Tuesday, June 22, 2021

Joanne Linville Passes On

Joanne Linville, who guest starred on such classic TV shows as Studio One, The Twilight Zone, Star Trek, and Columbo, died on June 20 2021 at the age of 93.

Joanne Linville was born on January 15 1928 in Bakersfield, California. She grew up in Venice, California. She worked as an oral surgeon's assistant prior to taking up acting. She danced professionally to help pay the pay for the tuition for her acting classes. She made her film debut in an uncredited part in Copper Canyon in 1950.

She made her television debut in 1954 in an episode of Studio One. She appeared five more times on the anthology series. In the Fifties she also guest starred on the TV shows The Kaiser Aluminum Hour, The Alcoa Hour, Robert Montgomery Presents, Decoy, Suspicion, Matinee Theatre, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Kraft Television Theatre, The Investigator, The United States Steel Hour, The Guiding Light, The Further Adventures of Ellery Queen, The Third Man, Playhouse 90, The DuPont Show of the Month, Deadline, CBS Repertoire Workshop, Dow Hour of Great Mysteries, Hotel de Paree, Have Gun--Will Travel, One Step Beyond, Coronado 9, and The Law and Mr. Jones. She appeared in the movie The Goddess (1958).

In the Sixties Joanne Linville appeared on Broadway in Daughter of Silence. She guest starred on the TV shows Checkmate, The Twilight Zone, Adventures in Paradise, Laramie, Bus Stop, The New Breed, Dr. Kildare, Ben Casey, The Nurses, Sam Benedict, Empire, Route 66, Going My Way, The Defenders, The Dick Powell Show, Naked City, The Eleventh Hour, I Spy, The Fugitive, Shane, Bonanza, The Felony Squad, The Invaders, Star Trek, Gunsmoke, Judd for the Defense, The F.B.I., Lancer, The Bold Ones: The New Doctors, and Hawaii Five-O. She appeared in the television movie House on Greenapple Road.

In the Seventies Miss Linville guest starred on the TV shows Medical Center, The Bold Ones: The New Doctors, Columbo, Kojak, The Streets of San Francisco, Nakia, The Blue Knight, Switch, CHiPs, Barnaby Jones, Charlie's Angels, and Mrs. Columbo. She appeared in the TV movies Secrets and The Critical List. She appeared in the movies Scorpio (1973), Gable and Lombard (1976), and A Star is Born (1976).

In the Eighties Joanne Linville guest starred on Behind the Screen, Dynasty, and L.A. Law. She appeared in the TV movies The Right of the People and From the Dead of Night. In 2001 she appeared in the TV movie James Dean. In 2011 she guest starred on the Star Trek fan series Starship Excelsior, reprising her role as the Romulan Commander (who had been promoted to Legate).

It was little wonder that Joanne Linville was a frequent guest star on television shows, as she was a very talented actress. She was well known for playing the Romulan Commander in the Star Trek episode "The Enterprise Incident." On the Bonanza episode she played Maggie Dowling, a woman who thought herself plain with whom a bashful widower is in love. In the Twilight Zone episode "The Passerby" she played a woman whose husband had left her to fight in the American Civil War. In the Columbo episode "Candidate for Crime," Joanne Linville played the wife of senatorial candidate. Joanne Linville played a wide variety of roles throughout her career and she gave a good performance nearly every time.

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