.

Carlson played the part of Ellen Sherback in the Kojak episode "Cry for the Kids" in 1977.

In the episode "Hotel Oceanview" of the series WKRP in Cincinnati, which premiered on November 28, 1980, Carlson played a woman attracted to station salesman Herb Tarlek (Frank Bonner). He is deeply shaken when she tells him that they were on the football team together in high school, she having since undergone a sex change.

On the series Newhart, Carlson had a recurring role as Bev Dutton, the manager of the small Vermont television station where Bob Newhart hosted a Sunday afternoon interview program.

Carlson appeared in the episode ""Comings and Goings" of the 1995 situation comedy Double Rush.

Personal life

edit

She was married to actor-director Philip Charles MacKenzie, whom she met at NYU.[4] They eventually divorced.[9] She went on to marry Jim Hart, a former Marine Corps tank officer turned IT specialist.[9]

Carlson died from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in Gaylordsville, Connecticut, on October 26, 2021, at the age of 76.[10]

Partial filmography

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ Linda Carlson, Actress on ‘Newhart’ and ‘Murder One,’ Dies at 76
  2. ^ Storace, Robert (January 11, 2014). "Local actress relishes her new role". The News-Times. Danbury, Connecticut. Archived from the original on June 25, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2020. The 68-year-old Minnesota native...
  3. ^ Coleman, Nancy L.; Veka, Olav (2010-12-09). A Handbook of Scandinavian Names. Univ of Wisconsin Press. p. 13. ISBN 978-0-299-24833-8. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d "Linda Carlson: 'Total Star'". The Evening News. Newburgh, New York. August 14, 1977. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  5. ^ a b "She's not sexy or daffy so Kaz' lady is losing role". The Gazette. Canada, Montreal. January 23, 1979. p. 51. Retrieved May 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Linda Carlson". Internet Off-Broadway Database. Lucille Lortel Foundation. Archived from the original on May 27, 2021. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  7. ^ "Linda Carlson". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on May 27, 2021. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  8. ^ Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 558. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
  9. ^ a b c Carlson, Linda (October 11, 2012). "First the Proposal, Then Remodeling". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 12, 2012. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  10. ^ Linda Carlson Hart
edit