‘Knot’s Landing’ Icon Joan Van Ark, 78, Photographed For 1st Time In 2 Years Running Errands: Rare Photos

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Joan Van Ark, 78, who is best known for her role as Valene Ewing on Dallas and Knot’s Landing, was spotted in Los Angeles, Calif., after not being seen in two years. In newly published rare photos, the iconic actress — who leads a very private life with her husband of 56 years, John Marshall, 80 — was seen getting in and out of her car in LA. She was wearing a blue face mask amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The stylish actress was spotted wearing a white long-sleeved shirt that she paired with a pair of tight grey pants. She also chose to wrap another white shirt around her waist, perhaps due to the seasonal lower temperatures in LA. Joan accessorized the outfit with brown leather cowboy boots that came up to her knees and she carried a brown leather purse, that almost touched the pavement when she walked. Her signature blond hair was pulled up into a ponytail on top of her head.

As fans know, Joan got her start in 1966 when she was cast in the hit Broadway show, Barefoot in the Park. In 1979, she catapulted to superstardom when she was cast as one of the lead characters in CBS’s long-running show, Dallas. The following year, she landed in the Dallas spinoff, Knot’s Landing, where she gained a tremendous fan base for the 13 seasons that she played Valene. In 1989, Joan won a Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Actress In A Leading Role. Knot’s Landing ended its epic run in 1993.

However, Joan did not. In 1997, she appeared in the miniseries, Knot’s Landing: Back To The Cul-De-Sac. Over the next two decades, Joan appeared in countless television shows, including Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air, The Young & The Restless, My Name Is Earl, Nip Tuck, The Nanny, and Archer. She has been married to John, who was her high school sweetheart, for almost six decades and the two have one daughter together, Vanessa Marshall.