Karen Allen

Karen Jane Allen is an American film and stage actress. After making her film debut in "Animal House" (1978), she became best known for her portrayal of Marion Ravenwood opposite Harrison Ford in "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981), a role she later reprised for "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" (2008). She also co-starred in "Starman" (1984) and "Scrooged" (1988). Her stage work has included performances on Broadway, and she has directed both for stage and film.

Allen also starred in the American premiere of Jon Fosse's "A Summer Day" at the Cherry Lane Theater in New York City, which opened in October 2012. She has a long-standing relationship with the Berkshire Theater Group. It began in 1981, when she appeared in the play "Two for the Seesaw" at the Berkshire Theater Festival in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. She has also appeared in summer productions at the nearby Williamstown Theater Festival. In August 2015, Allen directed Terrence McNally's "Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune" for the Berkshire Theater Group.

In 2016, Allen made her movie directing debut with the short film, "A Tree. A Rock. A Cloud.", based on the short story by Carson McCullers. It won the Best International Short at the Manchester Film Festival in March 2017. Allen played the lead role in 2017's "A Year by the Sea," a film based on The New York Times bestselling memoir by Joan Anderson. In addition to her acting and directing career, Allen has engaged in teaching, sharing her extensive experience in acting workshops and as a guest lecturer at various educational institutions.