Lar Park Lincoln, ‘Knots Landing’ and ‘Friday the 13th’ Star, Dies at 63

Lar Park Lincoln, the refined ever-gracious actress whose energetic on-screen presence commanded TV viewing audiences as well as filmgoing audiences along with cinemagoers, died April 22 at 63. Perhaps more familiar to television viewers with a featured role playing a Knots Landing TV serial drama heroine and with a role in a horror hit Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood, Lincoln was found to be remembered by mainstream entertainment based on the extensive body of work as both performer and businessperson.

Her death was announced by her production company, Actors Audition Studios, in an emotional Facebook posting. The news was met with an avalanche of sympathy from actors and viewers who loved both her work and her philanthropy throughout the years.

Lincoln popularized herself during the 1980s by playing Linda Fairgate on the soap series Knots Landing. She appeared as daughter-in-law to regular cast member Michele Lee’s character, Karen Fairgate, for a period of five years.

Lincoln did make a cameo as another of the same show’s cast members “Sally’s Friend” although in a guest appearance as a corpse who survived only for eight shows. A interesting aside it was, yes, but also one which worked well in going towards emphasizing further the actress and her talents behind and in front of the camera.

Prior to Knots Landing, Lincoln had gained her first on-screen background experience in the television movie Children of the Night, a teenage prostitute with veteran actors Kathleen Quinlan and Mario Van Peebles. It exposed her to being cast into other TV roles during the 1980s and the 1990s.

Her first work in television was a guest appearance in shows such as Heart of the City, Hunter, and Outlaws. She played parts in The Princess Academy and cult horror-comedy film House II: The Second Story. She even appeared as a guest in number one-rated shows Highway to Heaven, cementing her position as a house face on television in America.

One of her longest-running career gigs was in 1988, playing the role of Tina Shepard in Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood. Lincoln starred in this movie as a bad attitude telekinetic teen who gets herself fighting the legendary slasher killer Jason Voorhees. Her portrayal of Tina one of the genre’s rare “final girls” with supernatural powers was a season highlight and won the devotion of a cult following. The fanbase for the show has traditionally been thankful for her character being an injection of vulnerability and depth into a genre that hasn’t always proved to be recognizable as being open to emotional investment.

Following Friday the 13th, she also guest-starred on Freddy’s Nightmares, Murder, She Wrote, Beverly Hills 90210, and City of Justice. Her film and television career just continued throughout the 2000s and 2010s, and then more recently on independent films like Autumn Road, Expulsion, From the Dark, and Sky Sharks. Her last film work was the Ghost Party in 2022.

But Lincoln was an actress just once she was a coach, a teacher, and an entrepreneur. She worked out of her Dallas home, starting Actors Audition Studios, a company that attempted to educate wannabe actors on how to audition and make business in show business. She even wrote a book, Get Started, Not Scammed, that walked newbies through the industry’s most prevalent pitfalls. Her humility and good leadership also enabled many young female actresses to become confident and be liberated from exploitation under rough trade.

Other than acting and teaching, Lincoln also hosted QVC for 19 years as a celebrity hostess. She even had a clothing line called Piper Alexander Collection, indicating that she had good taste in clothes and sharp eyes for fashion.

Her legacy is not only to the women she played on television, but to those lives she altered behind the scenes. Through her guidance, through her time at QVC, or through her honest interviews recording the battle and the payoff of show business, Lincoln made her presence known where she went.

Lar Park Lincoln is survived by her daughter Piper, son Trevor, sister Karen, brother Michael, and four precious grandchildren. Her family requests in loving memory that anyone who would like to make a donation in her name in a positive manner would do so to The SAG-AFTRA Foundation or The Entertainment Community Fund two charitable foundations that provide aid to struggling performers and actors.

For anyone who wants to attend her celebration of life or would like to learn more about how to celebrate her legacy, the family requested questions to be mailed to [email protected].

Ultimately, Lar Park Lincoln will be remembered not only for her characters, but for living life imaginatively, compassionately, and fearlessly. From battling supernatural beings on the TV screen to empowering young women in real life, she made herself known in more than one place.