A Dallas native, K's professional stage career began at Dallas' famous Margo Jones Theatre where she apprenticed while studying at North Texas State University. Stints singing at a local Air Force Base, teaching at her old high school, marriage and three children delayed her planned move to New York. When she arrived in Manhattan with three young children in hand, she began her studies with Herbert Berghoff at HB Studios.
Commercials kept the family eating until her Big Break playing Peter Boyle's wife in the ground breaking hard hat drama, "Joe." When she moved to Los Angeles, her first night time television jobs were for Norman Lear, most famously playing a gay schoolteacher in the iconic Emmy winning Cousin Liz episode of "All in the Family."
Most recently, K can be seen in the 5th episode of Rian Johnson's murder anthology, Poker Face warning everyone of the bad guys. Previously, she played the matriarch of the graceless Thrombey family in Johnson's star-studded mystery film, "Knives Out". Deemed least horrible of the family members by GQ, Callan's character caught the attention of the press.
https://www.gq.com/story/the-knives-out-family-members-ranked-by-how-horrible-they-are
Her most recent onstage work at Los Angeles' Victory Theatre brought Ovation recognition and a new movie credit when the play was translated to the screen.
"Pie in
the Sky" begins streaming in 2024. Also on tap is thriller "Sew Torn" directed by student academy award winner Freddy Macdonald. Other notable roles include Superman's mom in "Lois & Clark: the New Adventures of Superman", a silver dollar vomiting fruit picker in "Carnivale", faded movie star Miss Daisy in Tyler Perry's "Meet the Browns", Grandma Lois, whose double entendre shower gift was the hit of the bridal shower on "How I Met Your Mother", Richard Gere's alibi in "American Gigolo" and a mother-in-law who got even in "The Closer". For more credits check https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0130282/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1 as well as the clips link.
In addition to her collection of show business how to guides (see books), Callan is an active member of both the Motion Picture and Television Academies.