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"I had been doing plays in New York and on a whim we packed up and moved West, I started doing commercials and plays and guest star spots on TV and one thing led to another and I got Knots Landing." That's how a star is born. While it sounds like acting, fame, and fortune just fell into her lap, Joan Van Ark has had to work hard for all the roles she's been involved with. That's part of the value she places on acting -- she wants to make sure she does the very best she can whether she's involved in a long-running series or a commercial for a product she uses.

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Van Ark has been a life member of The Actors Studio, and in 1966 she made her debut on Broadway in Barefoot in the Park. She's mostly known for her Knot's Landing role, but a quick look at her life and acting bio shows she's so much more than that. The same year she made her Broadway debut she also married John Marshall, and the couple are still married. She also starred in The School for Wives in 1971, receiving a Theatre World Award and a nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Play for the Tony Award. How did Van Ark get there, and beyond? Here's what you need to know about her life and career.

Her Early Life and Early Career

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Van Ark is focused on more than just her acting, and she also wants to keep herself fit and healthy. "When I'm not involved in an acting job I try to run 10 miles a day," she says. She doesn't always get to do that because of the demands of her schedule, but she takes her health and fitness seriously and makes it a priority as much as possible. She was born in New York City, and her parents were a public relations consultant and an advertiser. Both parents also wrote, and Van Ark had three other siblings. She grew up in Boulder, Colorado.

When she was 15 and working as a student reporter, Van Ark had the opportunity to interview actress Julie Harris. Later, Harris would recommend Van Ark for the Yale School of Drama. Van Ark attended their graduate program there, but was only in attendance for a year. Harris appeared on Knots Landing years later, as the mother of Van Ark's character. Van Ark's professional career started at the Guthrie Theater, where she played in Death of a Salesman and The Miser, among other productions. Her Tony nomination in 1971 got her a contract with Universal Studios, and she had a television pilot in 1972.

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That series wasn't picked up, but that didn't deter Van Ark from acting. She was in the short-lived Temperatures Rising (1972-1973), and on an episode of M*A*S*H, among other TV roles. Her character of Valene Ewing started out as a guest appearance on Dallas, which was supposed to be a one-time thing in 1978. The character was popular, and appeared in a couple more episodes. Then, Knots Landing was spun off in 1979, and she was there for thirteen seasons. She earned awards for Best Actress and other accolades, and left the series in 1992 to pursue other roles.

Moving on From Soap Operas

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"So I had all the names, three names, and that's good to have on a soap," she has said, joking about her career and how much a particular name can get someone noticed. But soap operas weren't all Van Ark wanted to do. She was also interested in continuing to act on the stage and on the screen. She was in a pilot for a show called Spin Doctors, which didn't get picked up, and then appeared off-Broadway in Love Letters. She has done voice acting, TV commercials, guest appearances, and much more throughout her career, and wants to be remembered for something other than just her soap opera roles.

She has been on Son of the Beach in 2001, in an episode of Nip/Tuck in 2008, and also in the film Channels in that same year. Keeping busy has never been a problem for Van Ark, and her ambition has carried her through a number of different roles and changes in her life. She has one child, who was born in 1969 and is a model, voice actress, and singer. While Van Ark isn't acting as much as she used to, it's likely that fans haven't seen the last of her. In 2013, she was a guest judge on RuPaul's Drag Race, and it's just a matter of time before she appears in another cameo or guest spot to the surprise and delight of her fans.