Karen Sharpe

Sharpe was born in San Antonio, Texas, the daughter of Dorothy Shrout and Kirk Howard Sharpe.[1] Her father was a businessman[1] and oilman.[5] She was a ice skater in Hollywood, California and a student at the Hollywood Professional School.[1] At the age of 18, her mother filed for divorce, charging Sharpe's father with pleasure in inflicting suffering cruelty.[5] She studied dancing with ballet dancer and choreographer Adolph Bolm in Los Angeles, California.[6]

Sharpe (left) with Dennis Hopper in Conflict, 1957

Sharpe had unsuccessful screen tests while she worked as a model.[1] After she was discovered by a talent scout, she began her career in 1952, starring in the film Army Bound.[1] Sharpe also appeared in the films The Sniper, Bomba and the Jungle Girl, Holiday for Sinners, The Vanquished, Strange Fascination and Mexican Manhunt.[7] She guest-starred in television programs, including Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Death Valley Days, Perry Mason, The Wild Wild West, The Texan, Rawhide, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., Trackdown, 77 Sunset Strip, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Millionaire and I Dream of Jeannie.[8] In 1955, Sharpe won the Golden Globe Award in the category New Star of the Year – Actress for her acting performance as Nell Buck in the 1954 film The High and the Mighty,[8] along with actresses, Shirley MacLaine and Kim Novak.[9]

Sharpe (center) with Mark Goddard and Don Durant in Johnny Ringo, 1959

In 1959, Sharpe starred in the new CBS western television series Johnny Ringo, playing Laura Thomas, in which she starred with Don Durant who played the main character Johnny Ringo, Mark Goddard who played as Cully and also Terence De Marney playing general store owner Case Thomas who was the father of Sharpe's character.[1] She retired in 1967, last appearing in the television film Valley of Mystery,[1] playing Connie Lane.[10] Sharpe became heir to her father's business, in which she sold for a dividend.[11] She settled in Seattle, Washington in 1978[1] and moved to Beverly Hills, California, in 1985.[1]

Sharpe (left) with Tab Hunter in 1954

Sharpe first married Charles Stevens Marshall, an actor, in 1957.[1] She filed a divorce to Marshall for which according to the The Odessa American, she was abused by her husband as her rib cage was contused and Sharpe was also beaten next to a brickwork with her head being beaten into a brickwork.[12] The divorce became final on September 18, 1962.[1][13] Her first husband Marshall was murdered at his home in 1974.[1]

Sharpe then married Stanley Kramer, a film director and producer, on September 1, 1966.[1][8] They were married in Beverly Hills, California.[8] They had two children, Jennifer and Katharine.[1]

In 2022, Sharpe had spoke that she had sexual assault and harassment from comedian, actor, singer, director, producer, writer and humanitarian Jerry Lewis in the 1964 film The Disorderly Orderly.[14][15] It states that Lewis had send for Sharpe into his office for which he grabbed her.[14] Lewis then caress her for which he then unzipped his pants, in which Sharpe quoted, "I was dumbstruck".[14] With a response Sharpe had said, it made Lewis enraged for which that was the last time she ever worked with Lewis.[14] Hope Holiday also had the same problem as Sharpe.[16]

• Karen Sharpe at IMDb
• Karen Sharpe at the TCM Movie Database
• Karen Sharpe at AllMovie
• Rotten Tomatoes profile