Joan Ann Hackett (March 1, 1934 – October 8, 1983) was an American actress of film, stage, and television. She starred in the 1967 western '' Will Penny''. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and won the

Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress Golden means made of, or relating to gold. Golden may also refer to: Places United Kingdom *Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall * Golden Cap, Dorset *Golden Square, Soho, London *Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome in Gloucestersh ...

for the 1981 film '' Only When I Laugh''. She also starred as Christine Mannon in the 1978

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of ed ...

miniseries version of ''

Mourning Becomes Electra ''Mourning Becomes Electra'' is a play cycle written by American playwright Eugene O'Neill. The play premiered on Broadway at the Guild Theatre on 26 October 1931 where it ran for 150 performances before closing in March 1932, starring Lee Baker ...

''.

Early life

She was born in the

East Harlem East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem or and historically known as Italian Harlem, is a neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, New York City, roughly encompassing the area north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to the south, F ...

neighborhood of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

, the daughter of John and Mary (née Esposito) Hackett, and grew up in

Elmhurst, Queens Elmhurst (formerly Newtown) is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City. It is bounded by Roosevelt Avenue on the north; the Long Island Expressway on the south; Junction Boulevard on the east; and the New York Connecting R ...

, where she became a model and dropped out during her final year of high school. She had a sister, Theresa, and a brother, John. Her mother was from

Naples, Italy Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

, and her father had Irish ancestry, and they raised her

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

and sent her to Catholic schools.

Acting career

Hackett debuted in 1959 with the role of Gail Prentiss in the

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed ...

, ''

Young Doctor Malone ''Young Doctor Malone'' (a.k.a. ''Young Dr. Malone'') is an American soap opera, created by Irna Phillips, which had a long run on radio and television from 1939 to 1963. The producer was Betty Corday (1912–1987), who also produced ''Pepper Youn ...

''. In 1961, she won a

Theatre World Award The Theatre World Award is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or Off-Broadway. It was first awarded for the 1945–1946 theatre s ...

, an Obie Award for Best Actress, and a

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...

for her

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer th ...

portrayal of Chris in Michael Shurtleff's play '' Call Me By My Rightful Name''. She had a recurring role in the CBS legal drama '' The Defenders'' (1961–1965) as the fiancée of Kenneth Preston (played by Robert Reed), partner in the father-and-son law firm led by patriarch Lawrence Preston ( E.G. Marshall). She appeared regularly in scenes with both lead actors. She had a leading role in ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology series, anthology television program, television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dysto ...

'' episode "

A Piano in the House "A Piano in the House" is episode 87 of the American television anthology series ''The Twilight Zone''. It originally aired on February 16, 1962, on CBS. Opening narration Plot Drama critic Fitzgerald Fortune, a caustic and cruel man, goes to ...

". In the 1963–1964 season, she guest-starred on '' Channing'', an ABC

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

about

college A college ( Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...

life starring Jason Evers and Henry Jones. Hackett had one of the starring roles in the 1966

Sidney Lumet Sidney Arthur Lumet ( ; June 25, 1924 – April 9, 2011) was an American film director. He was nominated five times for the Academy Award: four for Best Director for '' 12 Angry Men'' (1957), '' Dog Day Afternoon'' (1975), '' Network'' (19 ...

film '' The Group'', along with

Candice Bergen Candice Patricia Bergen (born May 9, 1946) is an American actress. She won five Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards for her portrayal of the title character on the CBS sitcom '' Murphy Brown'' (1988–1998, 2018). She is also kn ...

Larry Hagman Larry Martin Hagman (September 21, 1931 – November 23, 2012) was an American film and television actor, director, and producer, best known for playing ruthless oil baron J. R. Ewing in the 1978–1991 primetime television soap opera, ''Dall ...

, Richard Mulligan,

Joanna Pettet Joanna Pettet (born Joanna Jane Salmon; 16 November 1942) is a retired English actress. Early life Pettet was born in Westminster, London, England. Her parents, Harold Nigel Edgerton Salmon, a British Royal Air Force pilot killed in the Secon ...

, and others. One of her notable film performances was the role of Catherine Allen, a young mother struggling to survive on the frontier, in the 1968

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US * Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that i ...

'' Will Penny'', with

Charlton Heston Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4, 1923April 5, 2008) was an American actor and political activist. As a Hollywood star, he appeared in almost 100 films over the course of 60 years. He played Moses in the epic film '' The Ten ...

in the title role. Hackett also had notable parts in the classic Western comedy '' Support Your Local Sheriff!'', with

James Garner James Garner (born James Scott Bumgarner; April 7, 1928 – July 19, 2014) was an American actor. He played leading roles in more than 50 theatrical films, including '' The Great Escape'' (1963) with Steve McQueen; Paddy Chayefsky's ''The Ameri ...

, and the 1973 murder mystery ''

The Last of Sheila ''The Last of Sheila'' is a 1973 American whodunnit mystery film directed by Herbert Ross and written by Anthony Perkins and Stephen Sondheim. It starred Richard Benjamin, Dyan Cannon, James Coburn, Joan Hackett, James Mason, Ian McShane, and Ra ...

''. After this, she primarily had parts in TV movies and on episodes of TV series. She received top billing in the 1974 adaption of Michael Crichton's book

The Terminal Man ''The Terminal Man'' is a novel by American writer Michael Crichton. It is his second novel under his own name and his twelfth overall, and is about the dangers of mind control. It was published in April 1972, and also serialized in ''Playboy'' ...

, where she played the brilliant Dr. Janet Ross, a psychiatrist who accurately predicts her patient's destructive behavior, opposite actors

George Segal George Segal Jr. (February 13, 1934 – March 23, 2021) was an American actor. He became popular in the 1960s and 1970s for playing both dramatic and comedic roles. After first rising to prominence with roles in acclaimed films such as '' Ship ...

Donald Moffat Donald Moffat (26 December 1930 – 20 December 2018) was a British–American actor with a decades-long career in film and stage in the United States. He began his acting career on- and off-Broadway, which included appearances in ''The Wild D ...

, and Richard Dysart. In 1978, she appeared in a

adaptation of ''

'' as Christine Mannon. Her performance in that production earned her some of the best reviews of her career.

Clive James Clive James (born Vivian Leopold James; 7 October 1939 – 24 November 2019) was an Australian critic, journalist, broadcaster, writer and lyricist who lived and worked in the United Kingdom from 1962 until his death in 2019.situation comedy A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

'' Another Day'', portraying Ginny Gardner. She appeared in the September 22, 1979, episode "Grass Is Always Greener" of ''

The Love Boat ''The Love Boat'' is an American romantic comedy/drama television series that aired on ABC from 1977 to 1986; in addition, four three-hour specials aired in 1986, 1987, and 1990. The series was set on the luxury passenger cruise ship MS ''Pa ...

'' as Julie McCoy's former classmate from the line's cruise director course. Hackett won the

Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture Golden means made of, or relating to gold. Golden may also refer to: Places United Kingdom *Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall * Golden Cap, Dorset * Golden Square, Soho, London *Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome in Gloucesters ...

and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the 1981 film '' Only When I Laugh'', the last film she made before her death. She could also be seen in Paul Simon's 1980 film '' One Trick Pony''.

Personal life and death

From 1966 to 1973 she was married to actor Richard Mulligan, who was also cast in ''The Group''. Joan Hackett Grave

Hackett was diagnosed with cancer in 1981. She died of

ovarian cancer Ovarian cancer is a cancerous tumor of an ovary. It may originate from the ovary itself or more commonly from communicating nearby structures such as fallopian tubes or the inner lining of the abdomen. The ovary is made up of three different ...

on October 8, 1983, at Encino Hospital in

Encino, California Encino ( Spanish for "oak") is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. History In 1769, the Spanish Portolá expedition, first Europeans to see inland areas of California, traveled north through Sepulved ...

. A funeral mass was held on Wednesday, October 12, 1983, at St. Victor Catholic Church in Los Angeles, California. Her remains are entombed in The Abbey of The Psalms Mausoleum at

Hollywood Forever Cemetery Hollywood Forever Cemetery is a full-service cemetery, funeral home, crematory, and cultural events center which regularly hosts community events such as live music and summer movie screenings. It is one of the oldest cemeteries in Los Ang ...

, where her

epitaph An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves be ...

reads: "Go Away — I'm Asleep".

Partial filmography

. * '' The Group'' (1966) - Dottie Renfrew Latham * '' Will Penny'' (1967) - Catherine Allen * '' Assignment to Kill'' (1968) - Dominique Laurant * '' Support Your Local Sheriff!'' (1969) - Prudy Perkins * ''

The Young Country ''The Young Country'' is a 1970 American Western television film written and directed by Roy Huggins (creator of TV's ''Maverick''). It starred Walter Brennan, Joan Hackett, Wally Cox, Pete Duel and Roger Davis. It was aired on 17 March 1970 in ...

'' (1970 TV movie) - Clementine Hale * '' How Awful About Allan'' (1970 TV movie) - Olive * ''The Other Man'' (1970 TV movie) - Kathy Maitland * ''

Five Desperate Women ''Five Desperate Women'' is a 1971 American TV film directed by Ted Post. It was an ABC Movie of the Week. Plot A violent inmate, whose face is not shown, escapes from a state mental facility. He makes his way to a private beach, drowns a man rela ...

'' (1971 TV movie) - Dorian * ''

Rivals A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant ...

'' (1972) - Christine * ''

'' (1973) - Lee Parkman * ''

'' (1974) - Dr. Janet Ross * '' Reflections of Murder'' (1974 TV movie) - Claire Elliott * ''

Mackintosh and T.J. ''Mackintosh and T.J.'' is a 1975 American modern day Western film starring Roy Rogers in his last feature film appearance in a film that was specifically written for him. Prior to this film his most recent feature film appearances were in the ...

'' (1975) - Maggie * ''

Treasure of Matecumbe ''Treasure of Matecumbe'' is a 1976 American adventure western film directed by Vincent McEveety and produced by Walt Disney Productions. It was based on the novel ''A Journey to Matecumbe'' by Robert Lewis Taylor. The filming locations were in ...

'' (1976) - Lauriette Paxton * '' Stonestreet: Who Killed the Centerfold Model?'' (1977) - Jessica Hillard * ''

Dead of Night ''Dead of Night'' is a 1945 black and white British anthology horror film, made by Ealing Studios. The individual segments were directed by Alberto Cavalcanti, Charles Crichton, Basil Dearden and Robert Hamer. It stars Mervyn Johns, Googie ...

'' (1977) - Mother (segment "Bobby") * '' The Possessed'' (1977 TV movie) - Louise Gelson * ''Pleasure Cove'' (1979 TV movie) - Martha Harrison * '' The North Avenue Irregulars'' (1979) (uncredited) * '' The Long Days of Summer'' (1980 TV movie) - Millie Cooper * ''Harnessing the Sun'' (1980) - Herself * '' One Trick Pony'' (1980) - Lonnie Fox * '' Only When I Laugh'' (1981) - Toby Landau * '' The Long Summer of George Adams'' (1982 TV movie) - Norma Adams * '' The Escape Artist'' (1982) - Aunt Sibyl * ''Flicks'' - Capt. Grace (segment "New Adventures of the Great Galaxy") (1983) (last appearance)

Selected television guest appearances

* 1960 '' Diagnosis: Unknown'', in "Gina, Gina" (episode 1.7) September 6 * 1961 ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, aired on CBS and NBC between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965 it was r ...

'', playing "Sylvia" in episode: "Servant Problem" (episode #6.34) June 6 * 1962 '' The New Breed'' (1961), playing Angie in episode: "Cross the Little Line" (episode #1.15) January 9 * 1962 ''

'' (1959), playing "Esther Fortune" in episode: "

" (episode # 3.22), February 16 * 1962 ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central chara ...

'' (1955), playing "Mady Arthur" in episode: "The Widow" (episode # 7.25), March 24 * 1962 " Theatre '62" (1962), playing the "Second Mrs. de Winter" in episode: "Rebecca" (episode #1.7), April 8 * 1963 ''

Combat! ''Combat!'' is an American television drama series that originally aired on ABC from 1962 until 1967. The exclamation point in ''Combat!'' was depicted on-screen as a stylized bayonet. The show covered the grim lives of a squad of American s ...

'' (1962), playing "Gabrielle" in episode: "The Chateau" (episode # 1.19), February 12 * 1963 ''

Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

'' (1962), playing Dolores Lanza in episode: "Between Friday and Monday" (episode # 1.31), May 7 * 1964 '' Channing'' (1963), playing Djuna Phrayne in episode: "A Rich, Famous, Glamorous Folk Singer Like Me" (episode # 1.15), January 8 * 1964 ''

The Alfred Hitchcock Hour ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, aired on CBS and NBC between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965 it was rena ...

'' (1962), playing "Helen Clarvoe" in episode: "Beast in View" (episode # 2.21), March 20 * 1965 ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 13, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 432 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running western, the second-longest-running western series on ...

'' (1959), playing "Margarita Miguel" in episode: "Woman of Fire" (episode # 6.17), January 17 * 1966 '' Run for Your Life'' (1965), playing Diana Murrow in episode: "The Sex Object" (episode # 2.6), October 17 * 1967 '' Judd, for the Defense'' (1967), playing Ruth Massey in episode: "The Living Victim" (episode # 1.14), December 15 * 1969 ''

Daniel Boone Daniel Boone (September 26, 1820) was an American pioneer and frontiersman whose exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. He became famous for his exploration and settlement of Kentucky, which was then beyond the w ...

'' (1964), playing "Theodora Liggett" in episode: "A Pinch of Salt" (episode #5.26), May 1 * 1971 '' Dan August'' (1970), playing Nancy Williams in "The Assassins" (episode # 1.26), April 8 * 1971 ''

Alias Smith and Jones ''Alias Smith and Jones'' is an American Western series that originally aired on ABC from January 1971 to January 1973. The show initially starred Pete Duel as Hannibal Heyes and Ben Murphy as Jedediah "Kid" Curry, outlaw cousins who are tr ...

'', playing Alice Banion in "The Legacy of Charlie O'Rourke" (episode # 1.15) * 1972 ''

'' (1959), playing "Judith Corman" in episode: "Second Sight" (episode # 13.16), January 9 * 1979 ''

$weepstake$ ''Sweepstakes'', stylized as ''$weepstake$'', is an American anthology television series that aired in the United States on NBC during the 1978-79 United States network television schedule#Tuesday, 1978-79 television season. It depicts the lives o ...

'' (1979) in episode: ""Vince, Pete and Patsy, Jessica and Rodney"" (episode # 1.3), February 9 * 1979 '' Trapper John, M.D.'' (1979) playing "Wilma" in episode: "The Surrogate" (episode # 1.10), December 23 * 1979 ''

Taxi A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choic ...

'', playing "Charlotte", the sister of "Alex Reiger" in episode: "Honor Thy Father" (season 2, episode 2) aired on 18 September 1979 * 1982 ''

Paper Dolls ''Paper Dolls'' is an American primetime television soap opera that aired for 14 episodes on ABC from September 23 to December 25, 1984. Set in New York's fashion industry, the show centered on top modeling agency owner Racine (Morgan Fairchild) ...

'' (1982), playing "Julia Blake" mother of teen model Taryn Blake * 1985 '' Tales of the Unexpected'', playing Brenda in episode: "Scrimshaw" (season 8, episode 4) aired on 28 July 1985

References

External links

* * * *
Allmovie Review of her episode of ''The Twilight Zone''

Allmovie Plot synopsis of her 1965 ''Bonanza'' episode
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hackett, Joan 1934 births 1983 deaths 20th-century American actresses American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe (film) winners Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery Deaths from cancer in California Deaths from ovarian cancer Drama Desk Award winners American people of Irish descent American people of Italian descent Obie Award recipients Actresses from New York City Actresses from Los Angeles Theatre World Award winners People from East Harlem People from Elmhurst, Queens