She made her film debut in Gladiator (1992) and received recognition for her roles in various television shows including CBS Schoolbreak Special (1991), Law & Order (1996–2024), Mad Men (2010), and …

Karen Wheeler (née Childress), [3] portrayed by Cara Buono, is a main character in Stranger Things. She is the loving but somewhat clueless mother of Nancy, Mike, and Holly, and the wife of Ted.

Dec 26, 2025 · Move over #JusticeforBarb. It turns out that Stranger Things's Karen Wheeler was the one who deserved a fair shake all along. [Warning: Spoilers ahead from volume 2.] Forever masking …

Dec 22, 2025 · Actress Cara Buono plays Karen Wheeler in Netflix's sci-fi hit 'Stranger Things,' whose fifth and final season will come to end this month. Buono says watching the show's young cast grow …

3 days ago · Karen Wheeler, who was oblivious in earlier seasons has stepped up in season 5, as she somehow managed to save the day yet again in Stranger Things.

20 hours ago · Karen Wheeler proves she's the real badass in Stranger Things Season 5 Mrs. Wheeler might not be a pivotal character of the series, but Season 5 proves that she's the real badass …

Cara Buono. Actress: Stranger Things. As a young girl growing up in New York City, Cara Buono took her family's blue-collar work ethic and began to turn it into an acting career that would later lead not …

Mar 9, 2025 · In 2015, Cara Buono joined the cast of Netflix’s Stranger Things, taking on the role of Karen Wheeler, the mother of Mike, Nancy, and Holly Wheeler. The series premiered on July 15, …

Dec 3, 2025 · Cara Buono has played Karen Wheeler across all five seasons of the Netflix hit, and the stakes for her character have never been higher.

May 17, 2025 · Cara Buono was born in The Bronx, New York City, USA, on 1 March 1971, and is an actress, best known for her roles in popular television series such as “Mad Men” in which she played …