Biography
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 1980, 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.
Movies & TV Shows
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A Man for All Seasons (1966) — Averil Machin
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The Avengers (1961) — Miss Lister
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The Saint (1962) — Milanov
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Fanatic (1965) — Anna
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The Pumpkin Eater (1964) — Woman at Hairdresser's
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Our Mother's House (1967) — Mrs. Quayle
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Fragment of Fear (1970) — Miss Ward-Cadbury
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Steptoe and Son (1962) — Delilah
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Frankenstein: The True Story (1974) — Hospital Matron
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Steptoe & Son Ride Again (1973) — Freda
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George & Mildred (1980) — Mildred Roper
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George and Mildred (1976) — Mildred Roper
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On the Buses (1969)
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Sparrows Can't Sing (1963) — Barmaid
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Burke & Hare (1972) — Mrs. Hare
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The Road Builder (1971) — Mrs. Palafox
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Man About the House (1973) — Mildred Roper
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Man About the House (1974) — Mildred Roper
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Charlie Bubbles (1968) — Woman in Cafe
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All the Right Noises (1970) — Mrs. Bird
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Catch Us If You Can (1965) — Nan
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Kaleidoscope (1966) — Museum Receptionist
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Stranger in the House (1967) — Shooting Range Girl
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Jason King (1971)
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A Place to Go (1963) — Bit Role (uncredited)
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BBC Play of the Month (1965) — Mademoiselle Motte
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Thirty-Minute Theatre (1965) — Agnes
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Nearest and Dearest (1972) — Mrs. Rhoda Rowbottom
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Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width (1973) — Mrs. Finch
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Seven of One (1973) — Mrs Scully
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Armchair Theatre (1956) — Cissy
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Frankenstein: The True Story (1973) — Hospital Matron
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The Wednesday Play (1964) — Rosalind Arnold
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Theatre 625 (1964) — Jane Matthews
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No Hiding Place (1959)
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Manhunt (1970) — Denise
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The World of Hammer (1994) — Self (archive footage)
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ITV Playhouse (1967) — Phoebe
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ITV Saturday Night Theatre (1969) — Erica Seydoux
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Twenty-Nine (1969) — The Prostitute