Stephen Joyce

Stephen Joyce is an American actor of theater, television and film. He was born March 7, 1931 in New York City, to Stephen James Joyce and Ruth Rita Reilly. The family moved to Brooklyn, and he attended parochial schools, Xavier High, a Jesuit Military school and Fordham University where he majored in theater. At the beginning of the Korean War he joined the Air Force and spent two years in the Far East. He is married to Billie Jean Jones, they have three children. A few weeks after his discharge he was cast as the juvenile lead In a George Montgomery movie Street of Sinners (1956). Later movie roles would include The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) Irish Whiskey Rebellion (1972) The Dark Secret of Harvest Home (1978) One Police Plaza (1980) A Stranger is Watching (1982) The Red Spider (1988) Stranger on my Land (1988), Billy Bathgate (1991), and Invasion (1992. Rarely has an actor worked as consistently as Mr. Joyce at no less than three of the Shakespeare Festivals and seven of the regional theaters in the United States. His first professional job was with the Irish Players. He won the Theater World Award for his portrayal of the title role in Stephen D. His first major role in New York City was as Romeo in the initial production of Shakespeare in the Park. In his review in the Herald Tribune Walter Kerr wrote, "in short this Romeo must be fairly close to what Shakespeare had in mind." He also appeared at the American Shakespeare Festival as well as the San Diego Festival where he played such roles as Hotspur, Leones in Winter's Tale, with his son Michael playing the prince. He particularly enjoyed the part of Puck in Midsummers Night Dream. He played Edgar in Morris Carnovsky's King Lear at the Pilgrimage Theater in Hollywood directed by John Houseman. With the Seattle Repertory Theater he played Hamlet and Biff in Death of a Salesman. At Yale he interpreted Caliban in The Tempest, Bill Cracker in Happy End and Sigismund in Life is a Dream. Below the Mason Dixon line he appeared in OIney's Joe Egg and the World Premiere production of Hugh Leonard's Da, a role he repeated in Chicago where he was nominated for the Joseph Jefferson award. He was nominated for the Drama Desk award for his role as Captain Blakely in The Caine Mutiny Court Martial at the Circle in the Square in New York City. He created the role of the tormented priest Father Rivard in The Runner Stumbles in Stamford and repeated that role at the Little Theater on Broadway. For that portrayal, Clive Barnes, Theater critic for the New York Times, wrote that he was the consummate actor and that he was brought to tears by his performance. He also won raves for his portrayal of the violent Pvt. Brown in Maneuvers. He has had recurring roles in daytime's Another World, Search for Tomorrow, All My Children, Texas, For Richer or Poorer, Where the Hearts Is as well as numerous voice-overs. In his career he has appeared in over two hundred television shows, including starring roles on Omnibus, Play of the Week, and Studio One.