Jackie Joseph

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Jackie Joseph, as seen in the colorized version of The Little Shop of Horrors.

Jackie Joseph (born November 7, 1934 in Los Angeles, California) is an American character actress, voice artist, and writer best known for portraying the film characters of: Audrey Fulquard in the original The Little Shop of Horrors, Sheila Futterman in both Gremlins films, and the speaking voice of Melody Valentine in the animated television series Josie and the Pussycats. She was a regular on The Doris Day Show portraying Doris' friend, Jackie Parker.

Joseph began her entertainment career as a featured performer and singer in the Billy Barnes Revues of the 1950's and '60s, with future husband and actor Ken Berry. She was married to Berry, with whom she adopted two children, from May 29, 1960 until 1977. Joseph has since remarried; she and husband David Lawrence reside in a quiet suburb of Los Angeles.

Joseph is popular with fans of the original low-budget version of The Little Shop of Horrors, a film also notable as Jack Nicholson's first film (in which he portrayed a masochist who visits a multitude of dentists).

Some of her television credits include appearances on such memorable shows as The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show (two appearances), That Girl, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (four appearances), CHiPs (in a two-part episode), Full House and Designing Women. She also appeared for a week on the game show Match Game '74.

In the early 1980's, Joseph helped form an organization for celebrity wives overcoming divorce. The group, which included Lynn Landon, Patti Palmer Lewis, and Carol Lawrence, went on talk shows (such as Phil Donahue's) discussing the foilbles of celebrity split-ups.

In recent years she has been heavily involved with the Screen Actors Guild as well as organizations providing care for stray animals. She has been a columnist for Toluca Lake's newspaper, "The Tolucan Times," where she often ends her column with the phrase, "We'll talk."

Some of her good friends in Hollywood include actress Doris Day, actress and comedienne Jo Anne Worley, actor Ed Asner, announcer and voice-artist Gary Owens, and more-than-once film co-star, Dick Miller.