Mostly Credited As: Joan Davis (1)
Birth Name: Madonna Josephine Davis
Date Of Birth: June 29, 1907 (Age 53)
Country Of Birth: USA
Birth Place: St. Paul, Minnesota
Date Of Death: May 22, 1961
Cause Of Death: Heart Attack (Palm Springs, CA)
Height: 5' 5" (1.65 m)
Zany comedienne Joan Davis began her show business career in vaudeville as a child. Her comedy routines were a hit with audiences, but as Davis began to mature into a young woman, she was forced into retirement by audiences who were used to seeing her as preadolescent. Jumping ship from radio to television, Davis started her own production company, which produced Davis's NBC comedy I Married Joan from 1952 through 1955. Davis cast her daughter Beverly Wills in the role of Joan's younger sister. After I Married Joan left the air in 1955, the wealthy Davis more or less retired. She shot a few pilots for proposed TV programs, but none were successful in finding a network.
On May 1961, Davis suffered a heart attack and died in Palm Springs at the age of 53. Tragically, just two years later Davis's daughter Beverly Wills fell asleep smoking a cigarette; her Palm Springs home caught fire, killing her, her two sons, and Davis's mother.