Summary
Joyce Holden (born Jo Ann Heckert, September 1, 1930 – January 21, 2022) was an American film and television actress.
Joyce Holden | |
|---|---|
 Holden in 1952 | |
| Born | Jo Ann Heckert September 1, 1930 Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | January 21, 2022 (aged 91) Encinitas, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Spouse(s) | Arnold Stanford (1951–1955; divorced) David P. Mannhalter (1958–2022) |
Early years edit
Holden was born in Kansas City, Missouri on September 1, 1930.[1] The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. D.P. Heckert, she was of Swedish, English, German and Dutch ancestry.
As a teenager, she modeled at a department store and used her drawing abilities to win a scholarship to the Kansas City Art Institute. In the summer before Holden's senior year in high school, she and her brother went with their mother to Los Angeles, intending to spend two weeks' vacation there. Instead, they stayed, and she attended Hollywood High School her senior year. She went on to study at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).[2]
Film edit
Holden's screen debut was in Universal-International's The Milkman (1950). Her other films included Iron Man (1951), Bronco Buster,[2] Girls in the Night (1953) and You Never Can Tell (1951).[3]
In 1958, she retired from acting after having appeared in 13 films. Lee Cozad wrote in the book More Magnificent Mountain Movies, "Holden found herself in a Hollywood that was awash with young brunette starlets and subsequently hung on for a couple of years, playing bit parts in 'A' movies and a few leads in 'B' pictures."[4]
In a 1952 newspaper column distributed by Newspaper Enterprise Association, Holden attributed the difficulties in her film career to the fact that she started in comedy films. "It's murder when a young actress is stamped as a comedienne in Hollywood," she said. "My big mistake was in showing I had a comedy flair. There's no chance in Hollywood for an actress who starts out in comedy. You graduate into it." [5]
Television edit
Holden was a regular on The Donald O'Connor Show (1954-1955).[6] She also appeared in the Spin and Marty segment on The Mickey Mouse Club.[7]
Personal life edit
On June 16, 1951, Holden married song writer Arnold Stanford in Las Vegas, Nevada. They were divorced on October 31, 1955.[8]
Holden wed her second husband, industrial real estate broker David Mannhalter, in 1958. The couple were active members of the Jehovah's Witnesses.[9] She died in Encinitas, California on January 21, 2022, at the age of 91.[10]
References edit
- ^ "How's Your Mind?". Pottstown Mercury. Pennsylvania, Pottstown. December 29, 1953. p. 4. Retrieved December 20, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Pollock, Louis (May 1952). "Hey, Good Lookin'!". Modern Screen. 44 (6): 70, 83–84. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
- ^ Lawler, Joe (March 15, 1953). "Miss Television Goes Burlesque". California, Long Beach. California, Long Beach. p. 117. Retrieved December 18, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ More Magnificent Mountain Movies. W. Lee Cozad. p. 208. ISBN 9780972337236. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
- ^ Johnson, Erskine (October 19, 1952). "Joyce Holden Is Out To Live Down Commedienne (sic) Stamp". The Fresno Bee The Republican. California, Fresno. Newspaper Enterprise Association. p. 24. Retrieved December 20, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7. P. 276.
- ^ "Outdoor Girl in a Camp". LIFE. Time Inc. September 24, 1956. p. 136. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
- ^ "Joyce Holden Gets Divorce". The Courier News. Blytheville, Arkansas. Associated Press. November 1, 1955. p. 19. Retrieved December 18, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Pauley, Gay (April 13, 1965). "Joyce Holden Door-to-Door Calls". Eureka Humboldt Standard. California, Eureka. United Press International. p. 4. Retrieved December 18, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Joyce Holden". Glamour Girls of the Silver Screen. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
