Joan van Ark was born on June 16, 1943, in New York City, far from the world of entertainment. Her life took a significant turn during her teenage years while acting in Denver, where she met actress Julie Harris, who would greatly influence her career. Julie encouraged Joan to apply to the prestigious Yale Drama School and even helped her secure a scholarship, making Joan the second woman ever to enroll there.
Joan recalled: “Harris wrote to the dean and asked him to meet me. Long story short, my parents drove me to New Haven, Connecticut, where the dean awarded me a scholarship. It felt destined”. After honing her skills in theater, Joan shifted her focus to television, where she starred in shows like Temperature’s Rising, Spider-Woman, Days of Our Lives, and even made a guest appearance on Bonanza. However, it was her role as Valene Ewing on Dallas in 1978 that propelled her to stardom.
Her success on Dallas led to her starring in its spin-off, Knots Landing, which was actually developed before Dallas. Initially, Joan was set to join the Knots Landing cast, but she ended up reprising her role on Dallas first. It was her husband, newscaster John Marshall, who encouraged her to accept the role despite her busy schedule. When it was announced that Julie Harris would play Val’s mother, Joan was thrilled. “I couldn’t believe they had picked her to be my mother”, she recalled in a 1984 interview.
After 13 seasons and 327 episodes on Knots Landing, Joan left the show just before its final season. While many speculated that her departure contributed to the show’s cancellation, she was ready for new challenges. “I loved my time on that show”, she stated, expressing gratitude to the show’s creator, David Jacobs, and her co-star, Ted Shackelford, who she considered family.
Joan and John, who met in high school, have been happily married for over 58 years and share a daughter, Vanessa Marshall, who works in the entertainment industry. Now at 81, Joan has a net worth of $10 million and remains stunning. She was last spotted five years ago, casually paying for parking in workout attire.
Her most recent appearance was in the 2017 television film Psycho Wedding Crasher. After a remarkable 50-year career in entertainment, Joan van Ark is now a life member of The Actor’s Studio, solidifying her legacy as an icon.
Why Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley never had children.
Jackson asked Presley to marry him over the phone one evening in 1993 after Presley had stood by him during the investigation.
Michael Presley and Lisa Marie Presley tied the knot in a brief 15-minute ceremony in the Dominican Republic. Later, she announced her union to the media in a statement.
Together, Michael and Lisa appeared in public on multiple occasions. The most well-known instance occurred in September 1994 when the singer ofThriller k*ssed Presley live at the MTV Video Music Awards, declaring,
Rumors that their high-profile marriage was failing and that they weren’t spending enough time together began to circulate.
The couple also disclosed that they intended to begin a family shortly.
However, there were rumors that Jackson’s drug addiction was the reason their marriage was failing. The Bad singer and Lisa Marie Presley parted ways a month after Lisa Marie Presley filed for divorce in December 1995. August 1996 marked the official end of their marriage.
Lisa and Michael didn’t have any kids, but Presley did have four from her previous marriages. Riley and Ben, who came from her marriage to Danny Keough, Finley Aaron Love Lockwood, and Harper Vivienne Ann, who came from her marriage to Michael Lockwood, were all her children.
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