Joyce Bulifant facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Joyce Bulifant
Bulifant on a 1975 episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Born	Joyce Collins Bulifant (1937-12-16) December 16, 1937 (age 87) Newport News, Virginia, U.S.
Alma mater	American Academy of Dramatic Arts
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1959–present
Known for	The Mary Tyler Moore Show The Happiest Millionaire Airplane!
Spouse(s)	James MacArthur ​ ​ (m. 1958; div. 1968)​ Edward Mallory ​ ​ (m. 1969; div. 1974)​ William Asher ​ ​ (m. 1976; div. 1993)​ Glade Bruce Hansen ​ ​ (m. 2000; div. 2001)​ Roger Perry ​ ​ (m. 2002; died 2018)​
Children	3, including John Mallory Asher
Awards	Palm Springs Walk of Stars

Joyce Collins Bulifant, born on December 16, 1937, is an American actress and author. She is well-known for her roles on TV shows like The Mary Tyler Moore Show, where she played Marie Slaughter. Joyce also appeared in movies such as The Happiest Millionaire and Airplane!. Many people also recognize her from her frequent appearances on popular game shows like Match Game and Password Plus.

Early Life and Acting School

Joyce Bulifant was born in Newport News, Virginia. She went to Solebury School in New Hope, Pennsylvania, and finished in 1956. Her first husband, James MacArthur, was in the same class. After high school, she studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. This school helps people learn how to become professional actors.

Theatre Performances

Joyce Bulifant has performed in several plays on Broadway, which is a famous theatre district in New York City. Her Broadway shows included Tall Story in 1958 and The Paisley Convertible in 1966. She also acted in other plays like Auntie Mame.

She has also created and performed her own shows. These shows were about her life and her memories of famous people. One show was called Remembering Helen Hayes with Love. Helen Hayes was her former mother-in-law and a very famous actress.

Television Roles

Joyce Bulifant has had many roles on television throughout her career. She was a regular cast member on several shows. She also made many guest appearances on popular TV series.

Regular TV Show Roles

One of Joyce's first TV jobs was as a dancer on Arthur Murray's Dance Party. She played Timmie Barnes in Too Young to Go Steady in 1959. She was also Mary Gentry in Tom, Dick and Mary from 1964 to 1965.

A very famous role for her was Marie Slaughter on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. She appeared on this show from 1970 to 1977. She also played Peggy Wilson on Love Thy Neighbor and Lois on It's a Man's World. Later, she was Marsha Patterson on The Bill Cosby Show and Marjorie Martin on Big John, Little John. From 1980 to 1981, she played Miriam Willoughby on CBS’s Flo. She also lent her voice to Queen Vanda in the cartoon series Sport Billy in 1982.

Guest Appearances on TV

Joyce Bulifant appeared as a guest star on many different TV shows. In 1961, she played Jessica in an episode of Tales of Wells Fargo. She also appeared in episodes of classic Westerns like The Virginian, Bonanza, and Gunsmoke.

She was in episodes of My Three Sons, McHale's Navy, and Dr. Kildare. She played Nancy Banks in a 1964 episode of Perry Mason. Later, she appeared on shows like Three's Company and The Facts of Life. From 1994 to 1997, she played Emily Wallace on Weird Science. Her real-life son, John Asher, also starred in that show.

TV Movies and Game Shows

Joyce Bulifant acted in several television movies. These included Hanging by a Thread and Better Late Than Never. She also appeared in a TV movie version of Little Women.

She was a very popular guest on many game shows. She appeared often on Match Game, Password, and Chain Reaction. She also played on Tattletales and To Tell the Truth.

Film Roles

Joyce Bulifant is known for her roles in a few popular movies. She played Rosemary in the Disney live-action movie The Happiest Millionaire. In this film, she sang a song called "Bye-Yum Pum Pum." She also had a role in the funny 1980 comedy movie Airplane!.

Her son, John Asher, who is a director, directed her in two movies: Diamonds and Tooken. She also appeared in a short comedy film called The Haircut.

Awards and Recognition

Joyce Bulifant received a Theatre World Award in 1961–1962. This award was for her excellent performance in the play Whisper to Me.

In 2014, Joyce and her husband, Roger Perry, were honored with a Golden Palm Star. This star is on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars in Palm Springs, California. It celebrates people who have made important contributions to the arts.

Personal Life

Joyce Bulifant has been married five times. Her first husband was actor James MacArthur. They married in 1958 and had two children, Mary and Charles. They divorced in 1967.

Her second husband was Edward Mallory, an actor from Days of Our Lives. They married in 1969 and had one child, John Mallory Asher. They divorced in 1974.

Her third husband was TV director William Asher. They married in 1976. William Asher adopted her son John, so John's last name became Asher. They divorced in 1993.

Her fourth marriage was to Glade Bruce Hansen in 2000, but they divorced the next year.

Her fifth husband was actor Roger Perry. They married in 2002 and stayed together until Roger's death in 2018.

Joyce Bulifant has a grandson named Evan Joseph Asher. He is the son of her son John and actress Jenny McCarthy.

Advocacy and Causes

Joyce Bulifant learned she had dyslexia when she was in her 40s. Dyslexia is a learning difference that affects reading. Since then, she has been a strong supporter of dyslexia research. She even wrote two musicals about the topic: Gifts of Greatness and Different Heroes, Different Dreams.

She also started the Hans Christian Andersen Award. This award recognizes people with dyslexia who have made great contributions to society. Famous people like Whoopi Goldberg have received this award. Joyce herself received the Broken Glass Award from The Dyslexia Foundation in 2015.

For many years, she has also been involved with Childhelp. This is a non-profit organization that works to prevent child abuse. She has served as a Celebrity Ambassador and a vice-president on their National Board of Directors. She also supports research for autism.

Her book, My Four Hollywood Husbands, shares her life story.

Filmography

Theatre

Film

Television