Biography

Karen Tarleton’s decades-long career encompasses a rich variety of mediums, including film, television, theater, voice-over, and singing, spanning both the U.S. and Great Britain. A highly versatile and transformative artist, she is widely recognized for her ability to inhabit strikingly contrasting roles.

Tarleton moves seamlessly from anchoring national commercials to portraying a scathing Duchess of York in Richard III, and from playing a brazen, rogue Russian maid in the comedy series Smothered to a sweet, caring grandmother in An Ornament for Christmas. At the core of every performance is her dedication to authenticity. "Every character has truth," she notes, and she consistently delivers it.

Tarleton has appeared in a wide array of acclaimed television programs, including The Rehearsal, For All Mankind, American Crime Story, I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson, Grey's Anatomy, Criminal Minds, and The Paper. Her recent film credits include lead roles in An Ornament for Christmas and Here, adding to a diverse filmography that includes The Last Word, Ugly Benny, Bricktown, and The Great Intervention.

Raised in a large, musical family in the Allegheny Mountains of northwestern Pennsylvania, Tarleton was immersed in the performing arts from an early age. In the early 1970s, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in entertainment. She initially spent several years learning the mechanics of the industry behind the camera, working as a script supervisor on game shows, television specials, and variety programs across Los Angeles, Nashville, and Las Vegas.

In 1980, Tarleton made the leap to on-camera work, landing consecutive recurring roles on General Hospital and The Young and the Restless. From there, she quickly expanded into feature films, television, and commercials. Equally skilled in comedy and drama, she became a long standing member of the West Coast Ensemble theater group and also performed in numerous regional stage productions throughout Southern California, covering everything from Shakespeare and Greek tragedies to contemporary plays and musicals.

Her deep love for the stage eventually led her to Great Britain, where she became a proud member of British Equity. She spent three adventurous years touring and performing extensively throughout England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales.

Upon returning to the United States, Tarleton maintained a prolific and varied career in film, television, commercials, and stage, as well as singing both sacred and secular music; voicing commercials, video games, and interactive media; and establishing herself as a storyteller and narrator of distinction.

Deeply passionate about mentorship, she has served as an Adjunct Professor in Theatre Arts at Loyola Marymount University and taught at the Young Actors Studio, sharing her decades of industry insights with the next generation of talent. She has been a dedicated member of SAG AFTRA and Actors' Equity Association since 1980, and maintains active, decades-long memberships with the New Playwrights Foundation, the Los Angeles Classical Theatre Lab, and the Writers and Actors Lab.
- IMDb mini biography by: Karen Tarleton