Richard Roundtree was an American actor and producer who was best known for his role as John Shaft in the 1971 film of the same name.
He was married twice in his life, and his second wife was Karen M. Ciernia.
If you are curious about who Karen M. Ciernia is, take a read.
Karen M. Ciernia
Ciernia was born in 1958 and grew up in Los Angeles, California.
Karen Ciernia is an alumna of the University of Northern Colorado (UNC).
She met Roundtree in the early 1980s, and they married in September 1980.
Together, they had three children: Nicole, Morgan, and Tayler.
Marriage and Divorce
Roundtree and Ciernia were married for 18 years before divorcing in 1998.
The reasons for their divorce are unknown, but they remained on good terms after their split.
Ciernia’s life after marriage with Roundtree
Ciernia has maintained a relatively private life since her divorce from Roundtree.
She is no longer in the public eye, and there is little information available about her current activities.
Who was Richard Roundtree?
Richard Roundtree was born and raised in New Rochelle, New York, and dropped out of college to pursue his acting and modeling careers in 1963.
His first notable work was modeling for the Ebony Fashion Fair that year, followed by appearances in advertisements, including for Salem cigarettes and Duke’s hair products.
Later, he also joined the New York-based theater company N*gro Ensemble Company and acted in plays such as The Great White Hope and Mau Mau Room.
However, he rose to fame with his role as John Shaft, a private detective, in the 1970s action movie Shaft, followed by his two sequels.
His other notable filmography includes Man Friday, Inchon, and City Heat.
He also worked on TV shows, such as the 1977 ABC miniseries Roots and Desperate Housewives, among others.