Joyce MacKenzie

Joyce MacKenzie
Mackenzie in 1950
Born
Joyce Elaine MacKenzie

(1925-10-13)October 13, 1925
DiedJune 10, 2021(2021-06-10) (aged 95)
Occupation(s)Actress
English teacher
Years active1946–1961
Known forJane, wife of Tarzan, in Tarzan and the She-Devil
Destination Murder
Broken Arrow
Spouse(s)Walter H. Leimert Jr
(m. 1952–60, divorced; 2 children)
Robert L. Driver
(m. 1961–66, divorced)
Victor Benedict Hassing
(m. 1972–80, his death)
Children2

Joyce Elaine MacKenzie (October 13, 1925 – June 10, 2021) was an American actress who appeared in films and television from 1946 to 1961.[1] She might be best remembered for being the eleventh actress to portray Jane. She played the role opposite Lex Barker's Tarzan in Tarzan and the She-Devil (1953).

Early life through World War II

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MacKenzie was the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Norman MacKenzie. She was active in sports in high school, winning an award for "her all-round sports ability."[2]

During World War II, MacKenzie worked as a carpenter's helper in shipyards[3] in San Francisco. Her opportunity for acting came when she was discovered on her job as cashier at the Pasadena Playhouse in the summer of 1948.[4]

Film actor

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MacKenzie starred in a film noir, Destination Murder (1950). She appeared with James Stewart in the western Broken Arrow (also 1950), as the wife of Robert Mitchum in the crime drama The Racket (1951) and as a publisher's daughter trying to wrest control of editor Humphrey Bogart's newspaper in Deadline - U.S.A. (1952). MacKenzie's character and Jane Russell's exchanged identities in a musical, The French Line (1954).

Later years

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Her final appearance was in the role of Nancy Gilman in the Perry Mason television series episode, "The Case of the Duplicate Daughter" (1961). After her acting career ended, MacKenzie was an English teacher; one of her students was radio host Anthony Cumia of Opie and Anthony.[5]

Personal life and death

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On November 26, 1952, MacKenzie married Walter H. "Tim" Leimert Jr. in Hollywood, California; the couple had two sons but divorced in 1960. In 1961, Joyce married Robert L. (Keiki) Driver until their divorce in 1966. In 1972, she married Victor Benedict Hassing. They remained married until his death at age 64 on October 29, 1980.[6]

MacKenzie died on June 10, 2021, in Hollywood, California, at the age of 95.[7]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1946 Tomorrow Is Forever Cherry Davis
1946 The Kid from Brooklyn Goldwyn Girl Uncredited
1949 Whirlpool Daisy – Telephone Operator Uncredited
1949 Twelve O'Clock High Nurse Uncredited
1950 Mother Didn't Tell Me Helen Porter
1950 A Ticket to Tomahawk Ruby Uncredited
1950 Destination Murder Laura Mansfield
1950 Stella Peggy Denny
1950 Broken Arrow Terry
1951 On the Riviera Mimi
1951 His Kind of Woman Lady Gwendolyn in Film Uncredited
1951 People Will Talk Gussie Uncredited
1951 The Racket Mary McQuigg
1951 The Model and the Marriage Broker Doris Uncredited
1952 Deadline - U.S.A. Katherine Garrison Geary
1952 Wait till the Sun Shines, Nellie Bessie Jordan
1952 O. Henry's Full House Hazel Woods (segment "The Clarion Call"), (scenes deleted)
1952 Night Without Sleep Laura Harkness
1953 The I Don't Care Girl Babette Uncredited
1953 Tarzan and the She-Devil Jane
1953 The French Line Myrtle Brown
1954 Rails Into Laramie Helen Shanessy

References

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  1. ^ "Joyce victim of misleading campaign". Toledo Blade. November 24, 1961. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
  2. ^ Soanes, Wood (February 14, 1950). "Movie Star Once Earned Living as Active Carpenter". Oakland Tribune. California, Oakland. p. 33. Retrieved November 21, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. ^ "Girl Hammers Way Up". Salt Lake Telegram. Utah, Salt Lake City. United Press. October 20, 1944. p. 11. Retrieved November 21, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. ^ Neill, Frank (December 21, 1949). "In Hollywood". Long Beach Independent. California, Long Beach. International News Service. p. 24. Retrieved September 26, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  5. ^ Cumia, Anthony. "Opie and Anthony Show". SiriusXM. Archived from the original on November 12, 2012. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
  6. ^ "Weds Joyce MacKenzie". The Kansas City Times. Missouri, Kansas City. Associated Press. November 27, 1952. p. 73. Retrieved November 21, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  7. ^ Barnes, Mike (July 15, 2021). "Joyce MacKenzie, Actress in 'Tarzan and the She-Devil,' Dies at 95". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
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