Yootha Joyce
Acting
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.
Known for
Acting53
movieMan About the House: 50 Years of Laughs
2023
Archive Footage
tvThe World of Hammer
1994
Self (archive footage)
movieGeorge & Mildred
1980
Mildred Roper
tvGeorge and Mildred
1976
Mildred Roper
movieMan About the House
1974
Mildred Roper
movieFrankenstein: The True Story
1974
Hospital Matron
tvFrankenstein: The True Story
1973
Hospital Matron
tvMan About the House
1973
Mildred Roper
tvSeven of One
1973
Mrs Scully
movieBurke & Hare
1972
Mrs. Hare
movieNearest and Dearest
1972
Mrs. Rhoda Rowbottom
movieThe Road Builder
1971
Mrs. Palafox
movieAll the Right Noises
1970
Mrs. Bird
Conceptions of Murder
1970
Maria Kurten
movieFragment of Fear
1970
Miss Ward-Cadbury
tvThe Misfit
1970
Pamela
tvManhunt
1970
Denise
movieMaigret at Bay
1969
Mlle. Motte
tvITV Saturday Night Theatre
1969
Erica Seydoux
movieTwenty-Nine
1969
The Prostitute
movieCharlie Bubbles
1968
Woman in Cafe
movieLuther
1968
Katharine Luther
tvITV Playhouse
1967
Phoebe
movieOur Mother's House
1967
Mrs. Quayle
movieStranger in the House
1967
Shooting Range Girl
movieA Man for All Seasons
1966
Averil Machin
movieKaleidoscope
1966
Museum Receptionist
tvBBC Play of the Month
1965
Mademoiselle Motte
movieFanatic
1965
Anna
tvRedcap
1964
Magda
tvThe Wednesday Play
1964
Rosalind Arnold
movieThe Pumpkin Eater
1964
Woman at Hairdresser's
tvTheatre 625
1964
Jane Matthews / Miss Binnington
Story Parade
1964
Ruth Cowley
movieA Place to Go
1963
Bit Role (uncredited)
movieSparrows Can't Sing
1963
Barmaid
tvThe Saint
1962
Milanov
tvSteptoe and Son
1962
Delilah
tvThe Avengers
1961
Miss Lister
tvArmchair Theatre
1956
Cissy / Alice