ACTOR

James Karen

1923 - 2018

Photo of James Karen

Icon of person James Karen

James Karen (born Jacob Karnofsky; November 28, 1923 – October 23, 2018) was an American character actor of Broadway, film and television. Karen is known for his roles in Poltergeist, The China Syndrome, Wall Street, The Return of the Living Dead, Invaders from Mars and The Pursuit of Happyness, but was perhaps best known as the signature pitchman for Pathmark, famously appearing in commercials for the now-defunct East Coast-based supermarket chain from the late 1970s to the early 1990s which earned his nickname "Mr. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of James Karen has received more than 1,096,998 page views. His biography is available in 26 different languages on Wikipedia. James Karen is the 2,678th most popular actor (up from 2,895th in 2019), the 4,169th most popular biography from United States (up from 4,551st in 2019) and the 1,215th most popular American Actor.

Memorability Metrics

  • 1.1M

    Page Views (PV)

  • 52.14

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 26

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 3.20

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 3.58

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Among ACTORS

Among actors, James Karen ranks 2,678 out of 13,578. Before him are Gösta Ekman, Sven-Bertil Taube, Jarl Kulle, Dany Robin, Robin Shou, and Sarah Siddons. After him are Vladimir Ivashov, James Marsden, Sunil Dutt, Tamara Toumanova, Moses Gunn, and Don Adams.

Most Popular Actors in Wikipedia

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Contemporaries

Among people born in 1923, James Karen ranks 200. Before him are Savka Dabčević-Kučar, Milt Jackson, Zeffiro Furiassi, Richard Herrmann, Josep Seguer, and Nora Brockstedt. After him are Victor Papanek, Don Adams, Zofia Posmysz, Vladimir Basov, Louis Lansana Beavogui, and Eugenio Calabi. Among people deceased in 2018, James Karen ranks 194. Before him are Gianfranco Parolini, Philip Bosco, Juraj Herz, Levko Lukianenko, Ramón Chao, and Frank Carlucci. After him are Stanislav Govorukhin, Evelyn Berezin, Peter Mayle, John Mahoney, Reinhard Hardegen, and Henri Namphy.

Others Born in 1923

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Others Deceased in 2018

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

In United States

Among people born in United States, James Karen ranks 4,169 out of 20,380. Before him are John D. Rockefeller III (1906), Horace Greeley (1811), John Lloyd Stephens (1805), Ansel Adams (1902), Belle Starr (1848), and Wallace Stevens (1879). After him are James Marsden (1973), George Andrew Reisner (1867), Kellyanne Conway (1967), Rob Marshall (1960), Stan Winston (1946), and Moses Gunn (1929).

Others born in United States

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Among ACTORS In United States

Among actors born in United States, James Karen ranks 1,215. Before him are Kim Darby (1947), Andreas Katsulas (1946), Nick Cravat (1912), Alice Brady (1892), Douglas Fairbanks Jr. (1909), and Eddie Bracken (1915). After him are James Marsden (1973), Moses Gunn (1929), Don Adams (1923), Jackie Earle Haley (1961), Adrienne Barbeau (1945), and Harrison Ford (1884).

American born Actors

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Television and Movie Roles

The Pursuit of Happyness
Martin Frohm
A struggling salesman takes custody of his son as he's poised to begin a life-changing professional career.
Dec 14o 20067.898 / 10
The Return of the Living Dead
Frank
When foreman Frank shows new employee Freddy a secret military experiment in a supply warehouse in Louisville, Kentucky, the two klutzes accidentally release a gas that reanimates corpses into flesh-eating zombies. As the epidemic spreads throughout the town, and the creatures satisfy their hunger in gory and outlandish ways, Frank and Freddy fight to survive with the help of their boss and a mysterious mortician.
Apr 25o 19857.158 / 10
Mulholland Drive
Wally Brown
Blonde Betty Elms has only just arrived in Hollywood to become a movie star when she meets an enigmatic brunette with amnesia. Meanwhile, as the two set off to solve the second woman's identity, filmmaker Adam Kesher runs into ominous trouble while casting his latest project.
Jun 6o 20017.811 / 10