Alice Joyce
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Alice Joyce (October 1, 1890 - October 9, 1955) was an actress born in Kansas City, Missouri, United States best known for her Hollywood cinema roles in the 1910s and 1920s, perhaps most famously "The Green Goddess".
Her given name was Alice Joyce Brown. The brunette beauty stood 5 foot 7 inches. She was known for her grace and looks. The illustrator Neysa McMein once said: If I were to die and go to heaven, all I would ask for would be to be made like Alice Joyce. Her heritage was a mixture of Welsh, Irish, and Spanish blood. Each strain showed in her coloring. Her hair was dark brown and her eyes were brownish hazel. She maintained her weight of 125 pounds by dieting and athletics.
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[edit] Leap to Stardom
It was director Sidney Olcott at the Kalem Company in New York city who gave Alice Joyce her first chance, casting her in his 1910 production, "The Deacon's Daughter." She was eventually sent to work under director Kenean Buel on the West Coast after Kalem acquired the old Essanay Studios property in East Hollywood in October of 1913. Miss Joyce also spent time with Vitagraph, Paramount Pictures, Warner Brothers, and United Artists. Many of her roles found her playing a sweetheart, a wife, and a mother. Her stardom began to wane with the advent of sound motion pictures. Her grace was diminished by her voice.
[edit] Marriages
Alice Joyce was linked throughout her career to well known men in Hollywood circles. She married three times, the first time in 1914 to actor Tom Moore with whom she had a daughter, Alice. They divorced in 1920. The same year she married James B. Regan, son of the managing director of the old Knickerbocker Hotel. Her second daughter was born during this union. They divorced in 1932. The actress eventually went bankrupt before she married for a third time. Her last marriage came in 1933, to film director Clarence Brown. They divorced in 1945. The actress retained Brown's name. She resided at 17908 Parthenia St., Northridge, California. In 1946 Brown remained with Miss Joyce for nine hours after she was seriously injured in a traffic accident. He paid all of her medical bills.
[edit] Retirement
Joyce was known as "The Madonna of the Screen" for her striking features and presence. She made her last movie in 1930 after which she and ex-husband Tom Moore worked a late vaudeville circuit for a time. Alice was active in San Fernando Valley women's organizations in her later years. She did book reviews and made sketches for friends.
The actress was ill for several years before her death from a blood and heart ailment at Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital. She was 65 years old. On her passing in 1955, Alice Joyce was interred in the San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Mission Hills, Los Angeles, California. Funeral services were performed by the Oswald Mortuary in North Hollywood, California. A Requiem Mass was celebrated at Our Lady of Peace Church in Sepulveda, California. Miss Joyce was survived by two daughters, Mrs. Alice Moore de Tolley of Dover, Delaware and Mrs. Peggy Harris of Clark Fork, Idaho. The actress had one grandchild and a nephew. The silent screen star left an estate valued at $175,000, with a gross income of approximately $27,600. Her daughters received a collection of jewelry which included gems. Among these were an eight-carat emerald-cut diamond ring and a 55 carat star sapphire ring. The remainder of the estate was placed in trust under terms of the will. The income from this was divided equally between Miss Joyce's daughters.
[edit] References
- Los Angeles Times, Alice Joyce, Star of Silent Movies, Dies, October 10, 1955, Page 1.
- Los Angeles Times, Alice Joyce Estate Said to Top $175,000", October 19, 1955, Page 4.
- New York Times, Alice Joyce Dies; Silent Film Star, October 10, 1955, Page 27.
