Joan Taylor (August 18, 1929 – March 4, 2012) was an American television and film actress.
Joan Taylor | |
|---|---|
 Taylor in The Rifleman (1960) | |
| Born | Rose Marie Emma August 18, 1929 Geneva, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | March 4, 2012 (aged 82) Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Other names | Rose Freeman |
| Occupation(s) | Actress and screenwriter |
| Years active | 1949–1989 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 3 |
Personal life
editTaylor was born Rose Marie Emma in Geneva, Illinois. Her father, Joseph Emma, from Sicily, was a prop man in Hollywood in the 1920s. After his daughter's birth he became the manager of the Deerpath movie theatre in Lake Forest, Illinois, where Joan was brought up.[1] Her mother, Amelia Berky, was from Austria, and was a vaudeville singing-dancing star in the 1920s.[2]
Taylor married Leonard Freeman, later the creator of Hawaii Five-O, in 1953. The couple had three daughters. After her contract for The Rifleman ran out, she retired from acting to raise her children.[3]
When Freeman died in January 1974, following heart surgery, Taylor began managing Leonard Freeman Productions and the business of Hawaii Five-O under the name Rose Freeman.[4] She attended at least one Hawaii Five-O convention to talk to fans.[5]
With her children older, she found herself writing, including co-author credit for the comedy Fools Rush In starring Matthew Perry and Salma Hayek.[6] She remarried, to television producer-director Walter Grauman in 1976; the couple divorced in 1980.[7]
Career
editTaylor's career began at the Pasadena Playhouse. She met Freeman there when both were involved with putting on Here Comes Mr. Jordan.[8] In the early 1950s, she was chosen by Paramount Pictures as a member of the studio's "Golden Circle", described as a "group consisting of a dozen unusually talented young actors for whom Paramount held high hopes." Her first film was Fighting Man of the Plains, starring Randolph Scott.[9] Her producer had also insured the 19-year-old's legs for $100,000 against injury.[9]
Her television career consisted of guest appearances on popular shows, in only one or two episodes. However, she had a successful recurring role in eighteen episodes of The Rifleman, starring Chuck Connors from 1960 to 1962.
Death
editTaylor died of natural causes March 4, 2012, in Santa Monica, California.[10]
Selected filmography
editTelevision
edit- Mike Hammer as Diane Baxter / (2 episodes, 1958)
- Zane Grey Theater as Rose Bailey (1 episode, 1958)
- Yancy Derringer as Lavinia Lake (1 episode, 1958)
- Peter Gunn as Liz Hatton (1 episode, 1958)
- Wagon Train as Bright Star (1 episode "A Man Called Horse", 1958)
- Gunsmoke as Anna Wheat (1 episode, 1959)
- 21 Beacon Street as Ruth (2 episodes, 1959)
- Men into Space as Carol Gordon (1 episode, 1959)
- The Texan as Rita Maynor (1 episode, 1959)
- The Millionaire as Mary Ann Wilson (1 episode, 1959)
- Colt .45 as Dr. Ellen McGraw (1 episode, 1959)
- Lock Up as Lauren Bodret (1 episode, 1960)
- The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor as Myrna Fontaine (1 episode, 1961)
- Rawhide (1961) – Paibada in S3:E27, "Incident Before Black Pass"
- My Three Sons as Muriel Stewart (1 episode, 1961)
- Bronco as Lorain (1 episode, 1962)
- The Dick Powell Show (1 episode, 1962)
- The Rifleman as Milly Scott (18 episodes, 1960–1962)
- 77 Sunset Strip as Beth Collins (1 episode, 1963)
Feature films
edit- Fighting Man of the Plains (1949) as Evelyn Slocum
- On Dangerous Ground (1952) as Hazel (uncredited)
- The Savage (1952) as Luta
- Off Limits (1953) as Helen
- War Paint (1953) as Wanima
- Rose Marie (1954) as Wanda
- Apache Woman (1955) as Anne LeBeau
- Fort Yuma (1955) as Francesca
- Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956) as Carol Marvin
- Girls in Prison (1956) as Anne Carson
- War Drums (1957) as Riva
- 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957) as Marisa Leonardo
- Omar Khayyam (1957) as Yaffa
References
edit- ^ "Joan Taylor - 20 Million Miles of Memories". Riflemanconnors.com. Archived from the original on 2017-08-23. Retrieved 2017-07-06.
- ^ "The Private Life and Times of Joan Taylor". Glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com. Retrieved 2017-07-06.
- ^ Morrison, Pat (December 25, 1960), "Joan Taylor Brings Romantic Interest to 'The Rifleman' Series", The Modesto Bee
- ^ "Rose Freeman dies at 82". Variety.com. Retrieved 2012-03-07.
- ^ "The Hawaii Five-O FAQ". Mjq.net. Archived from the original on 2017-05-30. Retrieved 2017-07-06.
- ^ "Actress Joan Taylor Dies at 82", Hollywoodreporter.com, 2012, retrieved 2012-03-07
- ^ Lentz, Harris M. (2013). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2012. McFarland. p. 285. ISBN 9780786470631.
- ^ "Rose Freeman dies at 82". Variety. March 6, 2012.
- ^ a b "Ambition and Determination Key To Success of Joan Taylor". The Titusville Herald. The Titusville Herald. November 5, 1960. p. 7. Retrieved May 14, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Barnes, Mike (March 6, 2012). "Actress Joan Taylor Dies at 82". The Hollywood Reporter.
External links
edit- Joan Taylor at IMDb
- Joan Taylor at AllMovie
- Joan Taylor at the TCM Movie Database