Yootha Joyce
Actor
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.
Filmography
Fanatic
as Anna 1965
The Pumpkin Eater
as Woman at Hairdresser's 1964
Our Mother's House
as Mrs. Quayle 1967
Fragment of Fear
as Miss Ward-Cadbury 1970
Frankenstein: The True Story
as Hospital Matron 1974
Steptoe & Son Ride Again
as Freda 1973
George & Mildred
as Mildred Roper 1980
Sparrows Can't Sing
as Barmaid 1963
The Road Builder
as Mrs. Palafox 1971
Burke & Hare
as Mrs. Hare 1972
Man About the House
as Mildred Roper 1974
Charlie Bubbles
as Woman in Cafe 1968
Catch Us If You Can
as Nan 1965
All the Right Noises
as Mrs. Bird 1970
Kaleidoscope
as Museum Receptionist 1966
Stranger in the House
as Shooting Range Girl 1967