A Consistent Presence During Television’s Most Influential Decades

Linda Evans is an American actress whose career became closely tied to the rise of television from the 1960s through the 1980s. She first gained wide attention as Audra Barkley on The Big Valley, which aired from 1965 to 1969 alongside Barbara Stanwyck. The series gave Evans steady visibility and helped establish her reputation for disciplined, reliable performances that audiences could trust week after week.

Her defining moment came in 1981 when she was cast as Krystle Carrington on Dynasty. The show quickly became one of the most-watched programs of the decade, running until 1989. Evans’ portrayal earned her a Golden Globe Award and multiple People’s Choice Awards, cementing her status as one of the most recognizable television stars of the 1980s. Behind the scenes, cast interviews later described a largely professional and focused production environment.

Born Linda Evenstad on November 18, 1942, in Hartford, Connecticut, Evans grew up in a Norwegian-American family before moving to North Hollywood as a child. Encouraged by classmates, she studied drama and began her career with guest roles on television in the early 1960s. While she appeared in TV movies and a few theatrical releases, long-running television series remained the center of her professional life.

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