Joyce Van Patten is a veteran actress, born on March 9, 1934, in New York City, to a family of Dutch, English, and Italian descent. She began performing at a young age, auditioning for modeling roles before her first birthday and making her Broadway debut at six in the play "Popsy" in 1941.
Van Patten's early career included appearances in various Broadway plays, including "This Rock," "Tomorrow the World," "The Perfect Marriage," "The Wind Is Ninety," and "The Bees and the Flowers." She also appeared on radio with her brother Dick Van Patten in the summer replacement series "Reg'lar Fellers" for "The Jack Benny Program."
After a brief marriage to Thomas King at the age of 16, which produced her son Thomas Casey King, Van Patten moved to teen parts on TV anthologies such as "Armstrong Circle Theatre" and "Kraft Theatre." She also appeared on her brother's TV series "Mama" and originated the role of Janice Turner Hughes on the popular daytime soap "As the World Turns" in 1956.
As she grew older, Van Patten intentionally dressed down and downplayed her beauty to play more interesting characters. She specialized in smart, calculating, cynical, earthy, and brittle characters, and reveled in wry comedy as well as quirky drama.
Van Patten's film debut was in the urban drama "Fourteen Hours" in 1951, followed by a small part in "The Goddess" in 1958. She remained a strong presence on TV and in the theatre, appearing in popular Broadway shows such as "The Desk Set," "A Hole in the Head," and "Spoon River Anthology."
In addition to her stage work, Van Patten appeared in numerous TV shows, including "The Defenders," "Alfred Hitchcock Presents," "Ben Casey," "Dr. Kildare," "Perry Mason," "The Danny Kaye Show," "The Andy Griffith Show," "The Outer Limits," and "The Jack Benny Program."
Van Patten's infrequent movie roles were often her most interesting and quirky. She played naïve "square" Peter Sellers's plain-Jane girlfriend in the "hippy" comedy "I Love You, Alice B. Toklas!" in 1968, and appeared alongside her real brother Dick in the teen dramedy "Making It" in 1971.
Throughout her career, Van Patten has been married four times, including briefly to actor Thomas King, and had two children, including her son Casey King, who also became an actor.
