Karen Sharpe

Karen Kay Sharpe (born September 20, 1934) She is known for playing Laura Thomas in the American western television series Johnny Ringo. and Dorothy Shrout. She was an ice skater in Hollywood, California, and was a student at Hollywood Professional School.

Sharpe had unsuccessful screen tests while she worked as a model. After she was discovered by a talent scout, she began her screen career in 1952, starring as Jane Harris in the film Army Bound, starring along with Stanley Clements and Steve Brodie. and made her television debut in the ABC anthology television series Rebound. In 1955, she won a Golden Globe Award in the category New Star of the Year – Actress for her performance as Nell Buck in the 1954 film The High and the Mighty,

Later in her career, in 1959, Sharpe starred as Laura Thomas in the CBS western television series Johnny Ringo, starring along with Don Durant, Mark Goddard and Terence De Marney. Tarawa Beachhead, The High and the Mighty and The Disorderly Orderly.

Sharpe retired from acting in 2021, last appearing in the film Fate's Shadow: The Whole Story.

Personal life

In 1957, Sharpe married Chester Stevens Marshall, an actor. The divorce became final on September 18, 1962. Marshall was murdered at his home in 1974.

On September 1, 1966, Sharpe married Stanley Kramer, a film director and producer. They had two children.

In 2022, Sharpe revealed that she was sexually assaulted and harassed by comic actor Jerry Lewis on the set of the 1964 film The Disorderly Orderly. She stated that Lewis had sent for Sharpe to come to his office, whereupon he grabbed and fondled her, then unzipped his pants, which she stated that "I was dumbstruck." She recalls his advances, which enraged Sharpe so much that was the last time she ever worked with him.