Karen Kondazian

Karen Kondazian
Karen Kondazian, 2012
Born	Karen Kondazian (1950-01-27) January 27, 1950 Newton, Massachusetts
Alma mater	San Francisco State College, University of Vienna, London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
Occupation	Actor, Novelist
Website	http://www.karen-kondazian.com

Karen Kondazian and Lex Barker, May 1973

Karen Kondazian (born January 27, 1950 in Newton, Massachusetts) is an American award-winning actress and author.^[1][2] She is a recipient of the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award's Best Actress award and is a four-time Drama-Logue Awards winner. She had a recurring role in CBS' Shannon, as well guest starring roles on Wiseguy, Frasier and NYPD Blue, among others.

Life and career

Karen Kondazian attended Abraham Lincoln High School, and received a B.A. from San Francisco State College, and graduated from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.^[3] She began working in theater, starring in productions such as The Rose Tattoo and Master Class.^[4]

As a child, she appeared on Art Linkletter's Kids Say the Darndest Things^[5] She was also engaged to actor Lex Barker.

She won the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award's Best Actress award for her role in the Tennessee Williams play The Rose Tattoo and four Drama-Logue Awards for Sweet Bird of Youth (1980), Lady House Blues (1981), Vieux Carré (1983) and Tamara (1985).^[6] Kondazian met Williams at a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle luncheon honoring him, and Williams reportedly allowed Kondazian to produce any of his plays.^[7] She was also nominated for an Ovation Best Actress Award in Master Class.

Her work on the stage lead to numerous TV and film roles, including a recurring role the CBS series Shannon as Irene Lokatelli, and guest starring roles in Wiseguy, Frasier, NYPD Blue and the TV biopic James Dean. She can also be seen in Yes, Giorgio and Cobra.

In 2000 Kondazian wrote the reference work The Actors Encyclopedia of Casting Directors and The Whip in 2012, published by the Hansen Publishing Group, a historical novel about stagecoach driver Charley Parkhurst. The Whip was well reviewed for its historical accuracy and story.^[8][9]

Kondazian is a member of the Actors Studio and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.^[10]

Theatre work

Luciano Pavarotti embraces Karen Kondazian on the set of Yes, Giorgio

Filmography

TV Roles

Bibliography

• The Actors Encyclopedia of Casting Directors (2000)
• The Whip (2012)^{[13][14][15][16]}

Video game

Kondazian's likeness has been used in the Video Game Zork Nemesis

Ed Harris with Karen Kondazian

Awards

Acting

• Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Actress, The Rose Tattoo (1979)
• Drama-Logue Award for Sweet Bird of Youth (1980)
• Drama-Logue Award for Lady House Blues (1981)
• LA Weekly Theater Award for Best Actress, Vieux Carré (1983)
• Drama-Logue Award for Vieux Carré (1983)
• Drama-Logue Award for Tamara (1985)
• Back Stage Garland Award for The Night of the Iguana (2000)
• Ovation Award for Master Class, Best Production of the Year (2004)
• Back Stage Garland Award for Master Class (2004)
• Maddy Award for Master Class (2004)
• Entertainment Today Award for Best Actress for Master Class (2004)

Writing

• 2014 Readers Favorite Gold Medal Prize for Winner Best Western Fiction The Whip ^[17]
• 2013 Global Ebook Awards First Place - Winner Best Historical Fiction The Whip^[18]
• USA Book News Award for Best Historical Fiction for The Whip (2012)^[19]
• National Indie Excellence Award for Best Western for The Whip (2013)^[20]
• International Book Award for Best Western for The Whip (2013)^[21]

References

External links

• Karen Kondazian at the Internet Movie Database
• Official website
• The Whip Official website
• KCAL9 Interviews Karen Kondazian
• Karen Kondazian featured in ABC/NBC Monterey