Joan van Ark was born on June 16, 1943, in New York City, far from the world of entertainment. Her life took a significant turn during her teenage years while acting in Denver, where she met actress Julie Harris, who would greatly influence her career. Julie encouraged Joan to apply to the prestigious Yale Drama School and even helped her secure a scholarship, making Joan the second woman ever to enroll there.
Joan recalled: “Harris wrote to the dean and asked him to meet me. Long story short, my parents drove me to New Haven, Connecticut, where the dean awarded me a scholarship. It felt destined”. After honing her skills in theater, Joan shifted her focus to television, where she starred in shows like Temperature’s Rising, Spider-Woman, Days of Our Lives, and even made a guest appearance on Bonanza. However, it was her role as Valene Ewing on Dallas in 1978 that propelled her to stardom.
Her success on Dallas led to her starring in its spin-off, Knots Landing, which was actually developed before Dallas. Initially, Joan was set to join the Knots Landing cast, but she ended up reprising her role on Dallas first. It was her husband, newscaster John Marshall, who encouraged her to accept the role despite her busy schedule. When it was announced that Julie Harris would play Val’s mother, Joan was thrilled. “I couldn’t believe they had picked her to be my mother”, she recalled in a 1984 interview.
After 13 seasons and 327 episodes on Knots Landing, Joan left the show just before its final season. While many speculated that her departure contributed to the show’s cancellation, she was ready for new challenges. “I loved my time on that show”, she stated, expressing gratitude to the show’s creator, David Jacobs, and her co-star, Ted Shackelford, who she considered family.
Joan and John, who met in high school, have been happily married for over 58 years and share a daughter, Vanessa Marshall, who works in the entertainment industry. Now at 81, Joan has a net worth of $10 million and remains stunning. She was last spotted five years ago, casually paying for parking in workout attire.
Her most recent appearance was in the 2017 television film Psycho Wedding Crasher. After a remarkable 50-year career in entertainment, Joan van Ark is now a life member of The Actor’s Studio, solidifying her legacy as an icon.
THE END OF A LEGEND. PRAYERS NEEDED FOR CELINE DION
Since the singer seemed to have lost a considerable amount of weight, magazines have been covering Céline Dion’s health.
Her admirers expressed worry, claiming she no longer looks like the person she used to be. However, she insisted that she ought to be left alone.
The singer, who was born in Canada, said to those who were critiquing her appearance in an interview recently “If I like it, I don’t want to talk about it. Don’t bother. Don’t take a picture. If you like it, I’ll be there. If you don’t, leave me alone.”
However, it was recently revealed by one of her representatives that Dion experiences muscle spasms, which interfere with her performance on stage. Dion was consequently forced to postpone her concerts in Las Vegas from November of last year to January 19 to February 5, 2022, in addition to the pandemic that altered the path of many people’s lives.
“Celine has been experiencing severe and persistent muscle spasms which are preventing her from performing,” the statement read.
“Her medical team continues to evaluate and treat her. However, the symptoms she is experiencing are prohibiting her from participating in the ongoing rehearsals for the new show.”
The singer herself shared her sadness on Instagram about the postponed concert dates as well as her ongoing health problems.
“Hello, everyone. I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to reach out to you. I miss you all so much and I can’t wait to be on stage talking to you in person,” Dion said in the video.
“As you know, I’ve always been an open book and I wasn’t ready to say anything before, but I’m ready now. I’ve been dealing with problems with my health for a long time and it’s been really difficult for me to face these challenges and to talk about everything that I’ve been going through.
“Recently, I’ve been diagnosed with a very rare neurological disorder called the stiff-person syndrome, which affects something like one in a million people. While we’re still learning about this rare condition, we now know this is what’s been causing all of the spasms that I’ve been having. Unfortunately, these spasms affect every aspect of my daily life, sometimes causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal chords to sing the way I’m used to.”
“I’m working hard with my sports medicine therapist every day to build back my strength and my ability to perform again, but I have to admit it’s been a struggle,” she said. “All I know is singing. It’s what I’ve done all my life and it’s what I love to do the most.
“I miss you so much. I miss seeing all of you, being on the stage performing for you. I always give a hundred percent when I do my shows, but my condition is now allowing me to give you that right now,” she continued.
Dion concluded the video saying: “I want to thank you so much for your encouraging wishes and love and support on my social media. This means a lot to me.
“Take care of yourselves. Be well. I love you guys so much and I really hope I can see you again real soon.”
Dion has a long history with Las Vegas, which she considers to be her home. Her history with “Sin City” began in 2003 when she embarked on a four-year residency in Las Vegas, which proved to be a great success, bringing in over $385 million.
Billboard reports that after a few years, Dion made a comeback to the Las Vegas stage for a residency at Ceasar’s Palace, where she performed 1,141 times, breaking the previous record.
She also owns the records for the two all-time best-selling residencies.
Dion had previously stated that her tour would start in May 2022 due to health concerns, but the dates have since been further postponed. She postponed her residency in Las Vegas at the same time.
She made $680 million from her two previous Las Vegas residencies alone. According to reports, she has a net worth of approximately $800 million, with revenue of $37 million in 2019.
Based on her earnings for the Celine residency show, it has been reported that the singer lost approximately $70 million in revenue due to her absence from the stage.
Aside from that, she is content that her vacation allowed her to spend more time with her kids
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