James Karen (born James Karnofsky; November 28, 1923 – October 23, 2018) was an American actor. He was known for his roles as Martin Frohm in The Pursuit of Happyness and as Ben Hubbard in Superman Returns. He also starred in Poltergeist and The Return of the Living Dead.
Karen was born on November 28, 1923 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania to a Russian-Jewish family. He studied at Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre. Karen was married to Susan Reed from 1958 until they divorced in 1967. They had one child. He married Alba Francesca in 1986.
Karen died on October 23, 2018 in Los Angeles at the age of 94. The cause was cardiopulmonary arrest.