What is Karen Allen's Net Worth?
Karen Allen is an American actress and director with a net worth of $2 million. She is best known for her role as Marion Ravenwood in the 1981 film "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and its 2008 sequel, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." Her extensive career includes over 60 acting credits in films such as "National Lampoon's Animal House" (1978), "Starman" (1984), and "The Perfect Storm" (2000), among others.
Early Life
Karen Jane Allen was born on October 5, 1951, in Carrollton, Illinois. Her father, Carroll, was an FBI agent, and her mother, Ruth, was a university professor. Due to her father's job, the family moved frequently, making it difficult for Allen to form lasting friendships. She has two sisters and graduated from DuVal High School in Maryland. Karen studied art and design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City before attending George Washington University in Washington, D.C. She began performing with the Washington Theatre Laboratory and later joined the Shakespeare & Company in Massachusetts. In 1977, she returned to New York City to study acting with David Gideon at the Lee Strasberg Theater Institute.
Career
Karen Allen made her film debut in 1978 with "National Lampoon's Animal House" and the TV movie "Lovey: A Circle of Children, Part II." She gained widespread recognition in 1981 for her role as Marion Ravenwood in "Raiders of the Lost Ark," directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Harrison Ford. The film was a blockbuster success, grossing $389.9 million against a $20 million budget. She reprised her role in the 2008 sequel, which grossed $790.7 million.
Allen's career continued to flourish with roles in films like "Starman" (1984), "The Glass Menagerie" (1987), "Scrooged" (1988), and "Malcolm X" (1992). She also made significant television appearances, including headlining the CBS series "The Road Home" in 1994 and guest-starring in popular shows like "Law & Order" and "50 States of Fright." In 2000, she co-starred with George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, and Diane Lane in "The Perfect Storm."
In addition to acting, Allen has also directed. She directed the short film "A Tree. A Rock. A Cloud." in 2017 and has directed several stage productions. On Broadway, she won a Theatre World Award for her performance in "Monday After the Miracle" in 1982.
Personal Life
Karen Allen married actor Kale Browne on May 1, 1988, and they had a son, Nicholas, born on September 14, 1990. The couple divorced in June 1998. Nicholas grew up to become a chef and won the Food Network's "Chopped" competition in 2016.
Knitting
In 2003, Allen founded Karen Allen Fiber Arts, a textile business in Massachusetts. In 2009, the Fashion Institute of Technology awarded her an honorary master's degree. She has also taught acting at Bard College at Simon's Rock in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.
Awards and Nominations
Karen Allen has received numerous accolades for her work. She won a Saturn Award for Best Actress for "Raiders of the Lost Ark" in 1982 and received another nomination for "Starman" in 1985. For her lead role in "Year by the Sea," she won several festival awards, including those from the Hamilton Film Festival and the Rhode Island International Film Festival. Her short film "A Tree. A Rock. A Cloud." won Best International Short at the Manchester International Film Festival in 2017. She has also received nominations for Film Independent Spirit Awards for her performances in "The Glass Menagerie" and "Colewell."
Real Estate
In 1988, Allen purchased a 28-acre property in Sandisfield, Massachusetts, for $430,000. The property features a home built in 1910 and is currently estimated to be worth just under $1 million.
