Yootha Joyce
Acting
Born: August 20, 1927 · Wandsworth, London, England, UK
Died: August 24, 1980 (aged 53)
Highest Rated
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.
Known for
A Man for All Seasons
1966
The Avengers
1961
The Saint
1962
Fanatic
1965
The Pumpkin Eater
1964
Our Mother's House
1967
Fragment of Fear
1970
Steptoe and Son
1962
Frankenstein: The True Story
1974
Steptoe & Son Ride Again
1973
George & Mildred
1980
George and Mildred
1976
Photos (5)
Movies (25)
A Man for All Seasons
Averil Machin
Fanatic
Anna
Kaleidoscope
Museum Receptionist
Frankenstein: The True Story
Hospital Matron
The Pumpkin Eater
Woman at Hairdresser's
Our Mother's House
Mrs. Quayle
Twenty-Nine
The Prostitute
Steptoe & Son Ride Again
Freda
Stranger in the House
Shooting Range Girl
Burke & Hare
Mrs. Hare
Fragment of Fear
Miss Ward-Cadbury
Charlie Bubbles
Woman in Cafe
Man About the House
Mildred Roper
Sparrows Can't Sing
Barmaid
Maigret at Bay
Mlle. Motte
The Road Builder
Mrs. Palafox
Catch Us If You Can
Nan
George & Mildred
Mildred Roper
Luther
Katharine Luther
A Place to Go
Bit Role (uncredited)
All the Right Noises
Mrs. Bird
Nearest and Dearest
Mrs. Rhoda Rowbottom
Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width
Mrs. Finch
Man About the House: 50 Years of Laughs
Archive Footage
Your Name's Not God, It's Edgar
1968
TV Shows (23)
The Avengers
Miss Lister · 1 eps
BBC Play of the Month
Mademoiselle Motte · 1 eps
The Saint
Milanov · 1 eps
The Wednesday Play
Rosalind Arnold · 1 eps
ITV Playhouse
Phoebe · 1 eps
ITV Saturday Night Theatre
Erica Seydoux · 1 eps
Thirty-Minute Theatre
Agnes · 1 eps
Theatre 625
Jane Matthews · 1 eps
Theatre 625
Miss Binnington · 1 eps
No Hiding Place
1 eps
Man About the House
Mildred Roper · 39 eps
On the Buses
1 eps
Redcap
Magda · 1 eps
Jason King
1 eps
Steptoe and Son
Delilah · 1 eps
Steptoe and Son
Avis · 1 eps
Manhunt
Denise · 1 eps
George and Mildred
Mildred Roper · 38 eps
The Misfit
Pamela · 1 eps
Seven of One
Mrs Scully · 1 eps
Frankenstein: The True Story
Hospital Matron · 2 eps
Armchair Theatre
Cissy · 1 eps
Armchair Theatre
Alice · 1 eps
