Harley Jane Kozak (born Susan Jane Kozak; January 28, 1957) is an American actress and author. She made her film debut in the slasher film The House on Sorority Row (1982), and had a role as Mary Duvall on the soap opera Santa Barbara between 1985 and 1986. She later had supporting parts in Clean and Sober (1988) and When Harry Met Sally... (1989), before starring in the major studio films Parenthood (1989) and Arachnophobia (1990).

Kozak continued to act in film throughout the remainder of the 1990s and into the 2000s, but turned her focus to writing. She has published five mystery novels since 2004. Her debut novel, Dating Dead Men, earned her Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity awards.

Early life Kozak was born Susan Jane Kozak in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, the youngest of eight children to Dorothy ( Taraldsen), a music teacher, and Joseph Aloysius Kozak, an attorney. Her father died when she was one year old, after which her mother relocated the family to North Dakota. When Kozak was six years old, her mother was hired as a professor at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Kozak spent the remainder of her childhood on a farm east of Lincoln.

Kozak attended the University of Nebraska–Lincoln for three semesters before relocating to New York City, where she worked as a waitress for ten years. During this period, she attended New York University's Graduate Acting Program at the Tisch School of the Arts, graduating in 1980. Of her name, Kozak has said that "Harley" came from a former boyfriend, who owned a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, and that she liked the nickname, later having her name legally changed.

Career Acting

Kozak starred in movies such as The House on Sorority Row (1983), Parenthood (1989), Side Out (1990), Arachnophobia (1990), The Taking of Beverly Hills (1991), Necessary Roughness (1991), All I Want for Christmas (1991), The Favor (1994), Magic in the Water (1995), Unforgivable (1996), and the soap operas Texas (from November 1981 to December 1982 as Brette Wheeler), Guiding Light (from 1983 to 1985 and a one-day voice-over in February 1990, as both Annabelle Sims Reardon and Annabelle's deceased mother, in 1983 flashbacks, Annie Sims) and Santa Barbara (from 1985 to 1986 and again in 1989, as former nun Mary Duvall McCormick).

In Santa Barbara, her character died in an accident where a giant neon letter "C" toppled onto her during an argument atop the Capwell hotel. Viewers were so angry over Mary's death that they started a letter-writing campaign demanding for her reappearance. The show received such a huge number of letters that eventually they admitted their mistake and asked Kozak to come back. She declined the offer since she was already working with other projects and she was proud of the unusual way her character had made her exit. In February 1989, though, she made a brief return as an angel in Heaven. In 1987 Harley received a Soap Opera Digest Award from her role as Mary. In 1993–1994, Kozak played Alison Hart, wife of Dave Hart, portrayed by Beau Bridges, on the CBS comedy/western series Harts of the West.

In 1996, Kozak appeared in the mini-series Titanic along with Peter Gallagher and Catherine Zeta Jones. She played the role of Bess Allison, a mother who dies while searching for her missing baby at the time when RMS Titanic sinks. Kozak was originally chosen to play Karen Sammler in the TV show Once and Again. She filmed the pilot, but was asked to withdraw from the series when she became pregnant with her first child, because they did not want her character to be pregnant. The role went to Susanna Thompson. Also in 1996, Kozak portrayed a battered wife in a made-for-TV movie, Unforgivable, co-starring with John Ritter, and received praise for her "strong" performance. Kozak also appeared in "Cold Lazarus", a first-season episode of Stargate SG-1, as Sara O'Neill.

Writing Kozak has written five novels: Dating Dead Men (2004), Dating Is Murder : A Novel (2005), Dead Ex (2007), and A Date You Can't Refuse (2008), all of which feature greeting-card designer and amateur sleuth Wollie Shelley, a woman with very eccentric friends and family. The first three novels were published by Doubleday, a division of Random House, and the most recent was published by Broadway Books following the restructuring of Doubleday. Dating Dead Men won an Agatha Award, an Anthony Award, and a Macavity Award for best first novel. Kozak's fifth book is Keeper of the Moon, a paranormal romantic suspense novel.

Personal life Kozak lives in Los Angeles. She has been married twice: a brief union in the early 1980s and a second marriage from 1997 until 2007 to entertainment lawyer Gregory Aldisert, with whom she has three children.

Partial filmography Year Title Role Notes 1981–1982 Texas Brette Wheeler TV series 1982 The House on Sorority Row Diane 1983–1985 Guiding Light Annabelle Sims Reardon TV series 1985–1986 Santa Barbara Mary Duvall TV series 1988 Clean and Sober Ralston Receptionist 1988–1989 Knightwatch Barbara 'Babs' Shepard TV series 1989 When Harry Met Sally... Helen Hillson 1989 Parenthood Susan Buckman 1990 So Proudly We Hail Susan McCarran Television film 1990 Side Out Kate Jacobs 1990 Arachnophobia Molly Jennings 1991 Necessary Roughness Dr. Suzanne Carter 1991 The Taking of Beverly Hills Laura Sage 1991 All I Want for Christmas Catherine O'Fallon 1993 The Amy Fisher Story Amy Pagnozzi 1993–1994 Harts of the West Alison Hart TV series 1994 The Favor Kathy Whiting 1995 The Android Affair Karen Garrett Television film 1995 Magic in the Water Dr. Wanda Bell 1995 Charlie Grace Holly TV series 1995 Bringing up Jack Ellen McMahon TV series 1996 The Nerd Tanzie Boyd Television film 1996 Unforgivable Judy Hegstrom Television film 1996 A Friend's Betrayal Abby Hewitt Television film 1996 Titanic Bess Allison Miniseries 1997 Stargate SG-1 Sara O'Neill TV series 1997 Dark Planet Brendan 1997 The Lovemaster Karen 1997 The Outer Limits Prisoner 98843 TV series Episode: The Camp 1997–1998 You Wish Gillian Apple TV series 1998 Emma's Wish Joy Bookman Television film 2005 I Love the '80s 3-D Herself Documentary miniseries; Episode: "1989" 2009 The Red Queen Church Lady 2010 Vipers in the Grass Celia Bowman Short film 2015 I Spit on Your Grave III: Vengeance Is Mine Therapist 2015 A Kind of Magic Abby 2018 The Amaranth Holly 2019 More Beautiful for Having Been Broken Vivienne

Bibliography Wollie Shelley Mysteries #TitlePublication DatePublisherISBNAwards1Dating Dead Men2004DoubledayMacavity Award for Best First Mystery Novel (2005)

Anthony Award for Best First Novel (2005)

Agatha Award, for Best First Novel (2004)2Dating Is Murder: A Novel 2005Doubleday3Dead Ex2007Doubleday4A Date You Can't Refuse2009Broadway Books

The Keepers, LA Books 0.5, 1, 3 and 4 by Heather Graham Pozzessere #TitlePublication DatePublisherISBN2Keeper of the Moon2013Harlequin Book 3 by Alexandra Sokoloff

Anthologies Collection or AnthologyContributionPublication DatePublisherISBNLandmarked for Murder2006Top PublicationsMystery Muses2006Crum Creek PressThis Is Chick LitThe Infidelity Diet2006BenBella BooksA Hell Of A Woman2007Busted Flush PressCrimes by MoonllightMadeeda2010Berkley Publishing (ebook)Write Good or DieNaNoNoNoNoNoMo2010 2011Haunted Computer Books Smashwords EditionButcher Knives & Body Counts: Essays On the Formula, Frights, and Fun of the Slasher FilmThe House on Sorority Row2010Dark Scribe PressMystery Writers of America Presents The Rich and the DeadLamborghini Mommy2011For the Sake of the Game: Stories Inspired by the Sherlock Holmes CanonThe Walk-In2018Pegasus Books

References

External links Official Site