Katherine Elizabeth Callan (née Borman; January 9, 1936) is an American author and actress known for playing

Clark Kent Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book '' Action Comics'' #1 ( cover-dated June 1938 and pu ...

's mother

Martha Martha (Hebrew: מָרְתָא‎) is a biblical figure described in the Gospels of Luke and John. Together with her siblings Lazarus and Mary of Bethany, she is described as living in the village of Bethany near Jerusalem. She was witness ...

in the ABC television series '' Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman''.

Early years

Callan was born in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

. When she was 5 years old, she felt that she wanted to act. She did so in school, and as a student at

North Texas State University The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public research university in Denton, Texas. It was founded as a nonsectarian, coeducational, private teachers college in 1890 and was formally adopted by the state 11 years later."Denton Normal Scho ...

at Denton, she studied drama. She went on to teach drama at a Catholic girls' school, and she began a children's theater.

Career

Callan first appeared on television in an episode of '' Route 66'' that happened to be shooting in Dallas. She resumed her on-camera career in 1970, guest-starring in roles on '' One Day at a Time'', ''

St. Elsewhere ''St. Elsewhere'' was an American medical drama television series created by Joshua Brand and John Falsey, that originally ran on NBC from October 26, 1982, to May 25, 1988. The series stars Ed Flanders, Norman Lloyd, and William Daniels ...

'', ''

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'', '' JAG'', ''

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'' and ''

King of the Hill ''King of the Hill'' is an American animated sitcom created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It aired its original non-syndicated run from January 12, 1997, to September 13, 2009, and centers on the Hills, an Am ...

''. She played a key role in the

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

-winning episode " Cousin Liz" of ''

All in the Family ''All in the Family'' is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS for nine seasons, from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. Afterwards, it was continued with the spin-off series ''Archie Bunker's Place'', which picked up where ''All in ...

'' and portrayed the mother of

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in several episodes of the penultimate season of ''

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''. She played Daisy LaRue in the TV show '' Meet the Browns'' and appeared as Mrs. Monroe, Gabe Duncan's teacher, in ''

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''. She also appeared in the third-season finale of ''

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'' as Ilene Britt, the mother of

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(

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), and has portrayed Lily's maternal grandmother on several episodes of ''

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''. She played the part of Charlie (as an elderly woman) in '' Heroes'' for one episode. She appeared in the films '' Joe'' (1970), '' A Touch of Class'' (1973), ''

The Onion Field ''The Onion Field'' is a 1973 nonfiction book by Joseph Wambaugh, a sergeant for the Los Angeles Police Department, chronicling the kidnapping of two plainclothes LAPD officers by a pair of criminals during a traffic stop and the subsequent m ...

'' (1979), ''

American Gigolo ''American Gigolo'' is a 1980 American neo-noir crime drama film written and directed by Paul Schrader, and starring Richard Gere and Lauren Hutton. It tells the story about a high-priced escort in Los Angeles (Gere) who becomes romantically ...

'' (1980), ''

A Change of Seasons ''A Change of Seasons'' is an EP by progressive metal band Dream Theater, first released on September 19, 1995, through East West Records. It comprises the 23-minute title track and a collection of live cover songs performed at a fan club con ...

'' (1980), ''

Fast-Walking ''Fast-Walking'' is a 1982 American prison drama film directed, produced, and written by James B. Harris, based on Ernest Brawley's 1974 novel ''The Rap''. The film stars James Woods, Tim McIntire, Kay Lenz, Robert Hooks, and M. Emmet Walsh. ...

'' (1982), and ''

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'' (2019), as well as the 1972 television adaptation of the 1966

Lanford Wilson Lanford Wilson (April 13, 1937March 24, 2011) was an American playwright. His work, as described by ''The New York Times'', was "earthy, realist, greatly admired ndwidely performed." Fox, Margalit"Lanford Wilson, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Playwright ...

play ''

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''. She has written several books, including ''The Los Angeles Agent'', ''The Script Is Finished, Now What Do I Do?'', ''Directing Your Directing Career'', and ''How to Sell Yourself as an Actor''. She received her acting training at

HB Studio The HB Studio (Herbert Berghof Studio) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization offering professional training in the performing arts through classes, workshops, free lectures, theater productions, theater rentals, a theater artist residency progra ...

in New York City. Callan made TV commercials for products, including Anacin, Endust, Geritol, and Sanka.

Personal life

Callan was married to and divorced from author James Ruskin Callan. The couple have three children, Jamie Callan, Kelly Callan, and Kristi Callan.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * *

External links

* * * 1936 births Living people American film actresses American television actresses Writers from Texas Actresses from Dallas 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses {{US-film-actor-1930s-stub