Actress Joyce Jameson, a familiar face in classic Hollywood comedies and television sitcoms, died on January 16, 1987, at her home in Burbank, California. She was 59 years old. Born Joyce Beverly Kingsley on September 26, 1927, in Chicago, Joyce was raised in Los Angeles and studied theater arts at UCLA. She began her show business career in the early 1950s with stage work in musical comedy revues before making her film debut in the 1951 classic musical Showboat.
She became best known for playing glamorous, bubbly blonde supporting roles across film and television. One of her most memorable film appearances was in the 1960 Academy Award-winning film The Apartment, starring Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine. Many viewers also remember her as Skippy, one of the fun-loving girls in Mayberry, on The Andy Griffith Show. She appeared in three episodes of that series in 1962, 1964, and 1965.
Her other film credits included Tales of Terror in 1962 with Vincent Price, Frankie and Johnny in 1966, Death Race 2000 in 1975, and The Outlaw Josie Wales in 1976 with Clint Eastwood. On television, she made guest appearances in a wide range of popular series, including The Dick Van Dyke Show, Gomer Pyle, The Munsters, and Charlie’s Angels. In 1952, Joyce married composer and lyricist Billy Barnes. The couple had one son together before divorcing in 1957.
After her divorce, she began a long-term relationship with actor Robert Vaughn, best known for his role as Napoleon Solo in The Man from U. N. C. L.
E. The couple’s on-and-off relationship lasted several years through much of the late 1960s. They appeared publicly together multiple times, and they worked together in 1966 when Joyce guest-starred in a Man from U. N.
C. L. E. episode titled “The Dippy Blonde Affair.
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Friends described Joyce as highly intelligent, well-read, and sensitive, quite different from the ditzy blonde characters she often portrayed on screen. Robert Vaughn later discussed her struggles with depression and insomnia in his autobiography. Joyce continued acting into the early 1980s, with her final credited roles coming around 1984. In her later years, she faced ongoing personal challenges, including struggles with depression.
According to reports, Joyce died by suicide using medication at her Burbank residence. Her ashes were scattered into the Pacific Ocean.