Karen Elizabeth Austin

Karen Elizabeth Austin
PerformerRDMCaprica
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Portrays:	Lilly (Re-imagined Series) Ruth (Caprica)
Date of Birth:
Date of Death:	April 2, 2011
Nationality:	CAN
Related Media
		@ BW Media
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IMDb profile

Karen Elizabeth Austin (died April 2, 2011) was a Canadian actress who portrayed Lilly in the Re-imagined Series episode "Escape Velocity," as well as Ruth in the series Caprica. Austin accumulated approximately 56 acting credits across film, television, and stage during a career spanning roughly three decades, working primarily within the Vancouver production community.

Early Life and Career

Details about Austin's early life, including her exact birth date and birthplace, have not been documented in publicly available sources. She performed at Canada's Stratford Festival in 1978 and 1979, placing her among the ranks of classically trained Canadian stage actors who passed through one of North America's foremost repertory theatres.

Austin built a steady career as a character actress working within the Vancouver production ecosystem. Her filmography reveals a working actor who appeared consistently in the television movies, genre series, and studio films that made Vancouver a prominent production hub.

Film

Austin's notable film credits include a role as Aba in The Clan of the Cave Bear (1986) starring Daryl Hannah; a part in Bill Forsyth's critically acclaimed Housekeeping (1987) as Mrs. Paterson; a small role as a bystander in the Robert De Niro–Sean Penn comedy We're No Angels (1989); and a role as the Hospital Receptionist in the Anne Hathaway thriller Passengers (2008). She also appeared as Mrs. Hillman in the Jessica Alba horror film The Eye (2008) and in the direct-to-video sequel 30 Days of Night: Dark Days (2010).

Television

Television work formed the backbone of Austin's career, and her guest appearances read like a map of Vancouver-shot genre television. She appeared in three episodes of 21 Jump Street (1987–1990), playing Sylvia, Mrs. Crawford, and Ms. Futterman; two episodes of Wiseguy (1989–1990) as Judge Knox; and an episode of MacGyver (1990). She also appeared on the Vancouver-produced fourth season of Airwolf (1987) as Dr. Sylvia Phyllis Robertson.

Further genre television credits include Millennium (1997) as Mrs. Anderson; The Outer Limits (1997); Poltergeist: The Legacy (1997) as Abby Cranford; Night Visions (2001) as Prairie Grandma; The 4400 (2005) as Sara James; two episodes of Earthsea (2005) as Farmer's Wife; two episodes of Masters of Horror (2005–2007) as Mom and Quinn; and Flash Gordon: A Modern Space Opera (2007–2008) as Lutie.

Austin also appeared in numerous television movies throughout the 1990s and 2000s, including Dead Ahead: The Exxon Valdez Disaster (1992), When a Stranger Calls Back (1993), Wyvern (2009), and Held Hostage (2009). Her final credited role was Older Nora in the 2011 television movie The Edge of the Garden. A posthumous "Special Thanks" credit appeared in the 2015 short film With Dad.

In the year 2000, she was credited as Karen Austin-Tuck for her role as Michael's Aunt in We All Fall Down, confirming her married name.

Battlestar Galactica Universe Roles

Lilly in "Escape Velocity"

Austin's connection to the Battlestar Galactica franchise began with the Re-imagined Series episode "Escape Velocity," which first aired on April 25, 2008. The episode was written by Jane Espenson and directed by Edward James Olmos.

Ruth in Caprica

Austin's most substantial role in the franchise was Ruth, a recurring character across eight episodes of Caprica (2009–2010), the prequel series set 58 years before the events of Battlestar Galactica.

Austin appeared in the following Caprica episodes: "Rebirth," "Reins of a Waterfall," "There Is Another Sky," "End of Line," "False Labor," "The Heavens Will Rise," "Here Be Dragons," and "Apotheosis." She was usually credited as a co-star except for "There Is Another Sky," in which she was billed as a guest star.

Personal Life

Austin was married to Mel Tuck, a highly regarded pioneer of Canadian theatre. Tuck is a director of international reputation and an innovator in acting training who has founded nine theatre companies and directed over 300 productions across Canada. He headed the drama department at Ryerson University for 13 years and ran the Gastown Actors Studio conservatory in Vancouver for 12 years. In 2019, Tuck received the UBCP/ACTRA John Juliani Award of Excellence for lifetime achievement. John Juliani was the father of Alessandro Juliani (Felix Gaeta).

Austin's name is memorialized in Austin-Tuck Studios, Tuck's Vancouver acting school located at 158 Powell Street in the Gastown neighborhood, where he taught advanced scene study for over 18 years. The studio has since been renamed the Deb Podowski Acting Studio, though its website notes it was formerly called Austin-Tuck Studios.

Several of Austin's Caprica castmates — including John Pyper-Ferguson, Hiro Kanagawa, Teryl Rothery, Jill Teed, and Roger Cross — were also students of Tuck, reflecting the tight-knit nature of Vancouver's acting community.

Austin died on April 2, 2011. Her final role in The Edge of the Garden was released that same year.

References