Yootha Joyce
Born
August 20, 1927
Died
August 24, 1980 (53 years old)
Known For
Acting
Place of Birth
Wandsworth, London, England, UK
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.
Man About the House: 50 Years of Laughs
Archive Footage
2023
George & Mildred
Mildred Roper
1980
George and Mildred
Mildred Roper · (38 episodes)
1976
Man About the House
Mildred Roper
1974
Frankenstein: The True Story
Hospital Matron
1974
Frankenstein: The True Story
Hospital Matron · (2 episodes)
1973
Man About the House
(39 episodes)
1973
Steptoe & Son Ride Again
Freda
1973
Seven of One
(1 episode)
1973
Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width
Mrs. Finch
1973
Burke & Hare
Mrs. Hare
1972
Nearest and Dearest
Mrs. Rhoda Rowbottom
1972
Jason King
(1 episode)
1971
The Road Builder
Mrs. Palafox
1971
All the Right Noises
Mrs. Bird
1970
Fragment of Fear
Miss Ward-Cadbury
1970
Manhunt
Denise · (1 episode)
1970
On the Buses
(1 episode)
1969
Twenty-Nine
The prostitute
1969
Your Name's Not God, It's Edgar
1968
Charlie Bubbles
Woman in Cafe
1968
Luther
Katharine Luther
1968
Our Mother's House
Mrs. Quayle
1967
Cop-Out
Shooting Range Girl
1967
A Man for All Seasons
Averil Machin
1966
Kaleidoscope
Museum Receptionist
1966
Catch Us If You Can
Nan
1965
Fanatic
Anna
1965
The Pumpkin Eater
Woman at Hairdresser's
1964
A Place to Go
Bit Role (uncredited)
1963
Sparrows Can't Sing
Barmaid
1963
The Saint
Milanov · (1 episode)
1962
The Fishing Match
Cissy
1962
Corrigan Blake
(1 episode)
1962
The Avengers
Miss Lister · (1 episode)
1961
No Hiding Place
(1 episode)
1959