Watch John Karlen Videos

John Karlen (born John Adam Karlewicz on May 28, 1933) is a character actor best known for playing Willie Loomis, Carl Collins, William H. Loomis, Desmond Collins, and Kendrick Young on the ABC serial Dark Shadows, in various episodes between 206 and 1245, which aired from 1966-1971. In 1971 Karlen starred as the male lead in "Daughters of Darkness". He also starred in the 1975 television film, Trilogy of Terror, and was in the movie Killer's Delight. He appeared in the serials "From These Roots," "Another World", "Love Is a Many Splendored Thing" (as Jock Porter) and "Hidden Faces" (as... MORE

John Karlen (born John Adam Karlewicz on May 28, 1933) is a character actor best known for playing Willie Loomis, Carl Collins, William H. Loomis, Desmond Collins, and Kendrick Young on the ABC serial Dark Shadows, in various episodes between 206 and 1245, which aired from 1966-1971. In 1971 Karlen starred as the male lead in "Daughters of Darkness". He also starred in the 1975 television film, Trilogy of Terror, and was in the movie Killer's Delight. He appeared in the serials "From These Roots," "Another World", "Love Is a Many Splendored Thing" (as Jock Porter) and "Hidden Faces" (as Sharkey Primrose). Later Karlen was Harvey Lacey on the CBS crime series Cagney & Lacey from 1982-1988. In 1989 he appeared in Murder, She Wrote. He has recently reprised the role of Willie Loomis for a new series of Dark Shadows audio dramas produced by Big Finish Productions. Karlen was born May 28, 1933 in Brooklyn, New York and enrolled in the American Academy of Dramatic Arts on a scholarship. His first acting experiences were on early television productions such as From These Roots and Kraft Television Theatre . Karlen's performances on the dramatic stage began in 1959 with Sweet Bird of LESS