1927-08-20 Wandsworth, London, England, UK
British actress best known for her role as Mildred Roper in the '70s sitcom Man About the House and its spin-off George and Mildred. Born to musical parents Hurst Needham and Jessica Rivett in 1927, Joyce was trained at RADA, toured with ENSA and came to prominence via the Joan Littlewood Theatre Workshop, securing roles in TV shows such as The Avengers, Man in a Suitcase, Te Saint, Jason King and Steptoe and Son, and the films The Pumpkin Eater, A Man For All Seasons, Charlie Bubbles, All the Right Noises and Burke and Hare. She was married to fellow actor Glynn Edwards from 1956 to 1968, and they remained friends all her life. An alcoholic, Joyce died from liver failure in 198o, just four days after her 53rd birthday. Her sitcom co-star Brian Murphy was by her side. In 1986 the Smiths used an image of Joyce on the sleeve of their UK single release "Ask" and the German release of "Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others" securing her place as a British cultural icon.
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Man About the House: 50 Years of Laughs | Archive Footage | 2023-10-14 |
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George & Mildred | Mildred Roper | 1980-10-10 |
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Frankenstein: The True Story | Hospital Matron | 1974-09-19 |
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Man About the House | Mildred | 1974-12-22 |
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Steptoe & Son Ride Again | Freda | 1973-05-01 |
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Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width | Mrs. Finch | 1973-01-03 |
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Nearest and Dearest | 1972-01-01 | |
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Burke & Hare | Mrs. Hare | 1972-02-03 |
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The Road Builder | Mrs. Palafox | 1971-02-25 |
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All the Right Noises | Mrs. Bird | 1970-10-16 |
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Fragment of Fear | Miss Ward-Cadbury | 1970-09-03 |
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Twenty-Nine | The prostitute | 1969-01-01 |
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Charlie Bubbles | Woman in Cafe | 1968-02-11 |
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Your Name's Not God, It's Edgar | 1968-12-09 | |
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Luther | Katharine Luther | 1968-01-29 |
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Stranger in the House | Shooting Range Girl | 1967-05-23 |
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Our Mother's House | Mrs. Quayle | 1967-09-14 |
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Kaleidoscope | Museum Receptionist | 1966-07-01 |
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A Man for All Seasons | Averil Machin | 1966-12-13 |
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Fanatic | Anna | 1965-03-21 |
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Catch Us If You Can | Nan | 1965-07-15 |
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The Pumpkin Eater | Woman at Hairdresser's | 1964-07-16 |
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A Place to Go | Bit Role (uncredited) | 1963-07-01 |
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Sparrows Can't Sing | Barmaid | 1963-03-26 |
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The Fishing Match | Cissy | 1962-08-19 |
