Liberty Lighthouse Journal: DOSSIER: JOYCE BULIFANT

“My greatest success, I feel, has been the ability to make people laugh, even at my own expense and using that gift to help raise funds for children's charities.”

BORN: December 16^th, 1937

BIRTH NAME: Joyce Collins Boulifant

Joyce Bulifant was born in Newport News, Virginia. She attended Solebury School in New Hope, Pennsylvania, graduated in 1956 in the same class as her first husband, James MacArthur. She then studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Joyce first acting was in theatre, her Broadway credits include Tall Story (1958) and The Paisley Convertible (1966), Glad Tidings, Auntie Mame, Gentlemen, The Queens!, and Under the Yum-Yum Tree.

She has written and performed autobiographical shows – Life Upon the Wicked Stage, Remembering Helen Hayes with Love, and Lillian Gish.

She is best known for her television performances, her earliest roles on television was as a dancer on Arthur Murray's Dance Party (1950-1960). She portrayed Timmie Barnes in Too Young to Go Steady (1959), as Mary Gentry in Tom, Dick, and Mary (1964-1965). On the Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970-1977) as Marie Slaughter, Marjorie Martin on Big John, Little John (1976-1977), Peggy Wilson on Love Thy Neighbor (1973), Lois on It's a Man's World (1962-1963), Marsha Patterson on The Bill Cosby Show (1969-1971), and Alice Wurlitzer on The Bad News Bears (1979-1980). She was the voice of Queen Vanda on the cartoon series Sport Billy (1982).

Joyce made guest appearances as Jessica in Tales of Wells Fargo, “Fraud” episode in 1961 as well as episodes in Channing, Empire, The Virginian, Bonanza, Gunsmoke, Wagon Train, Destry Rides Again, The Real McCoys, McHale's Navy, Dr. Kildare, Naked City, Police Woman, My Three Sons, Love American Style, The Facts of Life, Harper Valley P.T.A., Alice, Three's Company, The Joey Bishop Show, and The Donald O'Connor Show.

Joyce played an intended murder victim in the Boris Karloff episode Thriller in 1961. She starred opposite her future husband, Roger Perry, in a 1962 pilot for General Electric Theater called “The First Hundred Years” and with Eva Le Galliene in Thérése Raquin.

Joyce played innocent defendant in Perry Mason episode “The Case of the Ice-Cold Hands” in 1964.

From 1994 to 1997, Joyce played Emily Wallace, mother of her real-life son John Asher, in Weird Science.

Joyce was a frequent guest on game shows that include: Name That Tune, Password, Match Game, Tattletales, To Tell the Truth, and $25,000 Pyramid.

Joyce was the original choice for the role of Carol Brady on the ABC television show, The Brady Bunch, but the part went to Florence Henderson.

Bulifant's most popular film roles were as Rosemary in the Disney live-action feature The Happiest Millionaire and in the 1980 comedy Airplane!

PERSONAL LIFE AND TRIVIA

First husband was James MacArthur, married on November 2^nd, 1958, had two children, divorced in 1967.
Second husband was Edward Mallory of Days of Our Lives, married on September 19^th, 1969, had one child, divorced in 1974.
Third husband, William Asher, adopted her son John, married August 28^th, 1976, divorced in 1993.
Fourth husband was Glade Bruce Hansen, married in 2000, divorced in 2001.
Fifth husband was Roger Perry, married in 2002 after he divorced his wife of many years, Jo Anne Worley, and remained wed until Perry's death on July 12^th, 2018.
Joyce discovered she had dyslexia in her 40s and served for a long time as an advocate for dyslexia research. She also advocates for autism research and was active in child abuse prevention.
Her memoir, My Four Hollywood Husbands, details alcoholism of four of her spouses.
Joyce was pregnant with her son John Asher during the first season of The Mary Tyler Moore Show in 1970.