Joan Rhodes (13 April 1921 – 30 May 2010) was a

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

-born British

performer The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which are the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. Perfor ...

wrestler Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat spor ...

stuntwoman A stunt performer, often called a stuntman or stuntwoman and occasionally stuntperson or stunt-person, is a trained professional who performs daring acts, often as a career. Stunt performers usually appear in films or on television, as opposed ...

and

strongwoman A strongwoman is a woman who performs feats of strength in a show or circus, or a woman who competes in strength athletics. Traditionally, strongwomen have had a special appeal, as women involved in demonstrated feats of strength were exceptions ...

. Born into poverty in London, she and her siblings were deserted by their parents. Following unhappy spells in the

workhouse In Britain, a workhouse () was an institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. (In Scotland, they were usually known as poorhouses.) The earliest known use of the term ''workhouse' ...

and with an aunt, she left home at 14. After sleeping rough in

Brewer Street Brewer Street is a street in the Soho area of central London, running west to east from Glasshouse Street to Wardour Street Wardour Street () is a street in Soho, City of Westminster, London. It is a one-way street that runs north fro ...

Soho Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was develo ...

, she joined a travelling fair, where she got the idea for her act after seeing a professional strongman at work.

With Bob Hope

She began as a variety and

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining o ...

performer during the 1950s and '60s. Her popularity increased due to her early appearances on television shows in the US and UK, including Ed Sullivan's '' The Toast of the Town'' (1955) and the '' Bob Hope Christmas Show''. It was in the latter that, on stage in

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on 27 December 1955, Rhodes lifted, then accidentally dropped,

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in Bob Hope filmography, more than 70 short and ...

, while entertaining troops for the

USO The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

Stunts

As a stunt performer, she worked on films, including '' Fanny by Gaslight'' (1944). She appeared as herself performing some of her strength feats in the

Vernon Sewell Vernon Campbell Sewell (4 July 1903 – 21 June 2001) was a British film director, writer, producer and, briefly, an actor. Sewell was born in London, England, and was educated at Marlborough College. He directed more than 30 films during his ...

-directed crime caper '' Johnny, You're Wanted'' (1956). She also appeared in '' Burke & Hare'' (1972), ''

The Pink Panther Strikes Again ''The Pink Panther Strikes Again'' is a 1976 comedy film. The fifth film in ''The Pink Panther'' series, its plot picks up three years after '' The Return of the Pink Panther'', with former Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus (Herbert Lom) about t ...

'' (1976) and ''

The Elephant Man Joseph Carey Merrick (5 August 1862 – 11 April 1890), often erroneously called John Merrick, was an English man known for having severe deformities. He was first exhibited at a freak show under the stage name "the Elephant Man" and then we ...

'' (1980).

Autobiography

Her autobiography, ''Coming on Strong'', was published in 2007. In her later years, she ran a small café in Crouch Hill just down the road from the Mountview Theatre School (now moved) and she was popular with its students.

Death

Joan Rhodes died on 30 May 2010, aged 89. On 11 June 2010,

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

in its "Last Word" programme covered her life with anecdotes by Roy Hudd, who had known her well.

Legacy

During a fifth season episode of the BBC TV programme ''

The Repair Shop ''The Repair Shop'' is a British daytime television show made by production company Ricochet that aired on BBC Two for series 1 to 3 and on BBC One for series 4 onwards, in which family heirlooms are restored for their owners by numerous expert ...

'' that aired 13 December 2019, Triona Palmer, a friend of Joan Rhodes, brought in one of Rhodes's sequined stage costumes to be restored by embroidery specialist Sara Dennis. Rhodes was the subject of

's ''

Great Lives ''Great Lives'' is a BBC Radio 4 biography series, produced in Bristol. It has been presented by Joan Bakewell, Humphrey Carpenter, Francine Stock and currently (since April 2006) Matthew Parris. A distinguished guest is asked to nominate the pe ...

'', first broadcast on 24 May 2022

Filmography

*'' Burke & Hare'' (1972) - Hairy Mary *''

'' (1976) - Daphne *''

'' (1980) - Cook

References

External links

*
Obituary in ''The Telegraph''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rhodes, Joan 1921 births 2010 deaths Actresses from London English film actresses Music hall performers People associated with physical culture Strongwomen