Yootha Joyce
Known for: Acting
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.
Filmography
Series
The Avengers
Miss Lister
1961
Series
The Saint
Milanov
1962
Series
BBC Play of the Month
Mademoiselle Motte
1965
Series
Theatre 625
Jane Matthews
1964
Series
Theatre 625
Miss Binnington
1964
Series
The Wednesday Play
Rosalind Arnold
1964
Series
ITV Playhouse
Phoebe
1967
Series
No Hiding Place
1959
Series
Thirty-Minute Theatre
Agnes
1965
Series
ITV Saturday Night Theatre
Erica Seydoux
1969
Story Parade
Ruth Cowley
1964
Series
The World of Hammer
Self (archive footage)
1994
Series
Jason King
1971
Series
On the Buses
1969
Series
Manhunt
Denise
1970
Series
Man About the House
Mildred Roper
1973
Series
Steptoe and Son
Delilah
1962
Series
Steptoe and Son
Avis
1962
Series
Redcap
Magda
1964
Film
A Man for All Seasons
Averil Machin
1966
City '68
Hilda
1967
W. Somerset Maugham
Elvira
1969
Series
George and Mildred
Mildred Roper
1976
Series
The Misfit
Pamela
1970
Series
Seven of One
Mrs Scully
1973
The Wednesday Thriller
Mrs Seam
1965
Film
Fanatic
Anna
1965
Film
Kaleidoscope
Museum Receptionist
1966
Series
Frankenstein: The True Story
Hospital Matron
1973
Film
The Pumpkin Eater
Woman at Hairdresser's
1964
Film
Twenty-Nine
The Prostitute
1969
Series
Armchair Theatre
Cissy
1956
Series
Armchair Theatre
Alice
1956
Film
Burke & Hare
Mrs. Hare
1972
Film
Frankenstein: The True Story
Hospital Matron
1974
Film
Charlie Bubbles
Woman in Cafe
1968
Film
Stranger in the House
Shooting Range Girl
1967
Film
George & Mildred
Mildred Roper
1980
Conceptions of Murder
Maria Kurten
1970
Film
Our Mother's House
Mrs. Quayle
1967
Film
Steptoe & Son Ride Again
Freda
1973
Film
Fragment of Fear
Miss Ward-Cadbury
1970
Corrigan Blake
1962
Film
Maigret at Bay
Mlle. Motte
1969
Film
Catch Us If You Can
Nan
1965
Film
Nearest and Dearest
Mrs. Rhoda Rowbottom
1972
Film
All the Right Noises
Mrs. Bird
1970
Film
Your Name's Not God, It's Edgar
1968
Film
Man About the House
Mildred Roper
1974
Film
Sparrows Can't Sing
Barmaid
1963
The Fishing Match
Cissy
1962
Film
The Road Builder
Mrs. Palafox
1971
Film
Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width
Mrs. Finch
1973
Film
A Place to Go
Bit Role (uncredited)
1963
Film
Luther
Katharine Luther
1968
Film
Man About the House: 50 Years of Laughs
Archive Footage
2023