James Karen

NEW YORK — James Karen, a prolific character actor whose credits included appearances in “Poltergeist” and “The Return of the Living Dead,” has died at 94.

Few actors had so long and diverse a career. He appeared in Elia Kazan’s 1940s stage production of “A Streetcar Named Desire,” which starred Marlon Brando. He befriended Buster Keaton in the 1950s and had a brief role in one of the silent star’s most unusual projects, “Film,” a short written by Samuel Beckett.

He met Marilyn Monroe at the Actors Studio in New York and filmed a commercial with the Three Stooges. He was directed by Oliver Stone in “Wall Street” and David Lynch in “Mulholland Drive.” His TV credits ranged from “Dallas” and “The Waltons” to “Seinfeld.”