Kathryn Joosten portrayed “Karen McCluskey” for eight years on ABC series Desperate Housewives – a role for which she won two Primetime Emmy Awards. A former psychiatric nurse, Joosten switched gears into acting at the age of 42. She made guest appearances in such popular television series as Home Improvement, Dharma & Greg, Las Vegas, The Drew Carey Show, Frasier, Just Shoot Me!, ER and Seinfeld. Joosten appeared alongside Will Ferrell in Wedding Crashers and as “Aunt Jackie” in Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel.
Joosten also appeared in many television commercials, including a familiar series of spots for Fiber One and V8.
Born December 20 1939, in Eustis, Florida, Joosten spent much of her life in Illinois, where she worked for many years as a psychiatric nurse. The mother of two decided to pursue her dream of becoming a performer after her marriage ended. She studied at the renowned Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago, and worked in community theater prior to moving to Los Angeles in the mid-1990s.
In addition to her career as a performer, Joosten was active in the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, where she served multiple terms as a governor of the Performers Peer Group and served on various committees.
After being diagnosed with lung cancer, Joosten sought to raise awareness about the disease. She encouraged Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry to have her character, Mrs. McCluskey, battle the disease in order to call attention to it.
In addition, she was named the national spokesperson for the Lung Cancer Profiles campaign on behalf of Pfizer.
In 2010 she became the National Spokesperson for Christmas Seals.
Kathryn Joosten had the distinction of being interviewed by the Television Academy Foundation's Archive of American Television (now The Interviews). During the nearly three-hour interview, conducted in Westlake Village on May 9, 2012, by Nancy Harrington, Joosten described her start in acting at age 42.
She outlined her first career, as a psychiatric nurse, and how she decided to pursue her love of acting when her marriage ended.
Joosten also recalled studying and performing at the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago, and moving to Los Angeles in the mid-1990s. She then recounted her guest roles on several shows, including Family Matters, Murphy Brown, Dharma & Greg and Scrubs.
In addition, she detailed the two roles for which she best known — Mrs. Landingham on The West Wing and Karen McCluskey on Desperate Housewives.
Joosten also spoke of her longtime involvement with the Television Academy, serving as governor of the Performers Peer Group. She talked of her two Primetime Emmy wins — both for her role on Desperate Housewives — and openly discussed her battle with lung cancer.
