John Karlen

John Karlen is an American actor born in Brooklyn, New York on May 28th, 1933. In horror circles he is best known for playing the stammering sychophant Willie Loomis from the 1966-71 gothic soap opera Dark Shadows. Although Loomis was Karlen's primary role, he also played other characters in the series including Carl Collins, Desmond Collins, William Hollingshead Loomis and Kendrick Young. In 1970, Karlen reprised the role of Willie Loomis for the MGM film House of Dark Shadows. Karlen returned to the franchise for the film's 1971 sequel Night of Dark Shadows, this time playing the role of Alex Jenkins. Karlen appeared in 182 episodes of the series overall.

Notes & Trivia
Although John Karlen's most famous role is that of Willie Loomis, he is not the first actor to play the character. Actor James Hall played the role of Loomis in the character's first appearance in episode 199. He played the part for three more episodes before Karlen took over the character with episode 206.

John Karlen is considered a fan favorite at Dark Shadows conventions and has been a regular panel guest for more than thirty years.

Outside of Dark Shadows, Karlen is better known for playing the role of Harvey Lacey, husband to Tyne Daly's Mary Beth Lacey on the 1982-88 crime series Cagney & Lacy.