Joyce DeWitt

Infobox actor
bgcolour =
name = Joyce DeWitt


imagesize =
caption = Joyce DeWitt in 2006
birthname = Joyce Anne DeWitt
birthdate = birth date and age|1949|04|23
location = Wheeling, West Virginia, U.S.
deathdate =
deathplace =
othername = Joycey
spouse =
parents = Paul and Shirley Dewitt
residence = Los Angeles, California, U.S.
occupation = Actress
yearsactive = 1972 - present
website = http://www.joycedewitt.com/
notable role = Janet Wood in "Three's Company"
academyawards =
emmyawards =
tonyawards =

Joyce Anne DeWitt (born April 23, 1949) is an American actress perhaps most famous for her role as Janet Wood on the television situation comedy "Three's Company".

Biography

Early life

Dewitt was born in West Virginia to Norma and Paul DeWitt. Although she was born in West Virginia, Joyce grew up in Speedway, Indiana, a suburb of Indianapolis. After she received a bachelor's degree from Ball State University, she moved to California to earn her masters degree from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). While attending UCLA, she worked part-time as a house painter and once was hired to paint the actor Abe Vigoda's garage doors. This painting job spawned a friendship between DeWitt and Vigoda which still endures.

Career

Being an avid pantyhose wearer, DeWitt is famous for refusing to do any scenes bare-legged (she always wore either pantyhose or tights), and she became a paid endorser for L’eggs hosiery in the late 1970s. She became almost as famous for her disappearance after the series as she did for her "Three's Company" role; after the series, she did not appear as a regular player on any television series, which led to a number of "Whatever Happened to Joyce DeWitt?" retrospectives in newspaper entertainment columns and television gossip shows. [ [http://www.weht.net/WEHT/Joyce_DeWitt.html Whatever Happened To: Joyce DeWitt ] ] [ [http://ask.yahoo.com/19980915.html Whatever happened to Janet on "Three's Company?" ] ]

Years later, DeWitt would reveal that she turned her back on Hollywood and show business because of the disrespectful treatment she received from the producers of "Three's Company". She also co-produced and hosted the television film "" (2003) with actress Melanie Deanne Moore portraying her during her time on the "Three's Company" series.

Personal life

DeWitt and her former "Three's Company" co-star Suzanne Somers have had an acrimonious relationship (caused by Somers' mid-season salary negotiation ploy in 1980) and, according to many sources, still do not speak to each other. However, she and Priscilla Barnes (Somers's replacement on the show) became lifelong friends. She is the second cousin of actress Stepfanie Kramer. [ [http://www.stepfaniekramer.com/ The Official Stepfanie Kramer Website ] ]

DeWitt dated actor LeVar Burton, but her parents did not approve of the interracial romance, and it ended after six months. [ [http://www.celebritynooz.com/watn/joyce_dewitt.html Celebrity Nooz - Where Are They Now - Joyce DeWitt Three's Company ] ] She lived with actor Ray Buktenica in the late 1970s before the relationship ended. [ [http://starchives.741.com/joyce/bio.html Starchives - Joyce DeWitt - Moved HERE ] ]

Filmography

Film

*"" (1982) - Juror
*"18" (2001) - Jay's Mom

Television

*Baretta (1975) - Jill
*"Most Wanted" (1976)
*"With This Ring" (1978) - Jilly Weston
*"Supertrain" (1979) - Natalie Smithburne
*"The Ropers" (1979) - Janet Wood
*"The Love Boat" (1979) - Jackie Landers
*"Steve Martin: Comedy Is Not Pretty" (1980) - Love God's Date
*"Three's Company" (1976-1984) - Janet Wood, Janet Dawson
*"Friends of Lost Loves" (1984) - Lynn Powell
*"Spring Fling!" (1995) - Linda Hayden
*"Hope Island" (2000) - Laetitia Barton, Laverne Cranston
*"The Nick at Nite Holiday Special" (2003) - Miss DeWitt, The Housekeeper
*"The 3rd Annual TV Land Awards" (2005) - Susan Mayer

References

External links

* [http://www.joycedewitt.com/ Official website]
*imdb name|name=Joyce DeWitt|id=0223213