Joan Staley was born Joan McConchie on May 20, 1940, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and began taking violin lessons at the tender age of three. As a child prodigy, she quickly joined a baby orchestra in Los Angeles and, at the age of six, became a Junior Symphony performer. She also made her film debut as a child violinist in The Emperor Waltz (1948),starring Bing Crosby and Joan Fontaine.
Growing up, her family traveled extensively throughout Europe due to her father's business, but they later relocated to California. Joan briefly attended Chapman College in the Los Angeles area before redirecting her focus towards a career in show business. She worked as a secretary and sang backup on records for Sam Phillips, while also appearing in local stage productions.
In 1958, she was approached by a photographer and posed for Playboy magazine, becoming November's centerfold. This exposure led to an MGM contract, and she landed cheesecake bit parts in films such as Ocean's Eleven (1960) and Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961). She also appeared in Valley of the Dragons (1961),a prehistoric adventure film, but it didn't lead to significant success.
Joan's subsequent film appearances included perky love interests in the western Gunpoint (1966),starring Audie Murphy, and the comedy film The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966),as well as guest roles on TV shows such as "Rango," "Pistols and Petticoats," "Mission: Impossible," "Ironside," and "Adam-12." However, her career went on hiatus after a horse-riding accident.
Joan was briefly married to Chuck Staley and later married former Universal exec Dale Sheets, with whom she had twins, a boy and girl, on March 24, 1971. Since then, she has focused on family life and other pursuits, making a brief appearance on an episode of "Dallas" in 1982. Joan Staley passed away on November 24, 2019.
