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 198o, 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
Credits
- 2023 · Man About the House: 50 Years of Laughs as Archive Footage
- 1980 · George & Mildred as Mildred Roper
- 1976 · George and Mildred as Mildred Roper
- 1974 · Man About the House as Mildred
- 1974 · Frankenstein: The True Story as Hospital Matron
- 1973 · Frankenstein: The True Story as Hospital Matron
- 1973 · Man About the House as
- 1973 · Steptoe & Son Ride Again as Freda
- 1973 · Seven of One as
- 1973 · Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width as Mrs. Finch
- 1972 · Burke & Hare as Mrs. Hare
- 1972 · Nearest and Dearest as
- 1971 · Jason King as
- 1971 · The Road Builder as Mrs. Palafox
- 1970 · All the Right Noises as Mrs. Bird
- 1970 · Fragment of Fear as Miss Ward-Cadbury
- 1970 · Manhunt as Denise
- 1969 · On the Buses as
- 1969 · Twenty-Nine as The prostitute
- 1968 · Your Name's Not God, It's Edgar as
- 1968 · Charlie Bubbles as Woman in Cafe
- 1968 · Luther as Katharine Luther
- 1967 · Our Mother's House as Mrs. Quayle
- 1967 · Cop-Out as Shooting Range Girl
- 1966 · A Man for All Seasons as Averil Machin
- 1966 · Kaleidoscope as Museum Receptionist
- 1965 · Catch Us If You Can as Nan
- 1965 · Fanatic as Anna
- 1964 · The Pumpkin Eater as Woman at Hairdresser's
- 1963 · A Place to Go as Bit Role (uncredited)
- 1963 · Sparrows Can't Sing as Barmaid
- 1962 · The Saint as Milanov
- 1962 · The Fishing Match as Cissy
- 1962 · Corrigan Blake as
- 1961 · The Avengers as Miss Lister
- 1959 · No Hiding Place as