Brenda Joyce (born Betty Graftina Leabo,[citation needed] February 25, 1917[4] – July 4, 2009)[5] was an American film actress. She was best known for playing Jane Porter in RKO's Tarzan films from 1945 to 1949.
Brenda Joyce | |
|---|---|
 Joyce in the 1940s | |
| Born | Betty Graftina Leabo February 25, 1917 |
| Died | July 4, 2009 (aged 92) Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Other names | Betty Ward |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1939–1949 |
| Spouse | Owen Ward (1941–1960) (divorced) (3 children) |
| Children | 3[3] |
Early life
editThe daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Grafton Leabo,[6] Joyce was born in Excelsior Springs, Missouri, and was known to family and friends as Graftina.[citation needed]
When she was 5 years old, she moved with her mother to San Bernardino, California, staying there through her junior high school years. They moved to Los Angeles, California, where she attended high school. She entered the University of Southern California on a scholarship but transferred to the University of California, Los Angeles after one semester.[7]
Between her years in college and those in film, Joyce was a model for photographers. She appeared "in current magazines -- in new automobiles, using toothpaste, modeling shoes, smiling her way through the glossy life of a magazine girl."[7]
Film career
editAlthough she appeared in many B-movies of the 1940s, she had a prominent supporting role in the major film The Rains Came (1939) opposite George Brent and Myrna Loy, and was cast as Maris Hanover in the film, Little Tokyo, U.S.A. (1942). She is best-remembered as the seventh actress to play Jane in the Tarzan series of films. She succeeded Maureen O'Sullivan in the series and appeared in the role five times.
Her first four appearances as Jane were opposite Johnny Weissmuller. However, her last performance as Jane, in Tarzan's Magic Fountain (1949), was with Lex Barker as Tarzan. Joyce and Karla Schramm, from the silent era, were the only two actresses to play Jane opposite two different actors playing Tarzan.[citation needed]
She retired from acting in 1949.
Later years
editJoyce retired "at the peak of her career to raise a family."[8] Later, as Betty Ward, she became director of the Catholic Re-settlement Office in Monterey, California, and "helped hundreds of refugees find new lives in America."[8]
Personal life
editShe was married to Owen Ward, whom she had known "since her junior high school days,"[7] from 1941 until their divorce in 1960; they had three children, Pamela Ann, Timothy Owen and Beth Victoria.[citation needed]
Death
editJoyce died of pneumonia at age 92[9] on July 4, 2009, in a nursing home in Santa Monica, California.[5]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | The Rains Came | Fern Simon | |
| Here I Am a Stranger | Simpson Daniels | ||
| 1940 | Little Old New York | Harriet Livingston Fulton | |
| Maryland | Linda | ||
| Public Deb No. 1 | Penny Cooper | ||
| 1941 | Private Nurse | Mary Malloy | |
| Marry the Boss's Daughter | Fredericka Barrett | ||
| 1942 | Right to the Heart | Jenny Killian | |
| Whispering Ghosts | Elizabeth Woods | ||
| The Postman Didn't Ring | Julie Martin | ||
| Little Tokyo, U.S.A. | Maris Hanover | ||
| 1943 | Thumbs Up | Louise Latimer | |
| 1945 | Tarzan and the Amazons | Jane | |
| I'll Tell the World | Lorna Gray | ||
| Strange Confession | Mary | ||
| The Enchanted Forest | Anne | ||
| Pillow of Death | Donna Kincaid | ||
| 1946 | Tarzan and the Leopard Woman | Jane | |
| Little Giant | Miss Ruby Burke | ||
| The Spider Woman Strikes Back | Jean Kingsley | ||
| Danger Woman | June Spenser | ||
| 1947 | Tarzan and the Huntress | Jane | |
| Stepchild | Dale Bullock | ||
| 1948 | Tarzan and the Mermaids | Jane | |
| Shaggy | Laura Calvin | ||
| 1949 | Tarzan's Magic Fountain | Jane | (final film role) |
References
edit- ^ "Brenda Joyce Brenda Joyce, who died on July 4 aged 97, swung to fame opposite Johnny Weissmuller and then Lex Barker as the seventh actress to play Jane in the durable Tarzan series of films". The Daily Telegraph. London. July 24, 2009. Retrieved April 26, 2010.
- ^ "Actress Brenda Joyce Dies - SFScope - Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror". Archived from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved October 18, 2009.
- ^ "Brenda Joyce". Archived from the original on August 5, 2019. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
- ^ Other sources indicate 1912 or 1915 as her year of birth. A friend of Joyce's said after her death that she was 92, which would be consistent with a birth year of 1917.
- ^ a b Barnes, Mike (July 17, 2009). "'Tarzan' actress Brenda Joyce dies". Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ "School Romance Will Lead Couple to Altar". The San Bernardino County Sun. California, San Bernardino. January 16, 1941. p. 13. Retrieved June 2, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "Girl from Paris in Movie Debut". Moberly Monitor-Index. Missouri, Moberly. May 16, 1939. p. 16. Retrieved June 2, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Playing Jane in Tarzan movies 'wasn't a challenge'". Santa Cruz Sentinel. California, Santa Cruz. July 13, 1985. p. 35. Retrieved June 2, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Obituary in the News". Porterville Reporter. California, Porterville. Associated Press. July 23, 2009. p. 5. Retrieved June 2, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
External links
edit
- "Brenda Joyce". Find a Grave. Retrieved August 10, 2010.
- Brenda Joyce at IMDb
- Brenda Joyce at AllMovie
- "'Tarzan' actress Brenda Joyce dies at 92". Associated Press. Retrieved July 23, 2009.[dead link]