Joyce Compton
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Olivia Joyce Compton (January 27, 1907 – October 13, 1997) was an American actress. Compton was born in Lexington, Kentucky. (Despite frequent reports to the contrary, her name was not originally "Eleanor Hunt"; she had appeared in the film Good Sport (1931) with Hunt and this confusion in an early press article followed Compton throughout her career.) After graduating high school she spent two years studying at the University of Tulsa, studying dramatics, art, music and dancing. She won a personality and beauty contest and spent two months in a film studio as an extra.
Compton first made a name for herself when she was named one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars in 1926, alongside Mary Brian, Dolores Costello, Joan Crawford, Dolores del Río, Janet Gaynor and Fay Wray. Compton appeared in a long string of mostly B-movies from the 1920s through the 1950s. She was a comedy actress and protested at being stereotyped as a "dumb blonde".
Among her over two hundred films were Imitation of Life, Magnificent Obsession, The Awful Truth, Mildred Pierce, and The Best Years of Our Lives.
A devout Christian, on her gravestone, just beneath her dates of birth and death, is written "Christian Actress". She died from natural causes, aged 90, and was buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills.
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Full filmography
- Richard Diamond, Private Detective (1957) as Waitress
- The Abbott and Costello Show (1952) as Girl at Drivers License Bureau
- The Adventures of Jim Bowie (1956)
- Pete and Gladys (1960)
- The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) as Hat Check Girl (uncredited)
- Mildred Pierce (1945) as Waitress (uncredited)
- Mighty Joe Young (1949) as Alice (uncredited)
- Ziegfeld Girl (1941) as Miss Sawyer, Auditioning Showgirl (uncredited)
- The Awful Truth (1937) as Dixie Belle Lee
- Sorry, Wrong Number (1948) as Cotterell's Blonde Girlfriend (uncredited)
- Thunder Birds (1942) as Saleswoman
- Christmas in Connecticut (1945) as Nurse Mary Lee
- They Drive by Night (1940) as Sue Carter (uncredited)
- College Scandal (1935) as Toby Carpenter
- Jet Pilot (1957) as Mary Lou Simpson
- Kid Galahad (1937) as Party Guest on Phone (uncredited)
- Imitation of Life (1934) as Young Woman at Party (uncredited)
- City for Conquest (1940) as Lilly
- The White Parade (1934) as Una Mellon
- You and Me (1938) as Curly Blonde
- Going Places (1938) as Joan
- Salute (1929) as Marian Wilson
- Exposed (1947) as Emmy
- Westward Passage (1932) as Lillie, the Model (uncredited)