Karen Elizabeth Fraction Hamilton (February 15, 1958 – October 30, 2007) was an American

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a Character (arts), character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek ...

dancer Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoi ...

and

model A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a measure. Models c ...

from

Flint, Michigan Flint is the largest city and seat of Genesee County, Michigan, United States. Located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the region known as Mid Michigan. At the 2020 census, Flint had a population of 8 ...

. She is probably best remembered as Dr. Perry, the Chief Medical Officer in ''

seaQuest 2032 ''SeaQuest DSV'' (stylized as ''seaQuest DSV'' and also promoted as simply ''seaQuest'') is an American science fiction television series created by Rockne S. O'Bannon. It originally aired on NBC between 1993 and 1996. In its final season, i ...

'', and Jennifer Parker, one of the main characters in the hit short-lived

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...

television series ''

My Brother and Me ''My Brother and Me'' is an American sitcom, created by Ilunga Adell and Calvin Brown Jr., that originally aired on Nickelodeon. ''My Brother and Me'' is about the Parkers, a family living in the west side of Charlotte, North Carolina, who ex ...

''.

Biography

During her second year at

Adelphi University Adelphi University is a private university in Garden City, New York. Adelphi also has centers in Manhattan, Hudson Valley, and Suffolk County. There is also a virtual, online campus for remote students. It is the oldest institution of higher ed ...

, where she earned a

bachelor degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ye ...

communication arts ''Communication Arts'' is the largest international trade journal of visual communications.A ...

in 1980, she was cast in a touring production of ''

The Wiz ''The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz"'' is a Musical theatre, musical with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls (and others) and book by William F. Brown (writer), William F. Brown. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's childr ...

''. This eventually led her to

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

, where she debuted in ''

The Tap Dance Kid ''The Tap Dance Kid'' is a musical based on the novel ''Nobody's Family is Going to Change'' by Louise Fitzhugh. It was written by Charles Blackwell with music by Henry Krieger and lyrics by Robert Lorick. Synopsis Act I William Sheridan, a su ...

'' starring

Hinton Battle Hinton Battle (born November 29, 1956) is an American actor, singer, dancer, and dance instructor. He has won three Tony Awards, all in the category of Featured Actor in a Musical. He was the first to portray the Scarecrow in the stage version ...

. Other credits include a 1987 revival of ''

Cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or d ...

'', ''

Anything Goes ''Anything Goes'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The original book was a collaborative effort by Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse, heavily revised by the team of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The story concerns madcap ant ...

'', the 1991 revival of ''

Oh, Kay! ''Oh, Kay!'' is a musical with music by George Gershwin, lyrics by Ira Gershwin, and a book by Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse. It is based on the play ''La Présidente'' by Maurice Hennequin and Pierre Veber. The plot revolves around the adventur ...

'' as well as touring

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

and

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

Bob Fosse Robert Louis Fosse (; June 23, 1927 – September 23, 1987) was an American actor, choreographer, dancer, and film and stage director. He directed and choreographed musical works on stage and screen, including the stage musicals ''The Pajam ...

's ''

Dancin' ''Dancin'' is a musical revue created, directed, and choreographed by Bob Fosse and originally produced on Broadway in 1978. The plotless, dance-driven revue is a tribute to the art of dance, and the music is a collection of mostly American son ...

''. She also participated in the famous 1985 concert version of

Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March 22, 1930November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. One of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater, Sondheim is credited for having "reinvented the American musical" with sho ...

's ''

Follies ''Follies'' is a Musical theater, musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. The plot takes place in a crumbling Broadway theater, now scheduled for demolition, previously home to a musical revue (based on t ...

'' and performed at the

Radio City Music Hall Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue and Theater (structure), theater at 1260 Sixth Avenue (Manhattan), Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Nicknamed "The Showplac ...

. "If you can work on projects you believe in, have fun with and touch people's lives, that's success," she told ''The Flint Journal'' in 1994 after taking a starring role as Jennifer Parker in ''My Brother and Me''.Ed Bradley
"Actress, Flint native Karen Fraction-Hamilton dies"
''The Flint Journal'', October 30, 2007] Although the show only lasted the 1994/1995 season it brought her enough attention that she was cast as Dr. Perry in ''seaQuest 2032'', replacing

Rosalind Allen Rosalind Allen (born September 23, 1957) is a New Zealand-born actress, best known for her portrayal of Doctor Wendy Smith in the second season of '' seaQuest DSV''. Early life Born Rosalind Ingledew in New Zealand, she studied acting there, ...

, although due to the show's move to a more military tone her part was a recurring character instead of a main character. She has also appeared in commercials and magazine advertisements dating from the 1980s, including

AT&T AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile tel ...

K-Mart Kmart Corporation ( , doing business as Kmart and stylized as kmart) is an American retail company that owns a chain of big box department stores. The company is headquartered in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States. The company was inco ...

Febreze Febreze is an American brand of household odor eliminators manufactured by Procter & Gamble. It is sold in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. First introduced in test markets in March 1996, the fabric ...

and

Denny's Denny's (also known as Denny's Diner on some of the locations' signage) is an American table service diner-style restaurant chain. It operates over 1,700 restaurants in many countries. Description Originally opened as a Diner, coffee shop un ...

. She died on October 30, 2007, after five years with

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a re ...

. She is survived by her two children, Lauren Elizabeth Jean and Lawrence Wm. Morris, and her husband Lawrence Hamilton.

Filmography

*'' Follies in Concert'' (1986) .... Dancer *''

Swamp Thing The Swamp Thing is a superhero in American comic books published by DC Comics. A humanoid/plant elemental List of swamp monsters, creature, created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, the Swamp Thing has had several humanoid or mo ...

'' (TV) (1 episode) (1992) .... Tanda *''

'' (TV) (Main Character) (1994) .... Jennifer Parker *''

'' (TV) (Recurring Character) (1995–1996) .... Dr. Perry *''

Our Son, the Matchmaker ''Our Son, the Matchmaker'' is a 1996 American television film, made-for-television drama (film and television), drama film directed by Lorraine Senna, starring Ann Jillian and David Andrews (actor), David Andrews as a couple who are separated a ...

'' (1996) .... Claudia Wade *'' Palmetto'' (1998) .... Plainclothes Cop *''

Walker, Texas Ranger ''Walker, Texas Ranger'' is an American action crime television series created by Leslie Greif and Paul Haggis. It was inspired by the film ''Lone Wolf McQuade'', with both this series and that film starring Chuck Norris as a member of the Texa ...

'' (TV) (In Harm's Way: Part 2) (1999) .... Judge Millhouse *'' The First of May'' (1999) .... Doctor *'' Sheena'' (TV) (2 episodes) (2001) .... Masuya / Miku *'' Taina'' (TV) (Pilot) (2001) .... Dance Instructor

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fraction, Karen 1954 births 2007 deaths Adelphi University alumni Actresses from Michigan African-American female dancers African-American dancers Deaths from cancer in Florida Deaths from breast cancer Actors from Flint, Michigan American female dancers Dancers from Michigan African-American female models American female models African-American models African-American actresses American television actresses American film actresses American musical theatre actresses 20th-century African-American women singers 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American dancers 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American people