Karen Austin

With a master's degree in dramatic literature from Northwestern to her name, Karen Austin got her first break as an actress on the beloved sitcom "Happy Days" in 1978. She appeared on the prime-time soap "Dallas" and the detective series "The Rockford Files" shortly thereafter, and in 1979 scored her first role in a feature film with the inspirational drama "Fish Hawk." After being cast in a leading role in the failed adventure series "The Quest" in 1982, she signed on for a supporting role as a court clerk on the inaugural season of "Night Court" in 1984. Despite significant screen time, and a simmering romance with quirky Judge Harry Stone, she left the legal comedy after only 10 episodes.

Following a brief stopover on the medical drama "St. Elsewhere," Austin landed a co-starring role as John Candy's wife in the 1985 comedy "Summer Rental." The next year, she starred in the disturbing revenge flick "The Ladies Club" as a rape victim with a vendetta. Aside from a supporting role in the 1989 thriller "Far From Home," her mid-'80s projects were her most prominent. Never without work, however, Austin continued to appear as a guest star on many popular TV series into the new millennium, though she never again saw quite the spotlight that she did earlier in her career.