Karan Ashley is a former
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress.
Ashley was born
Karen Ashley Jackson in
Odessa, TexasOdessa is a city in and the county seat of Ector County, Texas, United States. It is located primarily in Ector County, although a small portion of the city extends into Midland County. Odessa's population was 99,940 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Odessa, Texas Metropolitan...
. She graduated from
David W. Carter High SchoolDavid Wendel Carter High School is a public school located in the Oak Cliff area of Dallas, Texas . David W. Carter High School, which covers grades 9-12, is a part of the Dallas Independent School District....
in
Dallas, TexasDallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
. In 1992, she was a member of the short-lived girl group K.R.U.S.H, who contributed a song to the soundtrack of
Mo' MoneyMo' Money is a 1992 romantic-crime-dramedy film, starring Damon Wayans, Marlon Wayans and Stacey Dash, and directed by Peter MacDonald. The screenplay was also written by Damon Wayans.-Synopsis:...
. She was known as "Ashley Jackson" at this time.
Ashley's first acting job was as
Aisha CampbellAisha Campbell is a fictional character from the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers TV Show. She was portrayed by Karan Ashley.Spirited and full of energy, Aisha was always up to the challenge of being a Power Ranger...
, the second Yellow Ranger in
Mighty Morphin Power RangersMighty Morphin Power Rangers is an American live-action children's television series based on the 16th installment of the Japanese Super Sentai franchise, Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger. Both the show and its related merchandise saw unbridled overnight success, catapulting into pop culture in mere months...
, replacing
Thuy TrangThuy Trang was a Vietnamese American actress. She was best known for her role as Trini Kwan, the original Yellow Ranger in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers television series.-Early life:...
(
Trini KwanTrini Kwan is a fictional character in the Power Rangers universe, portrayed by Vietnamese actress Thuy Trang. She is best remembered as the original Yellow Ranger in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, the first entry of the franchise....
). Staying on for two years, Ashley left the show in 1996. She was replaced by
Nakia BurriseNakia Burrise is an American singer and actress known for her role as Tanya Sloan on the television series Power Rangers from 1996-1997....
(Tanya) for
Power Rangers: ZeoPower Rangers Zeo is an American superhero television series and the second installment of the Power Rangers franchise that is a continuation of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, that aired in 1996. It is based on the Super Sentai series Chōriki Sentai Ohranger...
. Her last
Power Rangers appearance was in the finale for the third season of the series. Ashley has said that her decision to leave the series was because of the demanding hours. She also reveals that she was to be given an exiting story arc, just as
Amy Jo JohnsonAmy Jo Johnson is an American actress, singer, songwriter and musician.She is best known for her roles in the televison series as the constable Jules Callaghan in the Canadian CTV television series Flashpoint, the famous jockey Tina Sharp in the ABC Family's original show Wildfire, the rookie cop...
was, but instead, following time off while her character was reduced to a child for some time in the third season, she would find that she was not asked to return to the set, the official reason given was that her character's recovery would not require her to appear on screen.
Since then, Ashley has made guest appearances in TV shows such as
Hangin' with Mr. CooperHangin' with Mr. Cooper is an American television sitcom that originally aired on ABC from 1992 to 1997, starring Mark Curry and Holly Robinson. The show took place in Curry's hometown of Oakland, California. Hangin' with Mr. Cooper was produced by Jeff Franklin Productions, in association with...
,
Kenan & KelKenan & Kel is an American teen sitcom produced by Tollin/Robbins Productions that originally aired on Nickelodeon from July 1996 to July 2000. The show starred friends and then-All That cast members Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell. Sixty-two episodes and a made-for-TV movie were produced over four...
, and
The ParkersThe Parkers is an American sitcom . A spin-off of UPN's Moesha, The Parkers featured the mother-daughter team of Nikki and Kim Parker . The Parkers' signature "Heeyyy" greeting made its way into popular vernacular in the early 2000s.-Premise:The series centered around a mother and daughter who...
, just to name a few, and acted in a few minor films like
Taylor's WallTaylor's Wall is a 2001 television film directed by Craig Ross Jr., written by Cheryl McKay and starring Sam Doumit and Lukas Behnken.- Plot :...
. Her first big debut as, editor and executive producer was the independent film
Devon's Ghost, alongside fellow
Power Ranger alumnus
Johnny Yong BoschJohnny Yong Bosch is an American actor, voice actor, martial artist, and musician.He may be best known for portraying Adam Park in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, and being the English voice of Ichigo Kurosaki in the hit anime series Bleach, Vash the Stampede in Trigun and Lelouch Lamperouge in Code...
and executive producer
Koichi Sakamotois a Japanese-born stunt actor, and producer for films and television. He is best known for his work as executive producer, as well as fight coordinator and frequent director, for the long running Power Rangers franchise.-Early career:...
for Gag Order Films, Inc. While she also co-wrote
Devon's Ghost, her first writing staple came with the film
Unto Thee in 1997. She co-wrote the film with Gia and Tim Grace, and also starred in the movie.
In August 2010, Ashley was invited to Power Morphicon, the second Power Rangers fan convention in Pasadena, California.
As of September 2011, Ashley joined internet based Talk Radio Show Unscripted Radio With Mike and Jeff as a regular Co-Host.
External links