Joan Benedict Steiger Explained

Joan Benedict Steiger
Birth Name:Joan Benedict
Birth Date:21 July 1927
Birth Place:Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Death Place:Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting Place:Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills, California, U.S.
Partner:Jeremy Slate (2002–2006; his death)
Children:1

Joan Benedict Steiger (July 21, 1927 – June 24, 2024) was an American actress best known for her role as Edith Fairchild on General Hospital.[1]

Early life and education

Benedict Steiger was born in Brooklyn, New York, and first performed at the age of seven at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. She continued her training at Rome Opera Ballet School, before studying with acting coaches Robert Lewis and Stella Adler, founders of the Actors Studio in New York.

Career

Theatre

Her list of stage credits include acclaimed productions of contemporary offerings such as Promises, Promises, The Beauty Queen of Leenane,[2] Collected Stories by Donald Margulies, P.J. Barry's The Octette Bridge Club, Horton Foote's The Traveling Lady, and Morris West's The World is Made of Glass, opposite Don Knotts in the comedy The Mind with the Dirty Man, and others.

Film

Benedict Steiger is known for a classic bit from the original version of Candid Camera, where she played a lost tourist looking for directions from passersby.[3] She was also part of the ensemble of the original Steve Allen Show, where she did double duty as the spokesperson for Hazel Bishop cosmetics. On daytime drama, she had regular and recurring roles on General Hospital, Days of Our Lives, and Capitol.[4] She has a starring role the 2011 feature Dead Border.[5]

Personal life

Joan Benedict Steiger's personal relationships are the basis for her one-woman show, The Loves of my Life. Her first marriage was to actor John Myhers, best known for his work in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,[6] and they were married from 1962 until Myhers' death in 1992. Benedict Steiger is also the widow of the Academy Award-winning actor Rod Steiger, whom she married October 10, 2000. They appeared in two films together, A Month of Sundays and the telefilm The Flying Dutchman.[4] Following Rod Steiger's death in 2002, Benedict Steiger's partner was actor Jeremy Slate, a veteran of over 80 films and television shows dating back to 1959, until his death in 2006.[7]

Steiger lived in Malibu, California. She died from complications of a stroke at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, on June 24, 2024. She was 96.[8]

Filmography

Film

!Year!Title!Role!Notes
1965Saturday Night in Apple ValleyPoopsie Patata
1977The Happy Hooker Goes to WashingtonSally
1979The Prize FighterDori
1988Perfect VictimsReceptionist
2001A Month of SundaysDr. Stanz
2004Sweet UndergroundMartha
2006The Theory of EverythingJudge
2013Dead BorderDr. Charlotte Barnes
2017Opus of an AngelBird Lady

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1971The Smith FamilyMargeEpisode: "Greener Pastures"
1974Apple's WayMr. KnowlesEpisode: "The Pen Pal"
1980The Incredible HulkSociety WomanEpisode: "Falling Angels"
1981, 1982Fantasy IslandAnnouncer / Matron2 episodes
1984T. J. HookerMaryEpisode: "Model for Murder"
1985Berrenger'sRue McDanielsEpisode: "For Gloria's Benefit"
1985Crazy Like a FoxM. C.Episode: "Fox in 3/4 Time"
1985HunterJewelry CustomerEpisode: "Waiting for Mr. Wrong"
1986HotelMrs. AdamsEpisode: "Changes of Heart"
1986Days of Our LivesReal Estate AgentEpisode #1.5318
1986The New GidgetMatronEpisode: "Super Gidget"
1992The Trials of Rosie O'NeillWifeEpisode: "Heartbreak Hotel"
2001The Flying DutchmanMoiraTelevision film
2009DollhouseOld LadyEpisode: "A Spy in the House of Love"

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Joan Benedict Steiger's Collected Stories in Venice Magazine . 2010-03-18 . 2011-07-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110705004101/http://www.joanbenedictsteiger.com/press/press10.html . dead .
  2. Web site: Full Cast Set for The Beauty Queen of Leenane at Malibu Stage | TheaterMania. www.theatermania.com. Dec 3, 2020.
  3. Web site: Joan Benedict Steiger's Collected Stories in Venice Magazine . 2010-03-18 . 2011-07-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110705004146/http://www.joanbenedictsteiger.com/press/press20.html . dead .
  4. Web site: Joan Benedict Steiger. IMDb. Dec 3, 2020.
  5. Web site: Dead Border. Dec 3, 2020. IMDb.
  6. Web site: Answers - The Most Trusted Place for Answering Life's Questions. Answers. Dec 3, 2020.
  7. Web site: Jeremy Slate. IMDb. Dec 3, 2020.
  8. Web site: Joan Benedict, ‘Candid Camera’ Actress and Widow of Rod Steiger, Dies at 96. The Hollywood Reporter. Mike. Barnes. 8 July 2024. 8 July 2024.