Yootha Joyce
Acting
1927-08-20 · Wandsworth, London, England, UK
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.
Filmography
Man About the House: 50 Years of Laughs
2023 · Movie
The World of Hammer
1994 · Series
George & Mildred
1980 · Movie
George and Mildred
1976 · Series
Man About the House
1974 · Movie
Frankenstein: The True Story
1974 · Movie
Frankenstein: The True Story
1973 · Series
Man About the House
1973 · Series
Steptoe & Son Ride Again
1973 · Movie
Seven of One
1973 · Series
Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width
1973 · Movie
Burke & Hare
1972 · Movie
Nearest and Dearest
1972 · Movie
Jason King
1971 · Series
The Road Builder
1971 · Movie
All the Right Noises
1970 · Movie
Conceptions of Murder
1970 · Series
Fragment of Fear
1970 · Movie
The Misfit
1970 · Series
Manhunt
1970 · Series
W. Somerset Maugham
1969 · Series
On the Buses
1969 · Series
Maigret at Bay
1969 · Movie
ITV Saturday Night Theatre
1969 · Series
Twenty-Nine
1969 · Movie
Your Name's Not God, It's Edgar
1968 · Movie
Charlie Bubbles
1968 · Movie
Luther
1968 · Movie
City '68
1967 · Series
ITV Playhouse
1967 · Series
Our Mother's House
1967 · Movie
Stranger in the House
1967 · Movie
A Man for All Seasons
1966 · Movie
Kaleidoscope
1966 · Movie
BBC Play of the Month
1965 · Series
Thirty-Minute Theatre
1965 · Series
The Wednesday Thriller
1965 · Series
Catch Us If You Can
1965 · Movie
Fanatic
1965 · Movie
Redcap
1964 · Series
The Wednesday Play
1964 · Series
The Pumpkin Eater
1964 · Movie
Theatre 625
1964 · Series
Story Parade
1964 · Series
A Place to Go
1963 · Movie
Sparrows Can't Sing
1963 · Movie
The Saint
1962 · Series
The Fishing Match
1962 · Movie
Corrigan Blake
1962 · Series
Steptoe and Son
1962 · Series
The Avengers
1961 · Series
No Hiding Place
1959 · Series
Armchair Theatre
1956 · Series