Harley Jane Kozak

Last updated

Harley Jane Kozak
Harley Jane Kozak, Actor and Author.jpg
Kozak in 2018
Born
Susan Jane Kozak

(1957-01-28) January 28, 1957 (age 67)
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Education New York University (MFA)
Occupation(s)Actress, author
Years active1981–present
Spouses
  • Van Santvoord
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1982;div. 1983)​
  • Gregory Aldisert
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1997;div. 2007)​
Children3

Harley Jane Kozak (born January 28, 1957) is an American actress and author. She made her film debut in the slasher film The House on Sorority Row (1982), and had a recurring role as Mary Duvall on the soap opera Santa Barbara between 1985 and 1989. She later had supporting parts in Clean and Sober (1988) and When Harry Met Sally... (1989), before starring in the major studio films Parenthood (1989) and Arachnophobia (1990).

Contents

Kozak continued to act in film throughout the remainder of the 1990s and into the 2000s, but turned her focus to writing. She has published five mystery novels since 2004. Her debut novel, Dating Dead Men , earned her an Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity Award.

Early life

Kozak was born Susan Jane Kozak in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Dorothy (née Taraldsen), a university music teacher, and Joseph Aloysius Kozak, an attorney. She has seven older siblings; their father died when she was a year old. Kozak was raised in Lincoln, Nebraska. [1]

Kozak attended the University of Nebraska–Lincoln for three semesters before relocating to New York City, where she worked as a waitress for ten years. [2] During this period, she attended New York University's Graduate Acting Program at the Tisch School of the Arts, graduating in 1980. Of her name, Kozak has said that "Harley" came from a former boyfriend, who owned a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, and that she liked the nickname, later having her name legally changed. [3]

Career

Kozak starred in movies such as The House on Sorority Row (1983), Parenthood (1989), Side Out (1990), Arachnophobia (1990), The Taking of Beverly Hills (1991), Necessary Roughness (1991), All I Want for Christmas (1991), The Favor (1994), Magic in the Water (1995), Unforgivable (1996), and the soap operas Texas (from November 1981 to December 1982 as Brette Wheeler), Guiding Light (from 1983 to 1985 and a one-day voice-over in February 1990, as both Annabelle Sims Reardon and Annabelle's deceased mother, in 1983 flashbacks, Annie Sims) and Santa Barbara (from 1985 to 1986 and again in 1989, as former nun, Mary Duvall McCormick).

In Santa Barbara , her character died in an accident where a giant neon letter "C" toppled onto her during an argument atop the Capwell hotel. Viewers were so angry over Mary's death that they started a letter-writing campaign demanding for her reappearance. The show received such a huge number of letters that eventually they admitted their mistake and asked Kozak to come back. She declined the offer since she was already working with other projects and she was proud of the unusual way her character had made her exit. In February 1989, though, she made a brief return as an angel in Heaven. In 1987 Harley received a Soap Opera Digest Award from her role as Mary. [2] In 1993–1994, Kozak played Alison Hart, wife of Dave Hart, portrayed by Beau Bridges, on the CBS comedy/western series Harts of the West .

In 1996, Kozak appeared in the mini-series Titanic along with Peter Gallagher and Catherine Zeta Jones. She played the role of Bess Allison, a mother who dies while searching for her missing baby at the time when RMS Titanic sinks. Kozak was originally chosen to play Karen Sammler in the TV show Once and Again . She filmed the pilot, but was asked to withdraw from the series when she became pregnant with her first child, because they did not want her character to be pregnant. [3] The role went to Susanna Thompson. Also in 1996, Kozak portrayed a battered wife in a made for TV movie, Unforgivable , co-starring with John Ritter, and received praise for her "strong" performance. [4] Kozak also appeared in "Cold Lazarus", a first-season episode of Stargate SG-1 , as Sara O'Neill.

Kozak has written five novels: Dating Dead Men (2004), Dating Is Murder : A Novel (2005), Dead Ex (2007), and A Date You Can't Refuse (2008), all of which feature greeting-card designer and amateur sleuth Wollie Shelley, a woman with very eccentric friends and family. The first three novels were published by Doubleday, a division of Random House, and the most recent was published by Broadway Books following the restructuring of Doubleday. Dating Dead Men won an Agatha Award, an Anthony Award, and a Macavity Award for best first novel. Kozak's fifth book is Keeper of the Moon, a paranormal romantic suspense novel.[ citation needed ]

Personal life

Kozak lives in Los Angeles, California. She has been married twice: a brief union in the early 1980s and a second marriage from 1997 to 2007 with entertainment lawyer Gregory Aldisert, with whom she has three children. [5]

Partial filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
1981–1982 Texas Brette WheelerTV series
1982 The House on Sorority Row Diane
1983–1985 Guiding Light Annabelle Sims ReardonTV series
1985–1989 Santa Barbara Mary DuvallTV series
1988 Clean and Sober Ralston Receptionist
1988–1989 Knightwatch Barbara 'Babs' ShepardTV series
1989 When Harry Met Sally... Helen Hillson
1989 Parenthood Susan Buckman
1990So Proudly We HailSusan McCarran Television film
1990 Side Out Kate Jacobs
1990 Arachnophobia Molly Jennings
1991 Necessary Roughness Dr. Suzanne Carter
1991 The Taking of Beverly Hills Laura Sage
1991 All I Want for Christmas Catherine O'Fallon
1993 The Amy Fisher Story Amy Pagnozzi
1993–1994 Harts of the West Alison HartTV series
1994 The Favor Kathy Whiting
1995The Android AffairKaren GarrettTelevision film
1995 Magic in the Water Dr. Wanda Bell
1995 Charlie Grace HollyTV series
1995 Bringing up Jack Ellen McMahonTV series
1996The NerdTanzie BoydTelevision film
1996 Unforgivable Judy HegstromTelevision film
1996 A Friend's Betrayal Abby HewittTelevision film
1996 Titanic Bess Allison Miniseries
1997 Stargate SG-1 Sara O'NeillTV series
1997Dark PlanetBrendan
1997 The Lovemaster Karen
1997 The Outer Limits Prisoner 98843TV series Episode: The Camp
1997–1998 You Wish Gillian AppleTV series
1998 Emma's Wish Joy BookmanTelevision film
2005 I Love the '80s 3-D HerselfDocumentary miniseries; Episode: "1989"
2009The Red QueenChurch Lady
2010Vipers in the Grass Celia Bowman Short film
2015 I Spit on Your Grave III: Vengeance Is Mine Therapist
2015A Kind of MagicAbby
2018The AmaranthHolly
2019 More Beautiful for Having Been Broken Vivienne

Bibliography

Wollie Shelley Mysteries

#TitlePublication

Date

PublisherISBNAwards
1 Dating Dead Men 2004Doubleday ISBN   0-385-51018-7 Macavity Award for Best First Mystery Novel (2005) [6]

Anthony Award for Best First Novel (2005) [7]

Agatha Award, for Best First Novel (2004) [8]

2Dating Is Murder: A Novel2005Doubleday ISBN   0-385-51034-9
3Dead Ex2007Doubleday ISBN   978-0-385-51802-4
4A Date You Can't Refuse2009Broadway Books ISBN   978-1-6075-1960-7

The Keepers, LA

Books 0.5, 1, 3 and 4 by Heather Graham Pozzessere

#TitlePublication

Date

PublisherISBN
2Keeper of the Moon2013Harlequin ISBN   978-0-373-88565-7

Book 3 by Alexandra Sokoloff

Anthologies

Collection or AnthologyContributionPublication

Date

PublisherISBN
Landmarked for Murder2006Top Publications ISBN   1929976372 , 9781929976379
Mystery Muses2006Crum Creek Press ISBN   0981863221 , 9780981863221
This Is Chick LitThe Infidelity Diet2006BenBella Books ISBN   1933771011 , 9781933771014
A Hell Of A Woman2007Busted Flush Press ISBN   0976715732 , 9780976715733
Crimes by MoonllightMadeeda2010Berkley Publishing (ebook) ISBN   0425235637 , 9780425235638
Write Good or DieNaNoNoNoNoNoMo2010

2011

Haunted Computer Books

Smashwords Edition

Butcher Knives & Body Counts:Essays On The Formula, Frights, And Fun Of The Slasher FilmThe House on Sorority Row2010Dark Scribe Press ISBN   0981863221 , 9780981863221
Mystery Writers of America Presents The Rich and the DeadLamborghini Mommy2011 ISBN   978-0446555883
For the Sake of the Game: Stories Inspired by the Sherlock Holmes Canon2018Pegasus Books ISBN   1681778793 , 9781681778792

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References

  1. ↑ "Harley Jane Kozak". University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Retrieved June 30, 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Kozak, Harley Jane 1957--". Encyclopedia. Contemporary Authors. 2009. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  3. 1 2 "Two Wheels, Eight Legs... An interview with Harley Jane Kozak". August 26, 2014. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Bottoming-out and redemption of a wife-beater prompts strong performances by cast headed by John Ritter and Harley Jane Kozak. "Unforgivable" takes a serious subject — one out of three marriages involves domestic violence, according to note (without attribution) at show's end — and treats it with due respect". April 30, 1996. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Harley Jane Kozak Biography (1957–)". Film Reference. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Macavity Awards". Mystery Readers International. Retrieved July 6, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Anthonys 2005–2009". Bouchercon World Mystery Convention. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Agatha Awards". Malice Domestic. Archived from the original on April 12, 2010. Retrieved July 6, 2014.
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