Joyce DeWitt

Joyce DeWitt Biography

Born Joyce Anne DeWitt to Paul and Shirley Dewitt, Joyce is most famous for playing girl next door type "Janet Wood" on the ABC-TV sitcom "Three's Company". Joyce, who grew up in the Indianapolis suburb of Speedway, Indiana, competed in speech and debate through the Indiana High School Forensic Association. After she received a bachelor's degree in theater from Ball State University, she moved to California to earn her master's degree from UCLA.

Joyce DeWitt Early career

Joyce was still a student at UCLA when she took up an interest in acting. She began with asmall appearance as "Jill" on the series "Baretta" opposite actor Robert Blake in 1975, and soon foun, that same year, she had herself offered the choice of auditioning for one of two different comedy pilots. The one she chose was Three's Company, and as fate would have it, after appearing in what had been the second pilot shoot for the show, the sitcom was picked up by ABC. It premiered in January 1976 and became a huge hit, running until 1984. During the run of "Three's Company", Joyce still made cameo appearances on other ABC-TV shows such as "Fantasy Island", and "The Love Boat", and also served as a pitchperson on the "Leggs" pantyhose TV commercials. She also appeared in the 1980 film comedy "Airplane" opposite actor Robert Hays, and "Peter Graves" of CBS's "Mission: Impossible" TV show fame.

Joyce DeWitt Present career

After her run as "Janet Wood" on "Three's Company", Joyce largely had all but disappeared from the public spotlight until she appeared as both executive producer and consutant for the 2003 NBC-TV film comedy/docudrama "Behind The Scenes:The Unauthorized Story Of Three's Company", a semi-biographcal synopsis of the goings on both on and off set of the popular ABC-TV sitcom. Her appearances in the films "Failing Better Now" and "Call of The Wild" in 2009, got her back into the show business spotlight. She still continues to make public appearances as well as parts in TV shows and films.

Joyce DeWitt Relationships

Joyce once dated actor Ray Butenicka from 1979-1986. The couple had for a time lived together. There had been rumors in the tabloid press about DeWitt being linked to actor LeVar Burton (of the classic ABC-TV minseries Roots and TV series Star Trek-The Next Generation fame) in the late 1980's; it was never substaniated, and the two have denied the rumors, which claimed that Joyce's parents did not approve of the supposed interracial relationship.