Fans of iconic 80s soaps got a rare treat Tuesday when one of the era’s most glamorous stars stepped out in Los Angeles.
The 82-year-old actress, who became a household name on Dallas and its spin-off Knots Landing, looked effortlessly chic while running errands with her husband of nearly six decades.
The stunning star, who made her Broadway debut in 1966 in Barefoot in the Park, married her high school sweetheart — award-winning TV reporter John Marshall — that same year.
Sporting a simple white shirt and black leggings, the Colorado native was a far cry from her red carpet days alongside her soap opera co-stars Charlene Tilton, Linda Gray, and Patrick Duffy.
Still, longtime fans instantly recognized her signature platinum blonde locks — the same she debuted as the beautiful Valene Ewing, mother of Lucy Ewing and ex-wife of Gary Ewing on Dallas in 1978.
Can you guess which reclusive soap star she is?
Fans of iconic 80s soaps got a rare treat Tuesday when one of the era’s most glamorous stars stepped out in Los Angeles
The 82-year-old actress, who became a household name on Dallas and its spin-off Knots Landing, looked effortlessly chic while running errands with her husband of nearly six decades
If you said Joan Van Ark, you’re right!
The beloved actress has enjoyed a prolific TV and film career spanning more than five decades, with early hits including Frogs (1972), The Last Dinosaur (1977), My First Love (1988), Shakedown on Sunset Strip (1988), and Tainted Blood (1993), among many others.
But she is best known for her iconic role as Valene Ewing, which began on Dallas in 1978 and continued on its spin-off Knots Landing the following year.
Over 14 years, Van Ark appeared in 327 episodes of Knots Landing, portraying Valene’s tumultuous life, including her three marriages to on-screen love Gary Ewing, played by Ted Shackelford.
She left the show in 1992, though she returned for its final two episodes in 1993, the 1997 miniseries Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac, and even reprised the role in a 2013 episode of the new Dallas series.
Last year, Van Ark opened up about one of her favorite storylines on Knots Landing — the unforgettable moment when her twin children were kidnapped and then returned.
‘The only time Knots ever went to No. 1 was when Val got her twins back,’ she told Remind Magazine.
‘I will never forget that. We had Michele [Lee, Karen] there. Julie [Harris, Lilimae Clements], too. She was the love of my life. It was a blessing from heaven to bring that woman into our [Knots Landing] family and be my mother. Knots will never leave me. It’s in my DNA. It’s that much of an experience. It was something so special.’
If you said Joan Van Ark, you’re right! (pictured 1986)
Longtime fans instantly recognized her signature platinum blonde locks — the same she debuted as the beautiful Valene Ewing, mother of Lucy Ewing and ex-wife of Gary Ewing on Dallas in 1978
Sporting a simple white shirt and black leggings, the Colorado native was a far cry from her red carpet days alongside her soap opera co-stars Charlene Tilton , Linda Gray, and Patrick Duffy
The stunning star, who made her Broadway debut in 1966 in Barefoot in the Park, married her high school sweetheart — award-winning TV reporter John Marshall (pictured) — that same year
When asked about her return for the series finale, given that Valene was presumed dead, Joan reflected:
‘I don’t remember how that exactly came about, but I was with the William Morris Agency at the time, and they called me in the middle of whatever I was working on, and they said they want you to come back for an episode.
‘ I knew I had to be there at the end because Val and Gary were the core that started the whole thing when they moved from Dallas to the cul-de-sac.
‘That had to come full circle. On one hand, it was strange to be back but not entirely because I had come back to direct a couple of episodes. But that was right to have happen.’
Born in New York City before moving to Boulder, Colorado, Van Ark began her professional career in theater after graduating from Yale, performing in classics like The Miser, Death of a Salesman, and Barefoot in the Park.
She then moved to Los Angeles, co-starring with Bette Davis in the 1972 TV movies The Judge and Jake Wyler, and appearing as Erika in MASH* in 1973.
Her TV credits from the 1970s and 80s read like a who’s who of the era: Bonanza, Night Gallery, The Six Million Dollar Man, Petrocelli, Quincy, Kojak, Barnaby Jones, Rhoda, and Medical Center, as well as three appearances each on Cannon and The Rockford Files.
She also starred in the sitcoms Temperatures Rising (1972–73) and We’ve Got Each Other (1977–78).
She is best known for her iconic role as Valene Ewing, which began on Dallas in 1978 and continued on its spin-off Knots Landing the following year; (pictured with Ted Shackelford in 1991)
The cast of Knots landing is pictured: Joan, Shackelford, Donna Mills, Nicolette Sheridan, Kevin Dobson, William Devane, and Michele Lee
The star with Doug Sheehan on Knot’s Landing
Joan is pictured with her husband of 58 years, award-winning TV reporter John Marshall, in 2010
Van Ark reunited with her Knots Landing co-stars multiple times, appearing in the 2005 reunion special Knots Landing Reunion: Together Again.
She later worked with Christopher Meloni in Spin Doctors and in Boys Will Be Boys: The Ali Cooper Story (1994).
She originated the role of Gloria Fisher Abbott on The Young and the Restless from 2004 to 2005 and appeared alongside Shackelford in a 1978 episode of Wonder Woman.
Post-Knots Landing, she guest-starred on The Nanny, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and in 2001, Son of the Beach.
In 2008, she reunited with Donna Mills in an episode of Nip/Tuck.
In recent years, Van Ark has remained active in Hollywood, lending her voice to series like Doom Patrol (2019) and Curious George (2021).
Her last on-screen appearance was in 2017, co-starring in the TV movie Psycho Wedding Crasher.
