[4][5] She began her dancing career in Texas,[6][7] appearing in the corps de ballet of the Fort Worth Civic Opera.

She went on to appear in over twenty Broadway productions, mostly musicals, including Carnival in Flanders (1953), Pipe Dream (1955-1956), Bells Are Ringing (1956-1959), The Body Beautiful (1958), Redhead (1959-1960), Once Upon a Mattress (1959-1960), Bye Bye Birdie (1960-1961),[11] Do Re Mi (1960-1962), Look to the Lilies (1970), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1972), Different Times (1972), Seesaw (1973), Irene (1973-1974), Pippin (1974-1976), A Broadway Musical (1978), and the 1993 revival of My Fair Lady.

[12][13] She was often the understudy of stars, including Chita Rivera, Carol Burnett, Michele Lee, Nancy Walker, and Gwen Verdon.

On television, Karr appeared in the soap operas Ryan's Hope, All My Children, Guiding Light, and The Edge of Night,[20] and had guest roles on dozens of other American series.

[22] She was injured in a "bizarre accident" in 2017, when strong winds picked up a discarded Christmas tree from the curb, and it hit her in the face as she was walking her dog near her home.