Elaine Joyce – Bio, Spouse, Age, Daughter, Where Is She Now?

Quick Facts

Elaine Joyce is an established veteran in the film and movie industry. Throughout her career which has spanned well over 5 decades, the actress has been in more than 100 projects. This includes movies, television, and stage productions. Joyce made her acting debut in the early 1960s with an uncredited role in West Side Story, and since then has gone on to become one of the most celebrated actresses in Hollywood history.

Elaine Joyce’s Bio, Age

The actress was born in Kansas City Missouri, on December 19, 1943. She was born to her father, Frank Pinchot, and her mother, Iliclina Nagy. Through her parents, she shares Hungarian ancestry with her brother, Frank Pinchot.

Elaine made her foray into acting with a number of movie roles where she filled in as an extra. Her first role was in the 1961 romantic musical West Side Story. She was simply known as Hotsie on the movie, the girlfriend of David Bean‘s character Tiger.

She continued as an extra on the set of movies like The Music Man (1962); Funny Girl (1968); and Bye Bye Birdie (1963). Her television debut came when she appeared in an episode of CBS’s The Danny Kaye Show in 1965, and later four episodes of The Red Skelton Show in the late 1960s.

Elaine Joyce was finally credited for her role for the first time in 1971’s Such Good Friends as Marian, and How to Frame a Figg as Ema. In 1972, she was on her first Broadway production Sugar, a stage musical reproduction of ’s 1959 romantic flick, Some Like It Hot. Elaine bagged a Theatre World Award for her role on the Broadway play.

The actress opened her account as a show host in 1986 on an episode of ABC’s The All New Dating Game. By this phase of her career, the Missouri actress had more television credits in her kitty than films.

She has appeared in a plethora of series including Magnum, P.I. (1983); To Close For Comfort (1985); Simon & Simon (1984–1985); Murder, She Wrote (1984–1993); and Mr. Merlin (1981–1982). During this period, Elaine Joyce was also on Motel Hell, a 1980 horror-comedy where she portrayed the character, Edith Olsen. In 1986, she followed it up with another horror credit Trick or Treat where she was Angie Weinbauer.

In 1993, Elaine was Paula Hammond in 3 episodes of NBC’s classic soap opera Days of Our Lives. She also played Suzanne in an episode of CBS’s ultra-successful series, The Young and the Restless, both in the same year. Her last known acting role came when she fulfilled a recurring role on Beverly Hills, 90210. She played the character Candace in four episodes from 1995 to 1996.

Asides her acting responsibility, the television actress has been in quite a number of game shows. Some of her best game show appearances include I’ve Got a Secret (1976), Tattletales (1974–1975), The $10000 Pyramid (1978–1986), Super Password (1985–1986), What’s My Line? (1968, 1973–1975), and Match Game (1973–1979). She’s also been on talk shows like The Andy Griffith Show (1967), The Mike Douglas Show (1974–1980), and The Carol Burnett Show (1969).

Elaine Joyce’s Family – Spouse, Daughter

Where it concerns her love life, the actress has walked down the aisle on three occasions. First, she was married to Bobby Van, a stage actor old timer. They tied the knot in 1968. Their marriage endured its share of hardships, from fixing a wedding date to trying to divorce a few times. However, they stayed married for 12 years until Bobby’s demise in 1980 due to brain cancer. The couple appeared together on television a few times. Their union produced a daughter, Taylor Van, born June 22, 1976.

Next, Elaine wedded John Levoff five years after Bobby’s death, in 1985. Levoff was a television producer. The couple stayed married until their split in 1992. Their union produced her son, Michael Levoff, born sometime in 1986.

Her third marriage was to Neil Simon who worked as a playwright. They wedded in 1999 at a private affair held in a friend’s backyard. Before the wedding, the actress knew of Simon’s deteriorating health, although she did not know the reason for it. Elaine Joyce and Neil Simon were married for nearly 20 years. Simon eventually died due to renal failure complicated by pneumonia. He died on August 26, 2018.

Where is She Now?

Elaine Joyce gathered a formidable fan base during her active years as an actress and a television personality. She was also on a few shows to talk about the death of her husband Bobby Van years ago. However, the actress, who is now in her twilight years, has disappeared from the public eye. She has not granted any interviews in a long time, including after the death of her third husband, Neil Simon.

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