Karen Allen (1951- )

10x8 Color signed scene from 'Raiders of The Lost Ark'.

In 1976 she made her first film appearance in the award winning small film, 'The Whidjitmaker'. Her first major film role came as Katy in 1978's National Lampoon's Animal House (1978) which became one of the biggest hits of the year, obtained 'classic' status and launched a whole host of young 'hot' stars. However, shortly after Animal House opened Karen was struck by a rare and dangerous eyesight condition called Kerato Conjunctivitis. Luckily, the condition subsided and Karen could continue her dramatic rise to the top. Lead roles in cult favourites like The Wanderers (1979) and the controversial thriller Cruising (1980) followed, as did smaller parts as in Woody Allen's Manhattan (1979). However, it was her performance in Rob Cohen's A Small Circle of Friends (1980), as well as her previously mentioned turn in Animal House, that caught the eye of a certain Steven Spielberg. He then cast her as the feisty heroine and Harrison Ford's co-star in his big budget blockbuster Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). Raiders... became a HUGE hit in 1981-82 and is regarded by many as THE GREATEST action adventure film ever made.