Indeed, while others in the world of primetime soaps may have become more famous and adorned more magazine covers, Van Ark’s simple country girl received the lion’s share of the stellar stories on Knots. Everyone could see a portion of himself or herself in Val. In fifteen years playing Valene Ewing on Dallas and Knots Landing, the native of Boulder, Colorado created a lightning rod. It is in television, though, that Van Ark has become legendary.
She has often played troubled women, women in distress, women scorned.
In an illustrious career that has spanned 35 years, Van Ark has graced stage and screen with an uncommon dignity.
