Joyce Gordon (March 25, 1929 – February 28, 2020) was an American actress.

Joyce Gordon
Born(1929-03-25)March 25, 1929
DiedFebruary 28, 2020(2020-02-28) (aged 90)
Alma materUniversity of Illinois
University of Wisconsin
OccupationActress
SpouseBernard Grant
Children2

Early life edit

Gordon was born on March 25, 1929, in Des Moines, Iowa,[1] and grew up in Chicago.[1][2] Her father was the founder of the National Barber and Beauty Manufacturers Association.[3] She attended the University of Illinois and the University of Wisconsin.[2] In her late teens, she left Chicago and went to New York to seek opportunities to appear on television programs.[3][4]

Career edit

On television, Gordon appeared on The Ad-Libbers,[5] Studio One and Robert Montgomery Presents.[1] She also acted in commercials, at one point appearing daily on CBS as she promoted different products.[4] She became the first woman president of Screen Actors Guild (SAG)'s New York branch in 1966.[2] She was the first person to wear glasses on television and appear under her own name. She was also the voice of the recorded message callers hear when dialing an incorrect phone number.[6]

Gordon provided English-language voices for actresses who spoke other languages.[3] Over a two-year span, she dubbed 32 films that originally had dialog in other languages.[7]

On radio, Gordon portrayed Cherry on Mark Trail[8] and Barbara Miller on the comedy My Son Jeep.[9]

Personal life and death edit

Gordon was married to actor Bernard Grant for more than 50 years,[3] and they had two children, Mark and Melissa. She died on February 28, 2020, at age 90.[1][2]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d Beresford, Trilby (February 29, 2020). "Joyce Gordon, First Female President of Screen Actors Guild Branch, Dies at 90". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 21, 2021. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d Robb, David (February 29, 2020). "Joyce Gordon Dies: Pioneering Actress And SAG Leader Was 90". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d Langer, Emily (March 8, 2020). "Joyce Gordon, trailblazing bespectacled pitchwoman". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Washington Post. p. B 9. Retrieved September 11, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b "Television Viewers Hail Joyce Gordon's Glasses". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Wisconsin, Green Bay. April 7, 1963. p. 12. Retrieved September 11, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 8. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
  6. ^ "Joyce Gordon, trailblazing 'girl who wears glasses' on TV, dies at 90". TODAY.com. Retrieved 2020-03-16.
  7. ^ Bolton, Whitney (February 15, 1960). "Glancing Sideways". Cumberland Evening Times. Maryland, Cumberland. McNaught Syndicate, Inc. p. 6. Retrieved September 11, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 438. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3.
  9. ^ Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 248. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4.

External links edit