Actress Best Known For Movies Like 'Parenthood' (1989) & 'When Harry Met Sally...' (1989)

Harley Jane Kozak | Biography

Author of books like 'Keeper of the Moon' & 'Dating Dead Men'

• By Yunil Tamrakar
• Update : March 06, 2022

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Harley Jane Kozak is an actress and author best known for her appearances in the movies Parenthood (1989), When Harry Met Sally... (1989), and Arachnophobia (1990).

Who is Harley Jane Kozak?

Harley Jane Kozak, also known as Kozak Harley Jane, is an American author and actress. She was born Susan Jane Kozakon on 28 January 1957 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, USA. She grew up in Nebraska and later moved to Los Angeles after completing the NYU School of the Arts graduate acting program. 

She is the youngest among eight of her siblings. Her late father is Joe, and her mother is Dorothy, who moved to the West to pursue a career as a music teacher with her eight children.

Movies

Kozak debuted her movie career in 1982 after appearing in The House on Sorority Row as Diane. Then, she appeared in several TV series such as Texas, Guiding Light, Supercarrier, and Highway to Heaven, until 1988 when she played the role of Ralston Receptionist in the movie Clean and Sober.

The following year, she landed two of her most popular roles, Helen in When Harry Met Sally… and Susan in Parenthood.

In the 1990s, she appeared in several movies such as So Proudly We Hail (1990), Arachnophobia (1990), Necessary Roughness (1991), The Taking of Beverly Hills (1991), All I Want for Christmas (1991), The Favor (1994), and more.

After that, she took a break from movies until she played in The Red Queen in 2009 as Church Lady. In 2015, she was featured in I Spit on Your Grave: Vengeance Is Mine and A Kind of Magic.

Kozak's most recent movie appearance was in More Beautiful for Having Been Broken in 2019 as Vivienne Pinchot. Before that, she played the role of Holly in the 2018 film The Amaranth.

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TV Shows

Kozak first appeared in the TV series Texas in 1981. She played the recurring role of Brette Wheeler for 112 episodes until 1982. After that, she landed the role of Annabelle Sims Reardon in Guiding Light, appearing in 54 episodes from 1983 to 1985. 

Her character had psychic visions, and she loved that plot. "I love that storyline! My mother was way into psychic phenomenon. That was her closet life; her real world was being a university professor. So, I grew up with all that. It wasn't a stretch for me at all," she said in a 2021 interview with Soaphub.

Kozak made several small appearances in other shows like Highway to Heaven (1986), Supercarrier (1988), CBS Summer Playhouse (1988), Knightwatch (1988-1989) before being featured in Santa Barbara as one of her most memorable roles. She portrayed Mary Duvall / Mary Duvall McCormick for 178 episodes for five years, from 1985 to 1989. Kozak also attended the Santa Barbara Reunion Cruise in 2019.

In the subsequent years, Kozak appeared in shows such as L.A. Law (1991), Crossroads (1992), The Hidden Room (1993), Harts of the West (1993-1994), Strangers (1996), The Outer Limits (1997), Beggars and Choosers (2000).

After Beggars and Choosers, she didn't play any role in TV shows and mainly focused on publishing her books. However, she made a comeback in 2020, appearing in The Show Must Go Online as Charles.

Kozak was also recently featured in The Righteous Gemstones in 2022 for one episode.

Kozak Books

Kozak has published five books as of 2022. Her first book, 'Dating Dead Men,' was published in 2004. The plot revolves around Wollie Shelley, a Los Angeles greeting-card artist dating forty men in sixty days as part of a research. The novel also won the 'Agatha,' 'Anthony,' and 'Macavity' awards.

The following year, she released her second book, 'Dating Is Murder: A Novel.' Then, in 2007, Kozak published 'Dead Ex,' and 'A Date You Can't Refuse' in 2009. 

'Keeper of the Moon,' her book, released in 2013, follows shapeshifters, vampires, and other creatures. There are also humans, born with the ability to recognize these others, to protect them.

Where is She Today?

Kozak is still pursuing her career as an actress and an author. Her most recent appearance was in the TV series The Righteous Gemstones in 2022, and the most recently published book was 'Keeper of the Moon' in 2013.

According to her self-titled website, she goes to the BGB studio Wednesday nights to take improv classes. On Friday mornings, she's in Brentwood with The Oxnardians, and the rest of the time, she's walking the dogs, writing the novel, or recording audiobooks.

Furthermore, she does not hold any social media accounts to acclaim her images or present engagements.