Karen Ragan-George
- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Director
After many years working in business, Karen returned to acting in 2014.
During her earlier go-round as an actor, Karen studied with talented actress/director, Myra Turley. She went on to study in New York City with Bart Teusch (Manhattan Theatre Club), Jose Quintero, and Elizabeth Dillon (HB Studios). She also had the good fortune to attend classes conducted by legends Herbert Berghof and Stella Adler. Karen performed in several off-off plays at the American Theatre of Actors and the 14th St. Playhouse, as well as volunteering with the Viet Nam Veterans Theatre Ensemble.
To pay the bills, Karen was an in-house floating Executive Assistant for Paramount Pictures. At that time, their offices were located in New York City and her favorite long-term assignment was with industry legend Jeffrey Katzenberg, whenever he was in the city.
She moved to Los Angeles in 1985 and became Assistant to writer/director H. Kaye Dyal (Lone Wolf McQuade) doing everything from typing scripts, production coordinating, pulling cable, and driving an RV to pick up Chuck Connors and Henry Silva at the Las Vegas airport. (Side note: The 'mob' made an appearance at a casino location and it got a little tricky, but what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas...).
Karen joined Lonny Chapman's Group Repertory Theatre in 1985 and appeared in several of their productions, including the West Coast Premiere of "Death Of A Miner" in the lead role of Mary Alice, the LA Premiere of "Demons & Angels" as Mary Wollstonecraft, and opposite Lonny Chapman as Miss Fancy in "Sly Fox."
In 1989, she began working as Assistant to multi-Emmy nominated, venerable television producer Frank Pace. During her eight years with Frank, she worked on pilot adaptations of "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" starring Charlie Schlatter and Jennifer Aniston and "Driving Miss Daisy," starring Robert Guillaume, Joan Plowright, and Saul Rubinek; the pilot episode of "Howie" starring Howie Mandel; sitcoms "Head of the Class" and "Billy" starring Billy Connolly; "Something Wilder" starring Gene Wilder; "Daddy Dearest" starring Don Rickles and Richard Lewis; and the made-for-TV movie, "Babe Ruth" starring Stephen Lang. Great years, indeed.
In 1994, she assisted highly accomplished sci-fi writer/director/producer and future Peabody Award Winner, Brannon Braga, on the first season of "Star Trek: Voyager." This would prove to be life-changing as Karen met the man who would become her husband, writer David R. George III, at a Voyager staff party. They married in 1996 and David would go on to become a New York Times & USA Today Bestselling author.
Her last position in television production was Assistant to Executive Producer Yvette Lee Bowser on "For Your Love" starring Holly Robinson Peete.
In 1996, she quit acting and eventually segued into Domestic Distribution at Warner Bros. In 2007, she was made Manager, Sales Operations, Motion Picture Domestic Sales, from which she took early retirement in 2013. She returned to acting and was accepted as a Company Member of Theatre West, the longest continuously running theatre company in LA. Theatre West was founded by Betty Garrett, Carroll O'Connor, Lee Meriwether, Beau Bridges, and other well-known NY actors as their LA theatrical home. Karen is now a proud member of Theatre West's Advisory Board.
In 2017, she and David moved to Atlanta, Georgia where she continues to act in television, film and commercials. In addition to performing, Karen started writing as more than a hobby, and in 2019 was named an Official Finalist in the Honolulu Film Awards Competition for her short film screenplay, "One Night At Sea." In 2021, Karen will become a first-time published writer with three short stories appearing in the "Outside In" book series. Outside In is a collection of unique, outside-the-box reviews of classic television episodes disguised as short stories. Her stories focus on episodes of "Twin Peaks," "Millennium," and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine." Her husband David also contributed and they will be published in the same editions.
During her earlier go-round as an actor, Karen studied with talented actress/director, Myra Turley. She went on to study in New York City with Bart Teusch (Manhattan Theatre Club), Jose Quintero, and Elizabeth Dillon (HB Studios). She also had the good fortune to attend classes conducted by legends Herbert Berghof and Stella Adler. Karen performed in several off-off plays at the American Theatre of Actors and the 14th St. Playhouse, as well as volunteering with the Viet Nam Veterans Theatre Ensemble.
To pay the bills, Karen was an in-house floating Executive Assistant for Paramount Pictures. At that time, their offices were located in New York City and her favorite long-term assignment was with industry legend Jeffrey Katzenberg, whenever he was in the city.
She moved to Los Angeles in 1985 and became Assistant to writer/director H. Kaye Dyal (Lone Wolf McQuade) doing everything from typing scripts, production coordinating, pulling cable, and driving an RV to pick up Chuck Connors and Henry Silva at the Las Vegas airport. (Side note: The 'mob' made an appearance at a casino location and it got a little tricky, but what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas...).
Karen joined Lonny Chapman's Group Repertory Theatre in 1985 and appeared in several of their productions, including the West Coast Premiere of "Death Of A Miner" in the lead role of Mary Alice, the LA Premiere of "Demons & Angels" as Mary Wollstonecraft, and opposite Lonny Chapman as Miss Fancy in "Sly Fox."
In 1989, she began working as Assistant to multi-Emmy nominated, venerable television producer Frank Pace. During her eight years with Frank, she worked on pilot adaptations of "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" starring Charlie Schlatter and Jennifer Aniston and "Driving Miss Daisy," starring Robert Guillaume, Joan Plowright, and Saul Rubinek; the pilot episode of "Howie" starring Howie Mandel; sitcoms "Head of the Class" and "Billy" starring Billy Connolly; "Something Wilder" starring Gene Wilder; "Daddy Dearest" starring Don Rickles and Richard Lewis; and the made-for-TV movie, "Babe Ruth" starring Stephen Lang. Great years, indeed.
In 1994, she assisted highly accomplished sci-fi writer/director/producer and future Peabody Award Winner, Brannon Braga, on the first season of "Star Trek: Voyager." This would prove to be life-changing as Karen met the man who would become her husband, writer David R. George III, at a Voyager staff party. They married in 1996 and David would go on to become a New York Times & USA Today Bestselling author.
Her last position in television production was Assistant to Executive Producer Yvette Lee Bowser on "For Your Love" starring Holly Robinson Peete.
In 1996, she quit acting and eventually segued into Domestic Distribution at Warner Bros. In 2007, she was made Manager, Sales Operations, Motion Picture Domestic Sales, from which she took early retirement in 2013. She returned to acting and was accepted as a Company Member of Theatre West, the longest continuously running theatre company in LA. Theatre West was founded by Betty Garrett, Carroll O'Connor, Lee Meriwether, Beau Bridges, and other well-known NY actors as their LA theatrical home. Karen is now a proud member of Theatre West's Advisory Board.
In 2017, she and David moved to Atlanta, Georgia where she continues to act in television, film and commercials. In addition to performing, Karen started writing as more than a hobby, and in 2019 was named an Official Finalist in the Honolulu Film Awards Competition for her short film screenplay, "One Night At Sea." In 2021, Karen will become a first-time published writer with three short stories appearing in the "Outside In" book series. Outside In is a collection of unique, outside-the-box reviews of classic television episodes disguised as short stories. Her stories focus on episodes of "Twin Peaks," "Millennium," and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine." Her husband David also contributed and they will be published in the same editions.
