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Joyce Mathews (born Jane Mathews; December 5, 1919 – January 17, 1999) was an American actress, dancer, and showgirl who appeared in films, on Broadway, and in early television productions from the late 1930s through the 1950s. She was known for her stage and screen work as well as for her marriages to comedian Milton Berle, theatrical producer Billy Rose, and actor Don Beddoe.

Early life

Mathews was born Jane Mathews on December 5, 1919, in New York City. She later attended the Ida M. Fisher School in Miami Beach, Florida, where she studied art before entering show business.[1] She subsequently changed her first name from Jane to Joyce.[1]

Career

Mathews began her entertainment career in the late 1930s as a dancer at Nicky Blair’s Paradise nightclub in New York.[2]

She appeared in several motion pictures, including The Big Broadcast of 1938 and Artists and Models Abroad (1938).[3] Additional film credits included All Women Have Secrets (1939), Sudden Money (1939), and Mister Universe (1951).

On Broadway, she appeared in the musical Hold On to Your Hats, associated with Al Jolson.[2][4] By the early 1950s, she was also working in television.[3]

She was often described variously as a “showgirl” and an “actress,” reflecting her work across nightclub, stage, and screen productions.[5]

Personal life

Her first marriage was to Gonzales Gomez.[3][1]

Mathews married comedian Milton Berle on December 5, 1941, in Beverly Hills, California.[6] The couple divorced in 1947, remarried in June 1949, and divorced again in 1950 in the Virgin Islands.[1][3] They adopted a daughter, Victoria.[7]

In July 1951, Mathews was hospitalized following a reported suicide attempt at the New York apartment of theatrical producer Billy Rose.[1][5][3] Rose at the time was still married to Eleanor Holm.[8][9]

Mathews married Rose July 2, 1956 and they divorced July 23, 1959.[10] They then remarried on December 29, 1961,[11] only to divorce again on February 10, 1964, exactly two years before he died.[12]

In 1974, Mathews married actor Don Beddoe.[13][14]

By 1977, she owned and operated a travel agency in California.[14]

Mathews lived in California in her later years. She died on January 17, 1999, in Laguna Beach, California, at the age of 79.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1932 Jewel Robbery Maid Uncredited
1933 Sitting Pretty Blonde Chorus Girl Uncredited
1936 College Holiday Dancer Uncredited
1936 The Champ’s a Chump Student Uncredited (Short)
1937 Wells Fargo Pioneer Girl Uncredited
1937 Daughter of Shanghai Girl Uncredited
1937 Bulldog Drummond’s Revenge Minor Role Uncredited
1937 True Confession Girl in Cocktail Lounge Uncredited
1937 Thrill of a Lifetime Chorus Girl Uncredited
1938 Bluebeard’s Eighth Wife Undetermined Role Uncredited
1938 Dangerous to Know Minor Role Uncredited
1938 Tip-Off Girls Tessie Uncredited
1938 The Big Broadcast of 1938 Chorus Girl Uncredited
1938 The Buccaneer Undetermined Role Uncredited
1938 Artists and Models Abroad Jersey
1938 Arrest Bulldog Drummond Undetermined Secondary Role Uncredited
1938 Say It in French Girl Uncredited
1938 The Arkansas Traveler Girl Uncredited
1938 Sing You Sinners Hat-Check Girl Uncredited
1938 You and Me Sales Clerk Uncredited
1938 Cocoanut Grove Dancer Uncredited
1938 College Swing Student Uncredited
1939 Midnight Girl Uncredited
1939 King of Chinatown Nightclub Girl Uncredited
1939 Cafe Society Girl Uncredited
1939 St. Louis Blues Dancer Uncredited
1939 Boy Trouble Patricia Fitch
1939 Disbarred Cigarette Girl Uncredited
1939 All Women Have Secrets Peggy
1939 $1,000 a Touchdown Lorelei
1939 Honeymoon in Bali Girl with Umbrella Uncredited
1939 Night Work Patricia Fitch
1939 Million Dollar Legs Bunny Maxwell
1939 Sudden Money Yolo
1939 I’m from Missouri Bit Role Uncredited
1940 The Way of All Flesh Telegraph Girl Uncredited
1940 Those Were the Days! Telephone Operator Uncredited
1941 Ball of Fire Chorus Girl Uncredited
1947 A Double Life Janet Uncredited
1949 The Barkleys of Broadway Genevieve Uncredited
1951 Mister Universe Maroni’s Moll

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1950 Armstrong Circle Theatre Episode appearance 1 episode
1950 The Silver Theatre Episode appearance 1 episode
1951 Somerset Maugham TV Theatre Hostess 1 episode

References

  1. ^ a b c d e “Berle’s Ex Tries Suicide In Billy Rose’s Bathroom”. The Miami Herald. July 16, 1951. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b “Joyce Mathews Wanted Career—Now Is That a Crime?”. The Atlanta Journal. July 18, 1951. p. 16 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b c d e “Milton Berle’s Ex-Wife Tries to Kill Herself in Billy Rose’s Apartment”. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. July 16, 1951. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ “Joyce Mathews – Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB”. ibdb.com. Retrieved March 23, 2026.
  5. ^ a b “Wrist-Slashing By Joyce Mathews Revives Story Of Rift Between Roses”. The Miami News. July 16, 1951. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ “Radio Star Marries Show Girl”. The Dispatch. Moline, Illinois. December 6, 1941. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ “Showgirl Denies Rose Romance”. News-Press. Fort Myers, Florida. July 17, 1951. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ “Billy Rose Nettled by High Cost of Romance”. Daily News. New York. June 15, 1952. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ “Wife’s Verbal Punches Clip Rose and Joyce”. Daily News. New York. August 8, 1952. p. 437 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ “Joyce Mathews, Billy Rose, Wed in Brief Rites”. Blackwell Journal-Tribune. June 3, 1956. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ “Joyce Mathews, Billy Rose Rewed”. Post-Bulletin. December 30, 1961. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Wilson, Earl (June 10, 1963). “Joyce Mathews Will Be Husband’s Guest”. Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. p. 28 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ “Bater film booked”. The Cincinnati Post. November 6, 1974. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ a b “Joyce married again”. Springfield Leader and Press. Springfield, Missouri. May 8, 1977. p. 78 – via Newspapers.com.