Linda Evans

Linda Evans is a Norwegian American actress known primarily for her roles on television. She rose to fame playing Audra Barkley, the daughter of Barbara Stanwyck’s Victoria Barkley in the 1960s Western TV series, The Big Valley. Evans’ most prominent role was that of longsuffering heroine Krystle Carrington in the 1980s ABC prime time television soap opera Dynasty, a role she played from 1981 to 1989.

She was born Linda Evenstad in Hartford, Connecticut, the second of three daughters to a couple who were professional dancers. “Evenstad” was the name of the small farm in Nes, Hedmark in Norway from where her paternal great-grandmother emigrated to the US in 1884 with her young son and a couple of relatives. When Linda was six months old, the family moved from Hartford to North Hollywood. To bring her out from her shyness, her parents insisted that she take drama at school. When she started her professional career, she changed her last name to “Evans”.

Evans has been married twice. She was first married to actor and film producer John Derek from 1968 to 1974. Evans’ second marriage was to Stan Herman, a property executive, from 1976 to 1981. In the 1990s Linda dated new age musician Yanni.