A stunning former actress and model whose career peaked in the mid-1980s, Karen Kopins Shaw was born in Ridgefield, Connecticut on October 10, 1958. After graduating from Marymount College, she moved to California to pursue an acting career.

Between 1983 and 1984, Kopins landed guest spots on the TV shows The Fall Guy (1981), Riptide (1984), T.J. Hooker (1982), and Kara Şimşek (1982). In 1985, she made her feature film debut with a role in the musical Fast Forward (1985). The same year, she had a leading role in the horror comedy İlk Isırık (1985) alongside Jim Carrey. She also starred in Creator (1985) opposite Peter O'Toole, as well as Jake Speed (1986). She also had a role in the second half of season 11 (1988) of Dallas (1978), portraying Bobby Ewing's (Patrick Duffy) girlfriend.

Regrettably, Ms. Kopins mostly only guest-starred on shows - including A Takımı (1983), Bizim Ev (1987), and Designing Women (1986) - until her retirement from acting in 1994. Outside of work on the silver and TV screens, she also modeled, and was crowned Miss Connecticut 1977. Additionally, she has an impressive 250 commercials under her belt, as well as numerous print ads, and is a crusader against Lyme disease. She lives in Redding with her husband, residential contractor Mark Shaw, and their four children.