Jackie Joseph Biography

Jackie Joseph (born Sammie Jacqueline Joseph; November 7, 1934) is an American character actress, voice artist, and writer known for portraying Alan Brady's niece Jackie on the Dick van Dyke Show, as well as the film characters of: Audrey Fulquard in the original The Little Shop of Horrors, Sheila Futterman in both Gremlins films, and the voice of Melody in the animated television series Josie and the Pussycats and Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space.

She was a regular on The Doris Day Show as Jackie Parker. She played the love interest of Ernest T. Bass on The Andy Griffith Show as well as Imogene Harris, the love interest of Mario (played by Jamie Farr) in Who's Minding the Mint? (1967).

Life and career

Joseph was born in Los Angeles, California. She began her career as a featured performer and singer in the Billy Barnes Revues of the 1950s/60s, with future husband and actor Ken Berry. She was married to Berry, with whom she adopted two children, from May 29, 1960, until June 1976. Joseph has since remarried, to David Lawrence.

Joseph is popular with fans of the original low-budget version of The Little Shop of Horrors (1960). Some of her television credits include appearances on such memorable shows as The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show (two appearances), That Girl, F Troop, Hogan's Heroes (Season 1 Episode 28: "I Look Better in Basic Black" as Charlene Hemsley), McHale's Navy, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (four appearances), CHiPs (in a two-part episode), Full House and Designing Women (as Mary Jo's mother). She also appeared for a week on the game show Match Game '74. Although she only appeared once on the 1964 sitcom My Living Doll as one of the few surviving actors to appear on the series she participated in a retrospective featurette included on the 2012 DVD release of the series.

In the early 1980s, Joseph helped form an organization for celebrity wives overcoming divorce. The group, which included Lynn Landon, Patti Palmer Lewis, and Carol Lawrence, went on talk shows (such as The Phil Donahue Show) discussing the foibles of celebrity split-ups. In recent years she has been heavily involved with the Screen Actors Guild as well as organizations providing care for stray animals. She has been a columnist for Toluca Lake's newspaper, The Tolucan Times, in which her signature sign off was "We'll talk."