Natalie Joyce (born Natalie Marie Johnson; November 6, 1902 – November 9, 1992) was an American actress.

Biography

Born as Natalie Marie Johnson on November 6, 1902, one of eight children to Henry and Elizabeth Johnson in Norfolk, Virginia, U.S. In 1920, at the ago of 18, Johnson's first job performing was alongside her oldest sister in the

Ziegfeld Follies The ''Ziegfeld Follies'' was a series of elaborate theatrical revue productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 to 1931, with renewals in 1934 and 1936. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as ''The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air ...

. She moved to Los Angeles, CA in 1922 and began her motion picture career in a series of

two-reel A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

comedies produced by the

Christie Film Company Christie Film Company was an American pioneer motion picture company founded in Hollywood, California by Al Christie and Charles Christie, two brothers from London, Ontario, Canada. It made comedies. While Charles served almost exclusively in ...

. Around this time she began being billed as Natalie Joyce. She was named one of the

WAMPAS Baby Stars The WAMPAS Baby Stars was a promotional campaign sponsored by the United States Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers, which honored 13 (15 in 1932) young actresses each year whom they believed to be on the threshold of movie stardom. ...

of 1925. In 1927 she co-starred as a circus entertainer with

Tom Mix Thomas Edwin Mix (born Thomas Hezikiah Mix; January 6, 1880 – October 12, 1940) was an American film actor and the star of many early Western films between 1909 and 1935. He appeared in 291 films, all but nine of which were silent films. He w ...

in ''

The Circus Ace ''The Circus Ace'' is a 1927 American silent Western film directed by Benjamin Stoloff and written by Jack Jungmeyer. The film stars Tom Mix, Natalie Joyce, Jack Baston, Duke R. Lee, James Bradbury Sr., and Stanley Blystone. The film was relea ...

'' for

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

Pictures. In 1928 she portrayed a Panama beauty in '' A Girl in Every Port,'' and she was part of the cast of ''

Through the Breakers ''Through the Breakers'' is a 1928 American drama film directed by Joseph C. Boyle and starring Margaret Livingston, Holmes Herbert and Clyde Cook.Stack & Bowman p.148 Cast * Margaret Livingston as Diane Garrett * Holmes Herbert as Eustis Ho ...

''. Her first cousin was actress

Olive Borden Olive Mary Borden (July 14, 1906 – October 1, 1947) was an American film and stage actress who began her career during the silent film era. She was nicknamed "the Joy Girl", after playing the lead in the 1927 film of that same title. Borden ...

. Joyce gave the

Los Angeles Police Department The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-large ...

important information in their quest to find two physicians wanted in the death of 22-year-old dancer Delphine Walsh in May 1929. Walsh died in a

Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from ...

hospital following an illegal procedure, the term then used for an

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...

. After being away from making movies for a time, Joyce returned in '' Cock o' the Walk'' (1930), also known as ''The Soul of the Tango''. Produced by

James Cruze James Cruze (born James Cruze Bosen; March 27, 1884 – August 3, 1942) was a silent film actor and film director. Early years Cruze's middle name came from the battle of Vera Cruz. He was raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

, the cast included

Joseph Schildkraut Joseph Schildkraut (22 March 1896 – 21 January 1964) was an Austrian-American actor. He won an Oscar for his performance as Captain Alfred Dreyfus in the film ''The Life of Emile Zola'' (1937); later, he was nominated for a Golden Globe for h ...

Myrna Loy Myrna Loy (born Myrna Adele Williams; August 2, 1905 – December 14, 1993) was an American film, television and stage actress. Trained as a dancer, Loy devoted herself fully to an acting career following a few minor roles in silent films. ...

, and

Olive Tell Olive Tell (September 27, 1894 – June 8, 1951) was a stage and screen actress from New York City. Biography Tell was educated in several cities in Europe. She and her younger actress sister Alma graduated from the American Academy of Dramati ...

. Joyce appeared in the ingenue role. After retiring from acting, Joyce worked as a bookkeeper and opened a hair salon. She married aviator William Morris Pryce in 1933.https://oliveborden1947.blogspot.com/2019/05/natalie-joyce.html The couple had one son named Michael. Joyce died in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

in 1992, aged 90.

Partial filmography

* ''

'' (1927) * ''

Whispering Sage ''Whispering Sage'' is a 1927 American silent Western film directed by Scott R. Dunlap and written by Harold Shumate. It is based on the 1922 novel ''Whispering Sage'' by Harry Sinclair Drago and Joseph Noel. The film stars Buck Jones, Natalie ...

'' (1927) * ''

Daredevil's Reward ''Daredevil's Reward'' is a 1928 American silent Western film directed by Eugene Forde and written by John Stone. The film stars Tom Mix, Natalie Joyce, Lawford Davidson, Billy Bletcher, Harry Cording, and William Welsh. The film was relea ...

'' (1928) * '' A Girl in Every Port'' (1928) * '' Naughty Baby'' (1928) * ''

'' (1928) * ''

Pals of the Prairie ''Pals of the Prairie'' is a 1929 American silent Western film intertwined with the romance of the mayor's daughter Dolores (Joyce) and Franciseo (Renaldo). After Francisco is kidnapped by friends of his romantic rival Pete Sangor (Patton), Re ...

'' (1929) * ''

Laughing at Death ''Laughing at Death'' is a 1929 American film directed by Wallace Fox for Film Booking Offices of America. The script was written by Frank Howard Clark and Helen Gregg, and the film stars Bob Steele and Natalie Joyce. Plot A young American ...

'' (1929) * ''

The Man from Nevada ''The Nevadan'' is a 1950 American Cinecolor Western film directed by Gordon Douglas and starring Randolph Scott, Dorothy Malone, Forrest Tucker, Frank Faylen, and George Macready. Written by George W. George and George F. Slavin, the film is ...

'' (1929) * ''

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...

'' (1929) * '' Sailor's Holiday'' (1929) * '' Cock o' the Walk'' (1930) *lost film * '' Police Court'' (1932)

References

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

, ''Christie Comedies Players Announced'', August 24, 1924, Page B37. *Los Angeles Times, ''Wampas Baby Stars of 1925'', January 4, 1925, Page B1. *Los Angeles Times, ''Picturetone to be Used'', August 14, 1928, Page A8. *Los Angeles Times, ''Dancer's Death Quiz Continues'', May 8, 1929, Page A12. *Los Angeles Times, ''Cruz Adds To Cast'', February 5, 1930, Page A12.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Joyce, Natalie Actresses from Virginia American film actresses American silent film actresses Actors from Norfolk, Virginia 1902 births 1992 deaths 20th-century American actresses WAMPAS Baby Stars

Biography

Partial filmography

References

Further reading

External links