Karen Hall | |
|---|---|
| Born | Karen Lynne Hall (1956-06-02)June 2, 1956 (age 69) Chatham, Virginia, U.S. |
| Alma mater | College of William & Mary University of Virginia |
| Occupations | Television writer, producer, author, bookstore owner |
| Notable work | M*A*S*H,Judging Amy |
| Spouse | Chris Walker |
| Children | 4 |
Karen Lynne Hall (born June 2, 1956) is an Americantelevision writer,producer,author,bookstore owner, and a member oftheGeorge Foster Peabody Awards[1] board of jurors, best known for her work on thetelevision seriesJudging Amy andM*A*S*H.
Hall was born inChatham, Virginia to Ervis Hall and Flo Hall, and graduated from Chatham High School in 1974. Hall's younger sister,Barbara Hall, is also a television writer and producer.
In 1978, Hall graduated with aB.A. inEnglish from theCollege of William and Mary. She was awarded a fellowship from theVirginia Museum of Fine Arts to theUniversity of Virginia, where she attended graduate school in theM.F.A. Playwriting Program.[2]
While at William and Mary, Hall took a three-week trip to Hollywood with students from theUniversity of Richmond where she attended writing seminars hosted byEarl Hamner andAlan Alda. Impressed by her talent, Hamner and Alda kept in touch with her after she returned to Virginia. With their encouragement, she moved to California after graduating from the University of Virginia in 1979.
Hall started her television writing career as astory editor forEight Is Enough and script writer forM*A*S*H. In her career as writer, producer and creative consultant, Hall has worked on numerous series, includingHill Street Blues,Moonlighting,Roseanne, andGrace Under Fire.[3] Shows for which she wrote individual episodes includeNorthern Exposure,I'll Fly Away,Judging Amy, andThe Good Wife.
Among other recognition, Hall has received theHumanitas Prize, the Women in Film Luminas Award, and theWriters Guild of America Award. She has received sevenEmmy Award nominations. In 1984, she was listed byEsquire (magazine) magazine in its first annual register "The Best of the New Generation: Men and Women under 40 Who Are Changing America".[4]
Hall is also the author of the novelDark Debts, a supernatural thriller combining horror,Southern Gothic, humor, romance, and theological mystery.Dark Debts was published by Random House in 1996 and was aBook of the Month Club main selection. It has been translated into French, German, and Japanese. After Hall had made significant changes to the novel, it was re-published bySimon & Schuster in 2016.
Hall has spent the last decade as an adjunct college professor. She has taught undergraduates atAppalachian State University and MFA screenwriting students at theUniversity of Georgia and atRegent University, where she teaches at present.[4]
Hall is married to her high school sweetheart, Chris Walker. They live inOrlando, Florida. They have four adult children.
