Joyce MacKenzie
Joyce Elaine MacKenzie (October 13, 1925 – June 10, 2021) was an American actress who appeared in films and television from 1946 to 1961.[1] She might be best remembered for being the eleventh actress to portray Jane. She played the role opposite Lex Barker's Tarzan in Tarzan and the She-Devil (1953).
Joyce MacKenzie | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Joyce Elaine MacKenzie October 13, 1925 Redwood City, California, U.S. |
| Died | June 10, 2021 (aged 95) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Actress English teacher |
| Years active | 1946–1961 |
| Known for | Jane, wife of Tarzan, in Tarzan and the She-Devil Destination Murder Broken Arrow |
| Spouse(s) | Walter H. Leimert Jr (m. 1952–60, divorced; 2 children) Robert L. Driver (m. 1961–66, divorced) Victor Benedict Hassing (m. 1972–80, his death) |
| Children | 2 |
Early life through World War II
MacKenzie was the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Norman MacKenzie. She was active in sports in high school, winning an award for "her all-round sports ability."[2]
During World War II, MacKenzie worked as a carpenter's helper in shipyards[3] in San Francisco. Her opportunity for acting came when she was discovered on her job as cashier at the Pasadena Playhouse in the summer of 1948.[4]
Film actor
MacKenzie starred in a film noir, Destination Murder (1950). She appeared with James Stewart in the western Broken Arrow (also 1950), as the wife of Robert Mitchum in the crime drama The Racket (1951) and as a publisher's daughter trying to wrest control of editor Humphrey Bogart's newspaper in Deadline - U.S.A. (1952). MacKenzie's character and Jane Russell's exchanged identities in a musical, The French Line (1954).
Later years
Her final appearance was in the role of Nancy Gilman in the Perry Mason television series episode, "The Case of the Duplicate Daughter" (1961). After her acting career ended, MacKenzie was an English teacher; one of her students was radio host Anthony Cumia of Opie and Anthony.[5]
Personal life and death
On November 26, 1952, MacKenzie married Walter H. "Tim" Leimert Jr. in Hollywood, California; the couple had two sons but divorced in 1960. In 1961, Joyce married Robert L. (Keiki) Driver until their divorce in 1966. In 1972, she married Victor Benedict Hassing. They remained married until his death at age 64 on October 29, 1980.[6]
MacKenzie died on June 10, 2021, in Hollywood, California, at the age of 95.[7]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | Tomorrow Is Forever | Cherry Davis | |
| 1946 | The Kid from Brooklyn | Goldwyn Girl | Uncredited |
| 1949 | Whirlpool | Daisy – Telephone Operator | Uncredited |
| 1949 | Twelve O'Clock High | Nurse | Uncredited |
| 1950 | Mother Didn't Tell Me | Helen Porter | |
| 1950 | A Ticket to Tomahawk | Ruby | Uncredited |
| 1950 | Destination Murder | Laura Mansfield | |
| 1950 | Stella | Peggy Denny | |
| 1950 | Broken Arrow | Terry | |
| 1951 | On the Riviera | Mimi | |
| 1951 | His Kind of Woman | Lady Gwendolyn in Film | Uncredited |
| 1951 | People Will Talk | Gussie | Uncredited |
| 1951 | The Racket | Mary McQuigg | |
| 1951 | The Model and the Marriage Broker | Doris | Uncredited |
| 1952 | Deadline - U.S.A. | Katherine Garrison Geary | |
| 1952 | Wait till the Sun Shines, Nellie | Bessie Jordan | |
| 1952 | O. Henry's Full House | Hazel Woods | (segment "The Clarion Call"), (scenes deleted) |
| 1952 | Night Without Sleep | Laura Harkness | |
| 1953 | The I Don't Care Girl | Babette | Uncredited |
| 1953 | Tarzan and the She-Devil | Jane | |
| 1953 | The French Line | Myrtle Brown | |
| 1954 | Rails Into Laramie | Helen Shanessy |
References
- "Joyce victim of misleading campaign". Toledo Blade. November 24, 1961. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
- Soanes, Wood (February 14, 1950). "Movie Star Once Earned Living as Active Carpenter". Oakland Tribune. California, Oakland. p. 33. Retrieved November 21, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Girl Hammers Way Up". Salt Lake Telegram. Utah, Salt Lake City. United Press. October 20, 1944. p. 11. Retrieved November 21, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- Neill, Frank (December 21, 1949). "In Hollywood". Long Beach Independent. California, Long Beach. International News Service. p. 24. Retrieved September 26, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- Cumia, Anthony. "Opie and Anthony Show". SiriusXM. Archived from the original on November 12, 2012. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
- "Weds Joyce MacKenzie". The Kansas City Times. Missouri, Kansas City. Associated Press. November 27, 1952. p. 73. Retrieved November 21, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- Barnes, Mike (July 15, 2021). "Joyce MacKenzie, Actress in 'Tarzan and the She-Devil,' Dies at 95". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 15, 2021.