Joan Staley facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Joan Staley
Staley in Bonanza (1960)
Born	Joan Lynette McConchie (1940-05-20)May 20, 1940 Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Died	November 24, 2019(2019-11-24) (aged 79) Valencia, California, U.S.
Alma mater	Chapman College
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1948–1982
Known for	Broadside 77 Sunset Strip Perry Mason
Spouse(s)	Chuck Staley ​ ​ (m. 1956; div. 1960)​ Dale Sheets ​ (m. 1967)​
Children	Sherrye Dee Staley (b. 1959) Stephanie, Greg, and Dina

Joan Staley (born Joan Lynette McConchie; May 20, 1940 – November 24, 2019) was an American actress and model. She was known for her roles in TV shows like Broadside and 77 Sunset Strip, and for appearing in movies with famous stars.

Early Life and Music

Joan Staley was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her father was a minister, and her mother was a talented musician who played many instruments. Joan grew up in Los Angeles, California.

When Joan was just three years old, she asked her mother for a violin after attending a concert. Her mother helped her learn, and Joan's first teacher was Karl Moldrem, who started the Baby Orchestra in Los Angeles. By age six, Joan was very good at the violin. She won an audition to play first chair/second violin in Peter Meremblum's Junior Symphony. This led to her first movie role as a child violinist in The Emperor Waltz, which starred Bing Crosby.

Joan's parents were missionaries in Africa for a time. Later, her father joined the Army as a chaplain. Because of his work, Joan's family moved often. She went to schools in different cities like Chicago, Washington, D.C., Munich, and Paris. She also briefly attended Chapman College.

Starting Her Acting Career

After college, Joan moved to San Francisco to find work. She joined The Little Theater in Hollywood. There, she acted in plays like The Robe and Brigadoon. These theater roles helped her get small parts in live television shows such as Playhouse 90. These TV appearances soon opened doors for her in both movies and television.

Joan's first marriage was to television director Chuck Staley from 1956 to 1960. They had a daughter named Sherrye Dee Staley. During this time, the famous movie studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) signed Joan to a contract. She was one of the last actresses to sign a contract with MGM.

Television and Film Roles

Joan Staley had a busy career in film and television throughout the 1960s and early 1970s. Her first guest-starring role was on the TV show The Untouchables.

She became well-known for her funny acting on the popular sitcom The Tab Hunter Show. In 1961, she appeared in several episodes of The Lawless Years, a crime drama set in the 1920s. After that, she had a regular role as David Nelson's secretary in The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. She also guest-starred on The New Phil Silvers Show and co-starred with singer Vic Damone in The Lively Ones.

Joan appeared three more times on the popular legal drama Perry Mason. She played different characters, including a murderer named Gina Gilbert in one episode. She also guest-starred on many other well-known TV shows, such as:

• Stoney Burke
• Wagon Train
• The Real McCoys
• McHale's Navy
• The Virginian
• The Dick Van Dyke Show
• The Munsters
• Batman
• Maverick
• Hawaiian Eye

From 1963 to 1964, Joan was a regular cast member on the crime drama 77 Sunset Strip. She played Hannah, the secretary to the main character, Stuart Bailey.

Joan also appeared in several movies. One of her favorite roles was a small part in A New Kind of Love (1963), where she had a scene with actor Paul Newman. She also appeared in Cape Fear (1962) with Robert Mitchum, and in the 1964 Elvis Presley movie, Roustabout. She co-starred with Don Knotts in The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966) and with Audie Murphy in Gunpoint (1966).

In 1964, after appearing on McHale's Navy, Joan signed a contract with Universal Studios. She then co-starred in the McHale's Navy spin-off show, Broadside. In 1966, Joan had a serious horseback riding accident while filming Gunpoint. This injury caused her to stop working in movies, and she focused mainly on television roles after that.

Personal Life and Family

Joan married Charles Staley in 1956. They had met in France. They moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where Charles worked as a television director. Joan also worked as a legal secretary there and sometimes sang backup for Sun Records, a famous music studio. Later, the Staley family moved to Los Angeles.

In 1967, Joan married Dale Sheets, who was an executive at MCA. In 1969, Joan and Dale started their own company, International Ventures Incorporated, where they continued to manage talent. Together, Joan and Dale had a large family of seven children. Dale had three children from a previous marriage, Joan had one, and they had three children together. By 2013, they had ten grandchildren and twenty great-grandchildren. Joan was also involved in consumer affairs, her church, and helping people in prison.

Awards and Recognition

In 1962, Joan Staley was chosen as one of 12 "Deb Stars" by the Hollywood Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Union. This honor recognized her as a promising young actress.