Alice Joyce Brown (née Joyce; October 1, 1890 – October 9, 1955) was an American actress who appeared in more than 200 films during the 1910s and 1920s. She is known for her roles in the 1923 film '' The Green Goddess'' and its 1930 remake of the same name.Golden, Eve. ''Golden Images: 41 Essays on Silent Film Stars''. McFarland&Company, , 2001, p. 65.

Early life and career beginnings

Alice Joyce was born in Kansas City, Missouri, to John Edward and Vallie Olive McIntyre Joyce. She had a brother, Francis "Frank" Joyce, who was 2 years younger and who later became an entertainment manager. Her father was a smelter of Irish and French ancestry and her mother a Welsh seamstress. Educated at a convent in Maryland, she ran away to New York while still a teenager. By 1900, her parents' marriage fell apart, and her father took custody of Alice and Frank and moved to Falls Church, Virginia, where Joyce spent most of her childhood. According to the 1910 Census, her mother remarried in 1900 to Leon Faber, and they resided in the Bronx, New York, along with Alice and Frank, where she was employed as a photographer's model and appeared in

illustrated songs An illustrated song is a type of performance art that combines either live or recorded music with projected images. It was a popular form of entertainment in the early 20th century in the United States. It is a predecessor of the Music Video. L ...

. She once said that film producer D.W. Griffith had told her that she reminded him of a cow. Despite this unflattering comment, Joyce was a well-respected actress of the

silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

era. Though Griffith did not show any interest in her, she found work modelling for both artists and photographers. One film historian ranks her among the top models of 1910, in the company of

Mabel Normand Amabel Ethelreid Normand (November 9, 1893 – February 23, 1930), better known as Mabel Normand, was an American silent film actress, comedienne, director and screenwriter. She was a popular star and collaborator of Mack Sennett in their K ...

and Anna Nilsson. She posed for some of the better known artists of the day, including

Harrison Fisher Harrison Fisher (July 27, 1875 or 1877 – January 19, 1934) was an American illustrator. Career Fisher was born in Brooklyn, New York City and began to draw at an early age. Both his father and his grandfather were artists.Harrison & Carrin ...

Charles Dana Gibson Charles Dana Gibson (September 14, 1867 – December 23, 1944) was an American illustrator who created the Gibson Girl, an iconic representation of the beautiful and independent American woman at the turn of the 20th century. He published his ...

, and

Neysa McMein Neysa Moran McMein (born Marjorie Frances McMein; January 24, 1888 – May 12, 1949) was an American illustrator and portrait painter who studied at The School of The Art Institute of Chicago and Art Students League of New York. She began her ca ...

Marriages

Joyce was married three times, the first time in 1914 to actor Tom Moore with whom she had a daughter, Alice Joyce Moore. 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, shortly after which the actress declared bankruptcy, and then she married for a third time. Her last marriage came in 1933 in Virginia City, Nevada to film director

Clarence Brown Clarence Leon Brown (May 10, 1890 – August 17, 1987) was an American film director. Early life Born in Clinton, Massachusetts, to Larkin Harry Brown, a cotton manufacturer, and Katherine Ann Brown (née Gaw), Brown moved to Tennessee when h ...

; they separated in 1942 and divorced in 1945. The actress retained Brown's name. During their separation, she sued him for reparation on cruelty charges.

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 Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

circuit for a time. She declared voluntary bankruptcy in 1933.Pittsburgh Press. ''Alice Joyce Broke''. April 1. 1933. p 2. Web. October 18. 2010 Joyce was active in women's organizations in the San Fernando Valley in her later years. She did book reviews and made sketches for friends.

Partial filmography

*''

The Deacon's Daughter ''The Deacon's Daughter'' is a 1910 American silent film produced by Kalem Company and directed by Sidney Olcott. Production notes The film was shot in Jacksonville Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Flo ...

'' (1910) *''The Miser's Child'' (1910) *''The Heart of Edna Leslie'' (1910) *'' An Engineer's Sweetheart'' (1910) *''The Education of Elizabeth'' (1910) *''For a Woman's Honor'' (1910) *''The Roses of the Virgin'' (1910) *''Rachel'' (1910) *''The Rescue of Molly Finney'' (1910) *''Her Indian Mother'' (1910) *''The Bolted Door'' (1911) *''The Runaway Engine'' (1911) *''The Trail of the Pomas Charm'' (1911) *''The Broken Trail'' (1911) *''The Lost Ribbon'' (1911) *''Mexican Filibusterers'' (1911) *''The Mission Carrier'' (1911) *''The Hero Track Walker'' (1911) *''Big Hearted Jim'' (1911) *''Slim Jim's Last Chance'' (1911) *''Slabsides'' (1911) *''The Loyalty of Don Luis Verdugo'' (1911) *''The Carrier Pigeon'' (1911) *''Tangled Lives'' (1911) *''The Love of Summer Morn'' (1911) *''A Cattle Herder's Romance'' (1911) *''Reckless Reddy Reforms'' (1911) *''The Badge of Courage'' (1911) *''By the Aid of a Lariat'' (1911) *''The Indian Maid's Sacrifice'' (1911) *''The Mexican Joan of Arc'' (1911) *''Over the Garden Wall'' (1911) *''Peggy, the Moonshiner's Daughter'' (1911) *''The Wasp'' (1911) *''Don Ramon's Daughter'' (1911) *''The Branded Shoulder'' (1911) *''On the Warpath'' (1911) *''When Two Hearts Are Won'' (1911) *''When the Sun Went Out'' (1911) *''The Alpine Lease'' (1911) *''The Blackfoot Halfbreed'' (1911) *''The Mistress of Hacienda del Cerro'' (1911) *''A Prisoner of Mexico'' (1911) *''The Peril of the Plains'' (1911) *''For Her Brother's Sake'' (1911) *''The Engineer's Daughter'' (1911) *''When California Was Won'' (1911) *''Dan, the Lighthouse Keeper'' (1911) *''The Temptation of Rodney Vane'' (1911) *''How Betty Captured the Outlaw'' (1911) *''The Long Arm of the Law'' (1911) *''Too Much Realism'' (1911) *''Between Father and Son'' (1911) *''The Higher Toll'' (1911) *''Mrs. Simms Serves on the Jury'' (1912) *''The Russian Peasant'' (1912) *''An Interrupted Wedding'' (1912) *''A Princess of the Hills'' (1912) *''An American Invasion'' (1912) *''The Alcalde's Conspiracy'' (1912) *''The Bell of Penance'' (1912) *''The Defeat of the Brewery Gang'' (1912) *''Jean of the Jail'' (1912) *''The Spanish Revolt of 1836'' (1912) *''The Secret of the Miser's Cave'' (1912) *''The Adventures of American Joe'' (1912) *''The Mexican Revolutionist'' (1912) *''The Stolen Invention'' (1912) *''The Outlaw'' (1912) *''

The Gun Smugglers ''The Gun Smugglers'' is a 1912 silent film romantic short produced by the Kalem Company and released by General Film Company. It starred Carlyle Blackwell and Alice Joyce. It survives in the Library of Congress collection and a copy exists at t ...

'' (1912) *''The Bag of Gold'' (1912) *''The Colonel's Escape'' (1912) *''The Organ Grinder'' (1912) *''Saved by Telephone'' (1912) *''The Suffragette Sheriff'' (1912) *''Fantasca, the Gipsy'' (1912) *''The Family Tyrant'' (1912) *'' The Soldier Brothers of Susanna'' (1912) *''Freed from Suspicion'' (1912) *''The Wandering Musician'' (1912) *''Rube Marquard Marries'' (1912) *'' The County Fair'' (1912) *''The Strange Story of Elsie Mason'' (1912) *''The Mystery of Grandfather's Clock'' (1912) *'' The Young Millionaire'' (1912) *'' A Battle of Wits'' (1912) *''A Daughter's Sacrifice'' (1912) *''A Race with Time'' (1912) *''The Finger of Suspicion'' (1912) *'' The Street Singer'' (1912) *'' A Business Buccaneer'' (1912) *''The Flag of Freedom'' (1913) *''The Nurse at Mulberry Bend'' (1913) *''

The Cub Reporter's Temptation ''The Cub Reporter's Temptation'' is a 1913 American short silent film drama. The film starred Earle Foxe and Alice Joyce and Tom Moore in the lead roles. Cast * Tom Moore as Spider * Alice Joyce as Alice Collins *Earle Foxe Earle Fo ...

'' (1913) *''The Senator's Dishonor'' (1913) *''In the Power of Blacklegs'' (1913) *''The $20,000 Carat'' (1913) *''The American Princess'' (1913) *''The Exposure of the Land Swindlers'' (1913) *''In the Grip of a Charlatan'' (1913) *''A Streak of Yellow'' (1913) *''The Sneak'' (1913) *''The Heart of an Actress'' (1913) *''The Adventure of an Heiress'' (1913) *''The Artist's Sacrifice'' (1913) *''When Fate Decrees'' (1913) *''The Pawnbroker's Daughter'' (1913) *''The Attorney for the Defense'' (1913) *''The Cloak of Guilt'' (1913) *''A Victim of Deceit'' (1913) *''A Thief in the Night'' (1913) *''A Bolt from the Sky'' (1913) *''For Her Sister's Sake'' (1913) *''The Christian'' (1913) *''The Midnight Message'' (1913) *''The Riddle of the Tin Soldier'' (1913) *''Our New Minister'' (1913) *''Perils of the Sea'' (1913) *''

The Octoroon ''The Octoroon'' is a play by Dion Boucicault that opened in 1859 at The Winter Garden Theatre, New York City. Extremely popular, the play was kept running continuously for years by seven road companies. Among antebellum melodramas, it was con ...

'' (1913) (unconfirmed participation) *''The Hunchback'' (1913) *''An Unseen Terror'' (1913) *''The Hand Print Mystery'' (1914) *''The Shadow'' (1914) *''The Cabaret Dancer'' (1914) *''The Dance of Death'' (1914) *''

A Celebrated Case ''A Celebrated Case'' is a 1914 American silent drama film starring Alice Joyce, Guy Coombs and Marguerite Courtot. It is based on the 1877 play ''Une cause célèbre'' by Adolphe Philippe Dennery and Eugene Cormon. A French soldier is wrongful ...

'' (1914) *''Nina o' the Theatre'' (1914) *''The Show Girl's Glove'' (1914) *''The Weakling'' (1914) *''In Wolf's Clothing'' (1914) *''The Beast'' (1914) *''

The Vampire's Trail The Vampire's Trail is a 1914 American silent drama film directed by T. Hayes Hunter and Robert G. Vignola and written by Benjamin Barondess, T. Hayes Hunter, Michael Potter and Robert G. Vignola Robert G. Vignola (born Rocco Giuseppe Vignola, ...

'' (1914) *''The Old Army Coat'' (1914) *'' The Brand (film)'' (1914) *''The Mystery of the Sleeping Death'' (1914) *''The Green Rose'' (1914) *''The Viper'' (1914) *''Fate's Midnight Hour'' (1914) *''The Girl and the Stowaway'' (1914) *''The Lynbrook Tragedy'' (1914) *''The Riddle of the Green Umbrella'' (1914) *''The Theft of the Crown Jewels'' (1914) *''The Price of Silence'' (1914) *''The School for Scandal'' (1914) *''The Mayor's Secretary'' (1914) *''Cast Up by the Sea'' (1915) *''The Leech'' (1915) *''The Swindler'' (1915) *''Her Supreme Sacrifice'' (1915) *''The White Goddess'' (1915) *''Unfaithful to His Trust'' (1915) *''The Girl of the Music Hall'' (1915) *''The Face of the Madonna'' (1915) * '' Whom the Gods Destroy'' (1916) *'' The Courage of Silence'' (1917) * ''

Womanhood, the Glory of the Nation ''Womanhood, the Glory of the Nation'' is a 1917 American lost silent drama film directed by J. Stuart Blackton and William P. S. Earle, and written by Blackton, Helmer W. Bergman, and Cyrus Townsend Brady. It is a sequel to the 1915 movie ' ...

'' (1917) *'' Within the Law'' (1917) *''The Question'' (1917) *''The Countess'' (1917) *''

Richard the Brazen ''Richard the Brazen'' is a 1917 American silent comedy film directed by Perry N. Vekroff and starring Harry T. Morey, Alice Joyce and William Frederic.McCaffrey & Jacobs p.160 Cast * Harry T. Morey as Richard Williams * Alice Joyce as Harr ...

'' (1917) *'' An Alabaster Box'' (1917) *''

The Fettered Woman ''The Fettered Woman'' is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Tom Terriss and starring Alice Joyce, Webster Campbell, and Donald MacBride.McCaffrey & Jacobs p. 160 Based on the 1914 novel ''Anne's Bridge'' by Robert W. Chambers, it i ...

'' (1917) * '' The Woman Between Friends'' (1918) *'' The Song of the Soul'' (1918) *''The Business of Life'' (1918) *''

The Triumph of the Weak ''The Triumph of the Weak'' is a 1918 Vitagraph American drama film that was directed by Tom Terriss, written by Garfield Thompson based upon a play by Edith Ellis and Forrest Halsey, and starring Alice Joyce. It is the story of a woman who stea ...

'' (1918) *''Find the Woman'' (1918) *''

To the Highest Bidder ''To the Highest Bidder'' is a lost film, lost 1918 silent film drama directed by Tom Terriss and starring Alice Joyce. It was produced by the Vitagraph Company of America and distributed by a releasing company V-L-S-E.Everybody's Girl'' (1918) *''

The Captain's Captain ''The Captain's Captain'' is a lost 1919 silent film comedy drama directed by Tom Terriss and starring Alice Joyce. It is based on a novel by James A. Cooper. It was produced and released by Vitagraph Company of America. Cast * Alice Joyce – ...

'' (1919) *''

The Lion and the Mouse The Lion and the Mouse is one of Aesop's Fables, numbered 150 in the Perry Index. There are also Eastern variants of the story, all of which demonstrate mutual dependence regardless of size or status. In the Renaissance the fable was provided wi ...

'' (1919) *''The Cambric Mask'' (1919) *'' The Third Degree'' (1919) *'' The Spark Divine'' (1919) * ''

The Winchester Woman ''The Winchester Woman'' is a 1919 American silent crime film directed by Wesley Ruggles and starring Alice Joyce, Percy Marmont, and Robert Middlemass.''Guide to the Silent Years of American Cinema'', p. 160 Cast * Alice Joyce as Agatha Winche ...

'' (1919) * '' The Vengeance of Durand'' (1919) * '' Slaves of Pride'' (1920) *'' The Sporting Duchess'' (1920) *''Dollars and the Woman'' (1920) * ''

The Vice of Fools ''The Vice of Fools'' is a 1920 American silent drama film directed by Edward H. Griffith Edward H. Griffith (August 23, 1888 – March 3, 1975) (also known as E H Griffith, Lieut. Edward H. Griffith, Edward Griffith, and E. H. Griffith) ...

'' (1920) * '' The Prey'' (1920) *'' Cousin Kate'' (1921) * '' Her Lord and Master'' (1921) * ''

The Scarab Ring ''The Scarab Ring'' is a 1921 American silent mystery film directed by Edward José and starring Alice Joyce, Maude Malcolm and Joe King.Wlaschin p.196 Plot Cast * Alice Joyce as Constance Randall * Maude Malcolm as Muriel Randall * Joe K ...

'' (1921) *'' The Inner Chamber'' (1921) *'' The Green Goddess'' (1923) *''

White Man White is a racial classification of people generally used for those of predominantly European ancestry. It is also a skin color specifier, although the definition can vary depending on context, nationality, ethnicity and point of view. Desc ...

'' (1924) *''

The Passionate Adventure ''The Passionate Adventure'' is a 1924 British silent drama film directed by Graham Cutts and starring Clive Brook and Alice Joyce. The film was adapted from a novel by Frank Stayton by Alfred Hitchcock and Michael Morton, with Hitchcock al ...

'' (1924) *'' Daddy's Gone A-Hunting'' (1925) *''

The Little French Girl ''The Little French Girl'' is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Herbert Brenon and written by John Russell and Anne Douglas Sedgwick from a 1924 novel by Sedgwick, and filmed in the British Imperial fortress colony of Bermuda, 640 m ...

'' (1925) *''

Headlines The headline is the text indicating the content or nature of the article below it, typically by providing a form of brief summary of its contents. The large type ''front page headline'' did not come into use until the late 19th century when incre ...

'' (1925) *'' The Home Maker'' (1925) *'' Stella Dallas'' (1925) *''

Mannequin A mannequin (sometimes spelled as manikin and also called a dummy, lay figure, or dress form) is a doll, often articulated, used by artists, tailors, dressmakers, window dressers and others, especially to display or fit clothing and show off dif ...

'' (1926) *''

Dancing Mothers ''Dancing Mothers'' is a 1926 American silent drama film directed by Herbert Brenon, and stars Alice Joyce, Conway Tearle, and making her debut appearance for a Paramount film, Clara Bow. The film was released to the general public on March 1, ...

'' (1926) *''

Beau Geste ''Beau Geste'' is an adventure novel by British writer P. C. Wren, which details the adventures of three English brothers who enlist separately in the French Foreign Legion following the theft of a valuable jewel from the country house of a r ...

'' (1926) *'' The Ace of Cads'' (1926) *''

So's Your Old Man ''So's Your Old Man'' is a 1926 American silent comedy film directed by Gregory La Cava and starring W. C. Fields and Alice Joyce. It was written by J. Clarkson Miller based on the story "Mr. Bisbee's Princess" by Julian Leonard Street as ad ...

'' (1926) *'' Sorrell and Son'' (1927) *''

13 Washington Square ''13 Washington Square'' is a 1928 American silent romantic comedy drama film directed by Melville W. Brown, written by Harry O. Hoyt and Walter Anthony, and starring Jean Hersholt, Alice Joyce, and George J. Lewis. It is based on a 1914 play o ...

'' (1928) *'' The Noose'' (1928) *''

The Rising Generation ''The Rising Generation'' is a lost 1928 British silent comedy film directed by Harley Knoles and George Dewhurst and starring Alice Joyce, Jameson Thomas and Robin Irvine. It was based on a play by Laura Leycester. The screenplay concerns a ...

'' (1928) * ''

The Squall ''The Squall'' is a 1929 American sound ( All-Talking) pre-Code drama film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Myrna Loy, Richard Tucker, Alice Joyce and Loretta Young, and based on the 1926 play '' The Squall'' by Jean Bart. Plot In Hu ...

'' (1929) *'' The Green Goddess'' (1930) *'' He Knew Women'' (1930) *''

Song o' My Heart ''Song o' My Heart'' is a 1930 Pre-Code American film directed by Frank Borzage and starring John McCormack, Alice Joyce, Maureen O'Sullivan, Effie Ellsler and John Garrick. It was O'Sullivan's second film role. The film was double-shot in ...

'' (1930)

References

External links

Alice Joyce website

*
Alice Joyce
at Virtual History {{DEFAULTSORT:Joyce, Alice 1890 births 1955 deaths American film actresses American silent film actresses People from Falls Church, Virginia Actresses from the Bronx American vaudeville performers Burials at San Fernando Mission Cemetery Actresses from Kansas City, Missouri Actresses from Virginia 20th-century American actresses People from Northridge, Los Angeles