Yootha Joyce
Known For
Acting
Born
1927-08-20 in Wandsworth, London, England, UK
Died
1980-08-24
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.
Most Known For
The Avengers
as Miss Lister
The Saint
as Milanov
BBC Play of the Month
as Mademoiselle Motte
Theatre 625
as Jane Matthews
Theatre 625
as Miss Binnington
The Wednesday Play
as Rosalind Arnold
No Hiding Place
The World of Hammer
as Self (archive footage)
On the Buses
Jason King
Twenty-Nine
as The Prostitute
Kaleidoscope
as Museum Receptionist
Man About the House
as Mildred Roper
Fanatic
as Anna
Story Parade
as Ruth Cowley
Manhunt
as Denise
George and Mildred
as Mildred Roper
Seven of One
as Mrs Scully
A Man for All Seasons
as Averil Machin
The Misfit
as Pamela