Linda Carlson (May 12, 1945 – October 26, 2021) was an American actress.

Early life

Carlson was born in

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Tennessee, Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Di ...

, on May 12, 1945, and raised in

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

; she was of Swedish descent. She attended the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

, where she received a bachelor's degree in speech and dramatic arts. She went on to teach for several months at a high school in

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 ...

, before moving to New York City, where she attended the NYU School of the Arts and received a master's degree. She later taught acting at NYU.

Stage

Carlson broke into professional theater with the

Negro Ensemble Company The Negro Ensemble Company (NEC) is a New York City-based theater company and workshop established in 1967 by playwright Douglas Turner Ward, producer-actor Robert Hooks, and theater manager Gerald S. Krone, with funding from the Ford Foundation. ...

in New York, then spent a season at the Repertory Theatre in

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

, Wisconsin. She went on to appear at the

Guthrie Theater The Guthrie Theater, founded in 1963, is a center for theater performance, production, education, and professional training in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The concept of the theater was born in 1959 in a series of discussions between Sir Tyrone Gut ...

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

, Minnesota, at Canada's Manitoba Theatre Center in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

, and at the McCarter Theatre in

Princeton, New Jersey Princeton is a municipality with a borough form of government in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township, both of whi ...

, as well as with the Indiana Repertory Theatre in

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

, Indiana.

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

productions in which she appeared include ''The Harangues'' (1969), ''The Death of Lord Chatterly'' (1973), ''Miss Julie'' (1973), ''Demons: A Possession'' (1974), ''Winner Take All'' (1975) and ''Light Up the Sky'' (1990). On Broadway, she portrayed Crete in ''Full Circle'' (1973) and was an understudy in ''A Memory of Two Mondays / 27 Wagons Full of Cotton'' (1976), and ''They Knew What They Wanted'' (1976).

Television

Carlson starred on ''Westside Medical'', portrayed Katie McKenna on '' Kaz'' and appeared on ''Murder One.'' Carlson played the part of Ellen Sherback in the ''

Kojak ''Kojak'' is an American action crime drama television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theodopolis "Theo" Kojak. Taking the time slot of the popular ''Cannon'' series, it ...

'' episode "Cry for the Kids" in 1977. In the episode "Hotel Oceanview" of the series ''

WKRP in Cincinnati ''WKRP in Cincinnati'' is an American sitcom television series about the misadventures of the staff of a struggling fictional radio broadcasting, radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. The show was created by Hugh Wilson (director), Hugh Wilson ...

'', which premiered on November 28, 1980, Carlson played a woman attracted to station salesman Herb Tarlek (

Frank Bonner Frank Bonner (born Frank Woodrow Boers Jr.; February 28, 1942 – June 16, 2021) was an American actor and television director widely known for his role as sales manager Herb Tarlek on the television sitcom ''WKRP in Cincinnati''. Personal li ...

). He is deeply shaken when she tells him that they were on the football team together in high school, she having since undergone a sex change. On the series ''

Newhart ''Newhart'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on CBS from October 25, 1982, to May 21, 1990, with a total of 184 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons. The series stars Bob Newhart and Mary Frann as an author and his wife, ...

'', Carlson had a recurring role as Bev Dutton, the manager of the small Vermont television station where

Bob Newhart George Robert Newhart (born September 5, 1929) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his deadpan and slightly stammering delivery style. Newhart came to prominence in 1960 when his album of comedic monologues, ''The Button-Down Mi ...

hosted a Sunday afternoon interview program. Carlson appeared in the episode ""Comings and Goings" of the 1995

situation comedy A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

Double Rush ''Double Rush'' is an American situation comedy that aired on CBS from January 4 to April 12, 1995. The series stars Robert Pastorelli as the manager of a bicycle messenger service in New York City.McNeil, Alex, ''Total Television: The Comprehens ...

''.

Personal life

She was married to actor-director

Philip Charles MacKenzie Philip Charles MacKenzie (born Philip Charles Harris on May 7, 1946) is an American actor and television director. He is best known for his role as Donald Maltby on ''Brothers'', and as Ted Nichols on '' Open House'', which he worked on with hi ...

, whom she met at NYU. They eventually divorced. She went on to marry Jim Hart, a former Marine Corps tank officer turned IT specialist. Carlson died from

amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is the most comm ...

Gaylordsville, Connecticut Gaylordsville is a village in the northwest corner of the town of New Milford, Connecticut, New Milford, Litchfield County, Connecticut, Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. It was listed as a census-designated place (CDP) prior to the 20 ...

, on October 26, 2021, at the age of 76.Linda Carlson Hart
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Partial filmography

*''

Honey, I Blew Up the Kid ''Honey, I Blew Up the Kid'' is a 1992 American science fiction comedy family film, and the second installment of the ''Honey, I Shrunk the Kids'' film series. Directed by Randal Kleiser and released by Walt Disney Pictures, it stars Rick Moranis ...

'' (1992) ... Nosy neighbor *''

The Pickle ''The Pickle'' is a 1993 film produced, written, and directed by Paul Mazursky, telling the story of a formerly powerful film director whose recent string of flops has forced him to make a commercial piece that is artistically uninspired. The absu ...

'' (1993) ... Bernadette *''

The Beverly Hillbillies ''The Beverly Hillbillies'' is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from 1962 to 1971. It had an ensemble cast featuring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer Jr. as the Clampetts, a poor, backwoods family from ...

'' (1993) ... Aunt Pearl *'' Murder One'' (1995–1997) ... Judge Beth Bornstein *''Roadside Assistance'' (2001) ... Queen of Hearts

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Carlson, Linda 1945 births 2021 deaths Actresses from Tennessee American film actresses American television actresses Tisch School of the Arts alumni University of Iowa alumni American people of Swedish descent American stage actresses Broadway theatre people Deaths from motor neuron disease 20th-century American actresses