Life and career

Carlson was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, and educated at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas. While attending university, she was a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma Society and represented the university and state of Arkansas in the 1964 Miss America Pageant, finishing first runner up to Vonda Kay Van Dyke.

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, The Octagon (1980) with Chuck Norris, and In Love with an Older Woman (1982) with John Ritter.

In television, Carlson played Nancy Scotfield in seven episodes of the soap opera Dallas (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, The Yellow Rose with David Soul and Cybill Shepherd, and Two Marriages with Michael Murphy. In the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, she made over one hundred guest-star appearances.

Carlson was cast as Sarah Ewing in the 1970 episode "The Mezcla Man", one of the last segments of the syndicated western series Death Valley Days, hosted by Dale Robertson. Jesse Pearson played Jess Ivy, a young man who wants to propose marriage to Sarah but hesitates because of his lack of financial footing. He decides to look for hidden gold.

Carlson also 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), Hill Street Blues (1983), Hotel (1987).

Her last appearance was in the film Out of Ashes (2013). She has since turned her focus from acting to directing and screenwriting.

TV and filmography

• 1969 Shame, Shame, Everybody Knows Her Name
• 1970 The Student Nurses
• 1972 The Candidate
• 1973 The Streets of San Francisco - TV series
• 1975 Cage Without a Key - TV film
• 1976 Starsky and Hutch - TV series
• 1977 Black Oak Conspiracy
• 1977 It Happened One Christmas - TV film
• 1978 Matilda
• 1978 Centennial - TV miniseries
• 1979 Buck Rogers in the 25th Century - TV series
• 1980 The Incredible Hulk - TV series
• 1980 The Octagon
• 1984 Fleshburn
• 1985 Wild Horses - TV film
• 1985 Brotherly Love - TV film
• 1986 Dallas - TV series
• 1988 Teen Vamp
• 1990 In the Heat of the Night - TV series
• 1995 A Horse for Danny - TV film
• 1997 The Man Next Door
• 2013 Out of Ashes

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[ Source: Wikipedia ]