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
Cast Credits

Man About the House: 50 Years of Laughs
Character: Archive Footage
MOVIE • 2023

George & Mildred
Character: Mildred Roper
MOVIE • 1980

George and Mildred
Character: Mildred Roper
TV • 1976

Man About the House
Character: Mildred Roper
MOVIE • 1974

Frankenstein: The True Story
Character: Hospital Matron
MOVIE • 1974

Frankenstein: The True Story
Character: Hospital Matron
TV • 1973

Man About the House
Character: Mildred Roper
TV • 1973

Steptoe & Son Ride Again
Character: Freda
MOVIE • 1973

Seven of One
Character:
TV • 1973

Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width
Character: Mrs. Finch
MOVIE • 1973

Burke & Hare
Character: Mrs. Hare
MOVIE • 1972

Nearest and Dearest
Character: Mrs. Rhoda Rowbottom
MOVIE • 1972

Jason King
Character:
TV • 1971

The Road Builder
Character: Mrs. Palafox
MOVIE • 1971

All the Right Noises
Character: Mrs. Bird
MOVIE • 1970

Fragment of Fear
Character: Miss Ward-Cadbury
MOVIE • 1970

The Misfit
Character: Pamela
TV • 1970

Manhunt
Character: Denise
TV • 1970

On the Buses
Character:
TV • 1969

Twenty-Nine
Character: The prostitute
MOVIE • 1969