Joan Weldon
Joan Weldon | |
---|---|
![]() Weldon in 1955 | |
Born | Joan Louise Welton August 5, 1930 San Francisco, California, U.S. |
Died | February 11, 2021[1] Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S. | (aged 90)
Occupation | Singer, film and television actress |
Years active | 1953–1958 (film and television) to 1980 (singer) |
Spouse(s) | Dr. David Podell (1966-present) |
Children | 1[2] |
Joan Weldon (born Joan Louise Welton; August 5, 1930 – February 11, 2021) was an American actress and singer in film, television, and theatre.
Early years[]
Weldon was born in San Francisco, California in August 1930. Her grandmother, Olio Cornell, raised her in San Francisco after she "was left motherless at five."[3] Weldon's great-grandfather was an actor on stage and in vaudeville. She attended Galileo High School, and was inducted into their Hall of Merit in 2019.[2]
Stage[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/93/Joan_Weldon-Forrest_Tucker_in_The_Music_Man.jpg/220px-Joan_Weldon-Forrest_Tucker_in_The_Music_Man.jpg)
Weldon began her career singing in the San Francisco Grand Opera Company chorus. She also sang with the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera.[4] On Broadway, she appeared in Kean.[5]
She sang at the opening of the New York State Theater at Lincoln Center, in 1964.[6]
After working in film and television, she resumed her career as a singer in road company productions including The Music Man[7] and Oklahoma!. Weldon retired in 1980.
Radio[]
In 1953, Weldon appeared as the soprano soloist on a broadcast of The Standard Hour on NBC radio.[8]
Film[]
Weldon's film debut came in the 1953 film The System.[3] Although her background was singing in operas, The System and her next two films, So This Is Love and Rear Guard, all had her in non-singing roles.[9]
She became a contract actress with Warner Bros. where she remained until her contract ended in 1954. Her most prominent film was the cult thriller Them!
Television[]
Weldon had a brief television career in the 1950s. Her first appearance in 1955 was in an episode of The Millionaire, starring Marvin Miller. She made three appearances on Lux Video Theater in various roles. She also played Marian Keats in the title role of the Perry Mason episode, "The Case of the Angry Mourner" in 1957 (Season 1, episode 7). She appeared in the Have Gun-Will Travel episode “The Singer”. Her final television appearance was in 1958 on Shirley Temple Theater.
In 1955, Weldon was one of the regular singers on the syndicated program This Is Your Music.[10]
Filmography[]
- The System (1953)[11][12] as Felice Stuart
- So This Is Love (1953)[11][12] as Ruth Obre
- The Stranger Wore a Gun (1953)[11][12] as Shelby Conroy
- The Command (1954)[11][12] as Martha Cutting
- The Boy from Oklahoma (1954)[12] as Maybelle - Saloon Girl on Porch (uncredited)
- Riding Shotgun (1954)[11][12] as Orissa Flynn
- Them! (1954)[11][12] as Dr. Patricia Medford
- Deep in My Heart (1954)[12][13] as Performer in 'New Moon'
- Lux Video Theatre (1954–1956, TV Series) as Anne / Patricia Dean
- The Millionaire (1955, TV Series) as Star Conway
- Gunsight Ridge (1957)[11][12] as Molly Jones
- Cheyenne (1957, TV Series)[11][14] as Nellie Merritt
- Perry Mason (1957, TV Series)[11][14] as Marion Keats
- Day of the Badman (1958)[11][12] as Myra Owens
- Have Gun - Will Travel (1958, TV Series)[11][14] as Faye Hollister
- Colt .45 (1958, TV Series) as Edith Murrow
- Maverick (1958, TV Series)[14] as Grace Wheeler
- Shirley Temple's Storybook (1958, TV Series) as Amelia
- Home Before Dark (1958)[11][12] as Frances Barrett (final film role)
References[]
- ^ "Joan Podell Obituary". legacy.com. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Joan Weldon - The Private Life and Times of Joan Weldon. Joan Weldon Pictures". Glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Cook, Ben (January 12, 1953). "Thumbnail Sketch". Indiana, Terre Haute. The Terre Haute Tribune. p. 4. Retrieved March 9, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Hopper, Hedda (November 20, 1952). "In Hollywood". Texas, Harlingen. Valley Morning Star. p. 7. Retrieved March 9, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "We found 30 results for "Joan Weldon"". Playbill. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
- ^ Esterow, Milton (1964-04-24). "STATE'S THEATER OPENS AT CENTER". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-05-30.
- ^ "Opera star heads 'Desert Song' cast". The Gridley Herald. July 8, 1977. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
- ^ Buren, Maxine (September 6, 1953). "Vienna Philharmonic to Be Heard, NBC Features Newer Names on Air". Oregon, Salem. The Oregon Statesman. p. 12. Retrieved March 9, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Hopper, Hedda (August 11, 1953). "Hedda Hoppers Hollywood". Arizona, Tucson. Tucson Daily Citizen. p. 13. Retrieved March 9, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7. P. 1074.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l "Joan Weldon". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k "Joan Weldon". American Film Institute. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
- ^ "Joan Weldon". British Film Institute. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Joan Weldon List of Movies and TV Shows". TV Guide. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
External links[]
- Joan Weldon at IMDb
- Joan Weldon at Yahoo Movies
- Joan Weldon at the Internet Broadway Database
- 1930 births
- 2021 deaths
- 20th-century American actresses
- Actresses from California
- Actresses from San Francisco
- American film actresses
- American musical theatre actresses
- American radio actresses
- American stage actresses
- American television actresses
- Warner Bros. contract players
- American television actor, 1930s birth stubs
- American film actor, 1930s birth stubs
- American singer stubs