Linda Evans (born on November 18, 1942) is an American actress known primarily for her roles on television. In the 1960s, she first gained fame after playing Audra Barkley in the Western television series, The Big Valley (1965–1969). However she is most prominently known for the role of Krystle Carrington in the 1980s ABC prime time soap opera Dynasty, a role she played from 1981 to 1989. Born Linda Evenstad in Hartford, Connecticut, Evans was the second of three daughters to a couple who were professional dancers. "Evenstad" was the name of the small farm in Nes, Hedmark in Norway from where her paternal great-grandmother emigrated to the US in 1884 with her young son (Evans' grandfather) and a couple of relatives. When Evans was six months old, the family moved from Hartford to North Hollywood. To bring her out of her shyness a teacher insisted that she take drama at school. When she started her professional career, she changed her last name to "Evans". Evans appeared in Playboy magazine at the behest of her then-husband John Derek in 1971. Evans has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6834 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.