Karen Carlson

Though born in Louisiana, actress Karen Carlson represented Arkansas in the 1965 Miss America pageant. Two years later the aspiring ingénue made her television debut on the secret agent adventure series "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." This proved to be the first in a long-line of one-off roles, as the beautiful Carlson made her way onto such popular programs as the iconic "Mission: Impossible," the Western dramedy "Bonanza," and the superhero adventure "The Incredible Hulk." Though most prolific in her television work, Carlson has appeared in a handful of films. Most notably, she played a supporting role in the Robert Redford political satire "The Candidate." After landing noteworthy recurring roles on the acclaimed primetime soap opera "Dallas" and Carroll O'Connor's curmudgeonly sheriff drama "In the Heat of the Night," her interest in acting waned. Since the late 1990s, Carlson has become very selective about her onscreen appearances. In 2008, she deigned to costar in the socio-political docudrama "A Father's Rights," which explores the parental rights of an unwed father in modern America.