Karen Carlson (born January 15, 1945) is an American retired actress. She is also a director, producer and writer.^[2]

Carlson was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. M.W. Carlson.^[3] She was educated at C.E. Byrd High School^[4] and the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, where she was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma. She represented the university and the state of Arkansas in the 1964 Miss America Pageant, finishing as the first runner-up to Vonda Kay Van Dyke.^[5]

Carlson started her career in Bob Hope and Phyllis Diller variety shows, Laugh In, and The Hollywood Palace. She also appeared in television series and films, including The Candidate (1972) with Robert Redford and The Octagon (1980) with Chuck Norris. On television, Carlson played Nancy Scotfield in ten episodes of the soap opera Dallas^[4] (1986) and Sarah Hallisey in twelve episodes of In the Heat of the Night. She was also a series regular in American Dream with Stephen Macht,^[6] The Yellow Rose with her first husband, David Soul, and Cybill Shepherd,^[6]: 1202 and Two Marriages with Michael Murphy.^[6]: 1121

She was later cast as Mary Ellen in ABC's Here Come the Brides.^[6]: 452 She guest-starred in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1967), Mission: Impossible (1971), Bonanza (1973), Starsky and Hutch (1976–77) with David Soul, Centennial (1978), The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo (1979), Hart to Hart (1980), Hill Street Blues (1983), and Hotel (1987). Her last appearance was a small part in the film Out of Ashes (2013).

Carlson is divorced from actor David Soul and musician Devin Payne. She has one child by Soul and two children with Payne.^[4]