Joyce DeWitt

Joyce DeWitt

Active - 1978 - 2014  |   Born - Apr 23, 1949 in Wheeling, West Virginia, United States  |   Genres - Comedy, Drama, Romance

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Biography by AllMovie

Remembered by countless fans as the adorable Janet Wood from the sitcom Three's Company, Joyce DeWitt was earning her master's at UCLA when she took an interest in acting. She began with a small appearance on the series Baretta, and soon found herself offered the choice of auditioning for one of two different comedy pilots. The one she picked was Three's Company, and as fate would have it, the sitcom was picked up. It premiered in 1976 and became a huge hit, running until 1984.

Sadly, DeWitt largely disappeared from show business after Three's Company ended. Rumors circulated that DeWitt had suffered mistreatment by the show's producers and lost interest in Hollywood. After some years had passed, however, DeWitt came out of retirement, appearing in a number of movies in the new millennium like 2001's 18 and 2009's Call of the Wild.

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Factsheet

  • Attended grad school at UCLA on a Clifton Webb Fine Arts Scholarship.
  • Made her television debut in a 1975 episode of Baretta.
  • Unsuccessfully auditioned for the role of Pinky Tuscadero, Fonzie's girlfriend, on ABC's Happy Days
  • As a result of always wearing stockings on screen in Three's Company, snagged a L'eggs hosiery endorsement deal.
  • Served as Grand Marshal of the Indy 500 Festival Parade in 1981.
  • Sang on the American cast soundtrack for the Broadway musical Olympus on My Mind.