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Joan Staley
Actor

Joan Staley

20 May 1940Born
24 Nov 2019Died
79Age at death
42Credits

Biography

Lovely Joan Staley was born Joan McConchie on May 20, 1940 in Minneapolis, Minnesota and started taking violin lessons by the time she was three years old. Living in Los Angeles, her prodigious talent was obvious. She soon joined a baby orchestra in Los Angeles and, within a few years, became a Junior Symphony performer at age six. She also made her unbilled specialty debut on film as a child violinist in The Emperor Waltz (1948), starring Bing Crosby and Joan Fontaine.

Her father's business had the family traveling throughout Europe growing up but she later relocated to California and briefly enrolled at Chapman College in the Los Angeles area.

Read the full biography

Becoming a stunning, statuesque beauty, she re-directed herself back to a career in show business, singing backup on records for Sam Phillips and working as a secretary to make ends meet while appearing in local L.A. stage productions.

In 1958, she was approached by a photographer and eventually posed for Playboy magazine, becoming November's centerfold. The attention warranted her an MGM contract and cheesecake bit parts came her way with such movies as Ocean's Eleven (1960) and Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961). She appeared front-and-center à la Raquel Welch as a scantily-clad prehistoric turn-on in Valley of the Dragons (1961), but nothing much came of it.

Following her perky love interests in the mediocre western Gunpoint (1966), starring Audie Murphy, and The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966), a Don Knotts comedy film, and guest appearances on such TV shows as "Rango," "Pistols and Petticoats, "Mission: Impossible," "Ironside" and "Adam-12," Joan's career went on hiatus after a horse-riding accident.

Briefly married to Chuck Staley, her second husband is former Universal exec Dale Sheets. Twins were born to them, a boy and girl, on March 24, 1971. Since then, with the exception of a brief appearance on an episode of "Dallas" in 1982, Joan remained with family life and other outside pursuits. She died on November 24, 2019.

- IMDb mini biography by: Gary Brumburgh / gr-home@pacbell.net

Known for

Filmography

  1. 2001The Broad SideSeries (6 episodes)
  2. 1969Mission: Impossible vs. the MobFilm: Ginny
  3. 1968Adam-12Series: Agnes Wellman, Jenny (1 episode)
  4. 1967IronsideSeries: Millie O'Neil (1 episode)
  5. 1967RangoSeries (1 episode)
  6. 1966Pistols 'n' PetticoatsSeries (1 episode)
  7. 1966Mission: ImpossibleSeries: Ginny (2 episodes)
  8. 1966The Jean Arthur ShowSeries (1 episode)
  9. 1966GunpointFilm: Uvalde / Bonnie Mitchell
  10. 1966The Ghost and Mr. ChickenFilm: Alma Parker
  11. 1966BatmanSeries: Okie Annie (2 episodes)
  12. 1965LaredoSeries (1 episode)
  13. 1964RoustaboutFilm: Marge
  14. 1964The MunstersSeries (1 episode)
  15. 1964BroadsideSeries: Roberta Love (32 episodes)
  16. 1964Kisses for My PresidentFilm: Blonde (uncredited)
  17. 1964Kissin' CousinsFilm: Jonesy (uncredited)
  18. 1963A New Kind of LoveFilm: Danish Stewardess
  19. 1963Kraft Suspense TheatreSeries: Marla (1 episode)
  20. 1963Johnny CoolFilm: Suzy Blakely
  21. 1963Burke's LawSeries: Laura, Chrissie Keller, Traffic Girl (1 episode)
  22. 1962Stoney BurkeSeries (1 episode)
  23. 1962The VirginianSeries: Maggie (1 episode)
  24. 1962The Lively OnesSeries (16 episodes)
  25. 1962Cape FearFilm: Waitress
  26. 1961Valley of the DragonsFilm: Deena
  27. 1961Breakfast at Tiffany'sFilm: Blonde in Cream Dress (uncredited)
  28. 1961The New BreedSeries: Sophie (1 episode)
  29. 1961The Dick Van Dyke ShowSeries: Valerie Blake (1 episode)
  30. 1961Who Killed Julie Greer?Film: Ann Farmer
  31. 196187th PrecinctSeries (1 episode)
  32. 1961The Ladies ManFilm: Working Girl
  33. 1961Gun FightFilm: Nora Blaine
  34. 1961DondiFilm: Sally
  35. 1960Bringing Up BuddySeries (1 episode)
  36. 1960Ocean's ElevenFilm: Helen (uncredited)
  37. 1959Not for HireSeries (1 episode)
  38. 1959Hawaiian EyeSeries (2 episodes)
  39. 1959BonanzaSeries: Dixie, Blonde Girl (1 episode)
  40. 1959The Lawless YearsSeries (1 episode)
  41. 195877 Sunset StripSeries (3 episodes)
  42. 1957Perry MasonSeries: Sally O'Hara - Secretary, Roberta Walker, Judith Ford, Gina Gilbert (1 episode)

Biography and credits from TMDB. This website uses TMDB and the TMDB APIs but is not endorsed, certified, or otherwise approved by TMDB.