Karen Hall
Encyclopedia
Karen L. Hall is an American
television writer best known for her work on the television series Judging Amy
and M*A*S*H.
Hall was born in Chatham, Virginia
. She is the daughter of Ervis Hall and Flo Hall, and is the sister of Barbara Hall. She graduated from Chatham High School in 1974 and from the College of William and Mary
in 1978 with a BA in English. She was then awarded a fellowship from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
to the University of Virginia
, where she was in graduate school in the MFA
Playwriting Program.
While at William and Mary, Hall took a three-week trip to Hollywood with students from the University of Richmond
. There she attended writing seminars hosted by Earl Hamner and Alan Alda
. Impressed by her talent, both Hamner and Alda kept in touch with her after she returned to Virginia. With their encouragement, she decided to move to California after graduating from the University of Virginia in 1979, and within a year she was story editor
of Eight Is Enough
and writing scripts for M*A*S*H. In her career as writer, producer and creative consultant, Hall has worked on numerous series including Hill Street Blues
, Moonlighting
, Roseanne
and Grace Under Fire. Shows for which she wrote individual episodes include Northern Exposure
, I'll Fly Away
, Judging Amy
, and The Good Wife.
Among other recognitions, Hall has received the Humanitas Prize
, the Women in Film Luminas Award and the Writers Guild of America Award
. She has received seven Emmy Award Nominations. In 1984 she was listed by Esquire Magazine in its first annual register, "The Best of the New Generation: Men and Women under 40 Who Are Changing America".
Hall is also the author of the novel Dark Debts, a supernatural thriller combining horror, Southern Gothic
, humor, romance and theological mystery. Dark Debts was a Book of the Month Club
main selection and has been translated into French, German and Japanese.
Hall is married to her high school sweetheart, Chris Walker, and has four children. She and her husband own Black Bear Books, an independent bookstore
in Boone, North Carolina
. Hall maintains residences in Los Angeles and North Carolina.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television writer best known for her work on the television series Judging Amy
Judging Amy
Judging Amy is an American television drama that was telecast from September 19, 1999, through May 3, 2005, on CBS-TV. This TV series starred Amy Brenneman and Tyne Daly...
and M*A*S*H.
Hall was born in Chatham, Virginia
Chatham, Virginia
Chatham is a town in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, United States. Chatham's population was 1,338 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Danville, Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. Chatham is home to Chatham High School and Hargrave Military Academy. It is also home to Chatham Hall , an...
. She is the daughter of Ervis Hall and Flo Hall, and is the sister of Barbara Hall. She graduated from Chatham High School in 1974 and from the College of William and Mary
College of William and Mary
The College of William & Mary in Virginia is a public research university located in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States...
in 1978 with a BA in English. She was then awarded a fellowship from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
The Virginia Museum of Fine arts, or VMFA, is an art museum in Richmond, Virginia, in the United States, which opened in 1936.The museum is owned and operated by the Commonwealth of Virginia, while private donations, endowments, and funds are used for the support of specific programs and all...
to the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
, where she was in graduate school in the MFA
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
Playwriting Program.
While at William and Mary, Hall took a three-week trip to Hollywood with students from the University of Richmond
University of Richmond
The University of Richmond is a selective, private, nonsectarian, liberal arts university located on the border of the city of Richmond and Henrico County, Virginia. The University of Richmond is a primarily undergraduate, residential university with approximately 4,000 undergraduate and graduate...
. There she attended writing seminars hosted by Earl Hamner and Alan Alda
Alan Alda
Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo , better known as Alan Alda, is an American actor, director, screenwriter, and author. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner, he is best known for his role as Hawkeye Pierce in the TV series M*A*S*H...
. Impressed by her talent, both Hamner and Alda kept in touch with her after she returned to Virginia. With their encouragement, she decided to move to California after graduating from the University of Virginia in 1979, and within a year she was story editor
Story editor
Story editor is a job title in motion picture and television production, also sometimes called "supervising producer". A story editor is a member of the screenwriting staff who edits stories for screenplays....
of Eight Is Enough
Eight Is Enough
Eight Is Enough is an American television comedy-drama series which ran on ABC from March 15, 1977 until August 29, 1981. The show was modeled after syndicated newspaper columnist Thomas Braden, a real-life parent with eight children, who wrote a book with the same name...
and writing scripts for M*A*S*H. In her career as writer, producer and creative consultant, Hall has worked on numerous series including Hill Street Blues
Hill Street Blues
Hill Street Blues is an American serial police drama that was first aired on NBC in 1981 and ran for 146 episodes on primetime into 1987. Chronicling the lives of the staff of a single police precinct in an unnamed American city, the show received critical acclaim and its production innovations ...
, Moonlighting
Moonlighting (TV series)
Moonlighting is an American television series that aired on ABC from March 3, 1985, to May 14, 1989. The network aired a total of 66 episodes...
, Roseanne
Roseanne (TV series)
Roseanne is an American sitcom broadcast on ABC from October 18, 1988 to May 20, 1997. Starring Roseanne Barr, the show revolved around the Conners, an Illinois working class family...
and Grace Under Fire. Shows for which she wrote individual episodes include Northern Exposure
Northern Exposure
Northern Exposure is an American television series that ran on CBS from 1990 to 1995, with a total of 110 episodes.-Overview:The series was given a pair of consecutive Peabody Awards: in 1991–92 for the show's "depict[ion] in a comedic and often poetic way, [of] the cultural clash between a...
, I'll Fly Away
I'll Fly Away (TV series)
I'll Fly Away is a television series set during the late 1950s and early 1960s, in an unspecified Southern U.S. state. It aired on NBC from 1991 to 1993 and starred Regina Taylor as Lilly Harper, a black housekeeper for district attorney Forrest Bedford and his family...
, Judging Amy
Judging Amy
Judging Amy is an American television drama that was telecast from September 19, 1999, through May 3, 2005, on CBS-TV. This TV series starred Amy Brenneman and Tyne Daly...
, and The Good Wife.
Among other recognitions, Hall has received the Humanitas Prize
Humanitas Prize
The Humanitas Prize is an award for film and television writing intended to promote human dignity, meaning, and freedom. It began in 1974 with Father Ellwood "Bud" Kieser — also the founder of Paulist Productions — but is generally not seen as specifically directed toward religious...
, the Women in Film Luminas Award and the Writers Guild of America Award
Writers Guild of America Award
The Writers Guild of America Award for outstanding achievements in film, television, and radio has been presented annually by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America, West since 1949...
. She has received seven Emmy Award Nominations. In 1984 she was listed by Esquire Magazine in its first annual register, "The Best of the New Generation: Men and Women under 40 Who Are Changing America".
Hall is also the author of the novel Dark Debts, a supernatural thriller combining horror, Southern Gothic
Southern Gothic
Southern Gothic is a subgenre of Gothic fiction unique to American literature that takes place exclusively in the American South. It resembles its parent genre in that it relies on supernatural, ironic, or unusual events to guide the plot...
, humor, romance and theological mystery. Dark Debts was a Book of the Month Club
Book of the Month Club
The Book of the Month Club is a United States mail-order book sales club that offers a new book each month to customers.The Book of the Month Club is part of a larger company that runs many book clubs in the United States and Canada. It was formerly the flagship club of Book-of-the-Month Club, Inc...
main selection and has been translated into French, German and Japanese.
Hall is married to her high school sweetheart, Chris Walker, and has four children. She and her husband own Black Bear Books, an independent bookstore
Independent bookstore
An independent bookstore is a retail bookstore which is independently owned.-Literary and countercultural history:Author events at independent bookstores sometimes take the role of literary salons. The bookstores themselves, "have historically supported and cultivated the work of independent...
in Boone, North Carolina
Boone, North Carolina
Boone is a town located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina, United States. Boone's population was reported as 17,122, as of 2010...
. Hall maintains residences in Los Angeles and North Carolina.
Select filmography
- Eight Is Enough (1977)
- Hill Street Blues (1981)
- M*A*S*H (1972-1983)
- Moonlighting (1985)
- The Women of Brewster PlaceThe Women of Brewster Place (1989 television)The Women of Brewster Place is a TV miniseries that aired on March 19,1989 & March 20,1989 on ABC. The miniseries is based upon the 1982 novel by Gloria Naylor. It was produced by Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Productions with a teleplay by Karen Hall...
(1989) - Northern Exposure (1990)
- Judging Amy (1999)
- Brotherhood (2008)
- The Good Wife (2010)
- The Glades (2011)
Publications
- Dark Debts. New York: Random House, 1996: ISBN 978-0517267868. Ivy Books, 1997: ISBN 978-0804116558. Pan Books (UK), 1998: ISBN 978-0330351072.