Yootha Joyce
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
as Archive Footage
Man About the House: 50 Years of Laughs
as Archive Footage
Man About the House
as Mildred Roper
Man About the House
as Mildred Roper
Steptoe & Son Ride Again
as Freda
Steptoe & Son Ride Again
as Freda
Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width
as Mrs. Finch
Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width
as Mrs. Finch
Burke & Hare
as Mrs. Hare
Burke & Hare
as Mrs. Hare
Nearest and Dearest
as Mrs. Rhoda Rowbottom
Nearest and Dearest
as Mrs. Rhoda Rowbottom
The Road Builder
as Mrs. Palafox
The Road Builder
as Mrs. Palafox
All the Right Noises
as Mrs. Bird
All the Right Noises
as Mrs. Bird
Fragment of Fear
as Miss Ward-Cadbury
Fragment of Fear
as Miss Ward-Cadbury
Maigret at Bay
as Mlle. Motte
Maigret at Bay
as Mlle. Motte
Twenty-Nine
as The Prostitute
Twenty-Nine
as The Prostitute
Your Name's Not God, It's Edgar
Your Name's Not God, It's Edgar
Charlie Bubbles
as Woman in Cafe
Charlie Bubbles
as Woman in Cafe
Luther
as Katharine Luther
Luther
as Katharine Luther
Our Mother's House
as Mrs. Quayle
Our Mother's House
as Mrs. Quayle
Stranger in the House
as Shooting Range Girl
Stranger in the House
as Shooting Range Girl
A Man for All Seasons
as Averil Machin
A Man for All Seasons
as Averil Machin
Catch Us If You Can
as Nan
Catch Us If You Can
as Nan
Fanatic
as Anna
Fanatic
as Anna
A Place to Go
as Bit Role (uncredited)
A Place to Go
as Bit Role (uncredited)
Sparrows Can't Sing
as Barmaid
Sparrows Can't Sing
as Barmaid
The Fishing Match
as Cissy
The Fishing Match
as Cissy