Joan Davis

Joan Davis
Davis on I Married Joan (c. 1952/53)
Born
Josephine Davis

(1912-06-29)June 29, 1912
DiedMay 23, 1961(1961-05-23) (aged 48)
Resting placeHoly Cross Cemetery, Culver City
Occupation(s)Actress, vaudevillian
Years active1935–1955
Spouse
Si Wills
(m. 1931; div. 1948)
ChildrenBeverly Wills

Josephine "Joan" Davis (June 29, 1912 – May 23, 1961) was an American comedic actress whose career spanned vaudeville, film, radio, and television. Remembered best for the 1950s television comedy I Married Joan, Davis had a successful earlier career as a screen actress (notably in the Abbott and Costello comedy Hold That Ghost), and a leading star of 1940s radio comedy.

Born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, she was the only child of LeRoy Davis and Nina Mae (née Sinks) Davis, who were married in St. Paul on November 23, 1910.[1] Davis had been a performer since childhood. She appeared with her husband Si Wills in vaudeville.[2]

  1. ^ "Joan was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on June 29, 1907. Joan's birth certificate is interesting in that it was altered some 32 years after it was originally filed. It has been stamped with a notation along the bottom edge, reading “Amended by State Registrar pursuant to affidavit filed on _____,” with the date 2-11-44 written by hand. Asterisks indicate three areas of the document that were amended. The birth date, originally recorded as July 4, 1912, was crossed out by hand and changed to June 29. No middle name had been recorded on the original document; “Donna” was written between the first and last names, with a caret to indicate its placement. The spelling of Joan's mother's maiden name also was corrected. The original document was filled out by Rose Labon, who delivered baby Josephine at the family's residence at 275 Bates Avenue."
    Joan Davis: America's Queen of Film, Radio and Television Comedy by David C. Tucker (Biography, pg. 3), McFarland (March 24, 2014), ASIN B00JH2B0ZG, ISBN 978-0786477845/ISBN 0786477849.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference dunning was invoked but never defined (see the help page).