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Joyce Compton

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Not to be confused with Betty Compton.
Joyce Compton
Compton in I Take This Oath (1940)
Born
Olivia Joyce Compton

(1907-01-27)January 27, 1907
Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.
DiedOctober 13, 1997(1997-10-13) (aged 90)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting placeForest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills
OccupationActress
Years active1925–1961
Spouse
William Francis Kaliher
​
​
(m. 1955; div. 1956)​

Olivia Joyce Compton (January 27, 1907 – October 13, 1997) was an American actress.

Biography

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Compton was born in Lexington, Kentucky,[1] the daughter of Henry and Golden Compton.[2] (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.)[2] After graduating high school she spent two years 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 with 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".[3]

Compton and Robert Benchley in Bedtime Story

Among her over 200 films[4] were Imitation of Life, Magnificent Obsession, The Awful Truth, Mildred Pierce, and The Best Years of Our Lives.[5]

A devout Christian, on her gravestone, just beneath her dates of birth and death, is written "Christian Actress".[citation needed] She died from natural causes, aged 90, and was buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills.[6]

Awards

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For her contributions to the motion picture industry, Compton was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on the south side of the 7000 block of Hollywood Boulevard.[7]

Selected filmography

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References

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  1. ^ Compton, Joyce and Ankerich, Michael (2009). "The Real Joyce Compton: Behind the dumb blonde movie image". BearManor Media, pp. 286-87. Archived July 1, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ a b "Nostalgia Notes". The Courier-Journal. Kentucky, Louisville. January 15, 1989. p. 23. Retrieved August 24, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Compton & Ankerich, (2009), p. 12.
  4. ^ Lamparski, Richard (1982). Whatever became of-- ?: eighth series. Crown Publishers. ISBN 9780517548554.
  5. ^ Compton & Ankerich, 2009.
  6. ^ Eve, The Lady. "Joyce Compton, What a Character!".
  7. ^ "Joyce Compton". Los Angeles Times.
  8. ^ Great Movie Musicals on DVD - A Classic Movie Fan's Guide by John Howard Reid - Google search with book preview

Further reading

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  • Alistair, Rupert (2018). "Joyce Compton". The Name Below the Title : 65 Classic Movie Character Actors from Hollywood's Golden Age (softcover) (First ed.). Great Britain: Independently published. pp. 72–75. ISBN 978-1-7200-3837-5.
  • Maltin, Leonard (2015) [First published 1969]. "Joyce Compton". The Real Stars : Profiles and Interviews of Hollywood's Unsung Featured Players (softcover) (Sixth / eBook ed.). Great Britain: CreateSpace Independent. pp. 38–56. ISBN 978-1-5116-4485-3.
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