Yootha Joyce
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.
Acting
Movie
A Man for All Seasons
as Averil Machin
1966
TV
The Avengers
as Miss Lister
1961
TV
The Saint
as Milanov
1962
Movie
Fanatic
as Anna
1965
Movie
The Pumpkin Eater
as Woman at Hairdresser's
1964
Movie
Our Mother's House
as Mrs. Quayle
1967
Movie
Fragment of Fear
as Miss Ward-Cadbury
1970
Movie
Frankenstein: The True Story
as Hospital Matron
1974
Movie
Steptoe & Son Ride Again
as Freda
1973
Movie
George & Mildred
as Mildred Roper
1980
TV
George and Mildred
as Mildred Roper
1976
TV
On the Buses
1969
Movie
Sparrows Can't Sing
as Barmaid
1963
Movie
Burke & Hare
as Mrs. Hare
1972
Movie
The Road Builder
as Mrs. Palafox
1971
Movie
Charlie Bubbles
as Woman in Cafe
1968
TV
Man About the House
as Mildred Roper
1973
Movie
Man About the House
as Mildred Roper
1974
Movie
All the Right Noises
as Mrs. Bird
1970
Movie
Catch Us If You Can
as Nan
1965
Movie
Kaleidoscope
as Museum Receptionist
1966
Movie
Stranger in the House
as Shooting Range Girl
1967
TV
Jason King
1971
Movie
A Place to Go
as Bit Role (uncredited)
1963