Joan Van Ark (born June 16, 1943) is an American actress, most notable for her role as Valene Ewing in the primetime soap opera Knots Landing. A life member of The Actors Studio, she has also received a Theatre World Award and been nominated for a Tony Award for her stage work.Van Ark began her professional stage career in 1963 at the Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis, appearing in The Miser and Death of a Salesman.