Karen Young (born September 29, 1958) is an American former film, television, and stage actress.

Early life and education

Young was born in Pequannock Township, New Jersey on September 29, 1958. She graduated from Douglass Residential College at Rutgers University as an English major.

Career

After graduation, Young moved to New York City and became an actress. She was working as a waitress when she saw an advertisement in Backstage that read: "Wanted: 24-year-old Irish Catholic girl with long blonde hair." Young responded to the ad and ended up starring in Tony Garnett's 1983 vigilante thriller Handgun, for which she had her hair cut off and in which she agreed to appear topless. She also appeared in films such as 9½ Weeks, Heat (1986), Jaws: The Revenge, Torch Song Trilogy, Night Game, The Wife, Daylight and Mercy. Young portrayed Sister Mary in The Orphan Killer (2011), and starred in many U.S. independent and foreign films including Heading South, Two Gates of Sleep and Conviction. On television, Young portrayed FBI Agent Robyn Sanseverino on The Sopranos as well as various characters in the Law & Order franchise. Her stage credits include roles in both New York productions of Sam Shephard's A Lie of the Mind, playing daughter Sally in 1985 and mother Lorraine in Ethan Hawke's 2010 production. Young and the rest of the cast were recognized as some of the "best performers of 2010" by Hilton Als in The New Yorker.

Personal life

Young married actor Tom Noonan in 1992, and they had two children together before their 1999 divorce. She married Ken Eisen in 2012.

Filmography

Film

Television