Joan Hackett

Joan Hackett, born March 1, 1934, in East Harlem, New York, died October 8, 1983, in Encino, California, was an American actress. She began her acting career as Gail Prentiss in the television series Young Doctor Malone in 1959. She had a major role in the Twilight Zone episode "A Piano in the Ho... More

Joan Hackett, born March 1, 1934, in East Harlem, New York, died October 8, 1983, in Encino, California, was an American actress. She began her acting career as Gail Prentiss in the television series Young Doctor Malone in 1959. She had a major role in the Twilight Zone episode "A Piano in the House" in 1962. She landed another major role in Sidney Lumet's The Group in 1966, starring Candice Bergen, Larry Hagman, Richard Mulligan, Joanna Pettet, and others. She is perhaps best known for her role as Catherine Allen opposite Charlton Heston in Will Penny: The Lonely One (1968). She also had a notable role in the comedy western "Support Your Local Sheriff!" (1969) with James Garner. She won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Only When I Laugh (1981), her last film before her death. She died of ovarian cancer at age 49; both of her parents also died of cancer. She is buried in the crypt of the Hollywood Forever Cemetery Mausoleum in Hollywood, California. Her epitaph depicts her as a sleeping beauty crying out for tranquility: "Go Away - I'm Asleep."