With nearly five years of performing behind her she is still remembered for the fragile, and at times mentally challenged, Valene Clements Ewing, the wife of Gary Ewing played by Ted Shackelford and sister in law of Larry Hagman’s character, J.R. Ewing.
Joan Van Ark, named by her father after Joan of Ark, was born in New York City, New York on June 16th 1943 to father Carroll Van Ark and mother Dorothy Hemenway. She was raised in Boulder, Colorado along with her brother Mark and younger sister, Carol. Her mother, father and sister were all writers.
After graduating from school Van Ark became one of the youngest students ever to attend the Yale School of Drama, in Connecticut, which has also spawned other high achieving actors such as Paul Newman, Chris Noth and David Hyde Pierce. While studying at Yale Joan paired up with her now life long friend and fellow actress Julie Harris who also starred alongside Joan many years later, in ‘Knots Landing’.
Joan’s early professional career began at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota in a production of ‘The Miser’. By 1969 Joan had made it television and was cast as Annie Laurie in the Wild West series Bonanza which saw her starring alongside Michael Landon, Lorne Greene and Dan Blocker. Later an appearance in the Vietnam War based series M*A*S*H had Joan portraying the role of Erica, a nurse who eventually developed a relationship with Captain Hawkeye Pierce played by Alan Alda.
In 1966 Joan married her husband John Marshall with whom she has a daughter Vanessa, born to the couple in 1969. Vanessa has since followed in her mother’s footsteps and entered the world of acting.
Van Ark was thrust into the public eye in November 1979 when she won the part of Valene which she played for thirteen seasons of ‘Knots Landing’ and which saw her starring with Donna Mills, Michele Lee and ‘Desperate Housewives’’ Nicollette Sheridan. During her run on the soap opera she earned six nominations and two Soap Opera Digest Awards for Best Actress.
When the curtain was pulled on Knots Landing Joan was snapped up as a player in a new ill-fated NBC television sitcom, ‘Spin Doctors’ but achieving a poor response the series was axed. Joan then revived her character, Valene, in the CBS mini series ‘Knots Landing Reunion: Back to the Cul de-sac in 1997 and once again when the series made its second reunion Joan again appeared with other cast members in 2005.
Having become a sought after face for both made for television movies and soap operas it was only fitting that Joan would be called on to fill a role in the CBS series, ‘The Young and the Restless’ along with Ted Shackelford. Her role as Gloria Fisher ran from 2004 through 2005, at which time it was taken over by actress Judith Chapman.