Joan Tompkins

American actress

Joan Tompkins

Tompkins (right) as Susan Price Wells with Cameron Prud'homme and Charme Allen in the radio serial David Harum, 1947

Born| (1915-07-09)July 9, 1915

New York, U.S.

Died| January 29, 2005(2005-01-29) (aged 89)

Orange County, California, U.S.

Occupation| Actress
Years active| 1953-1980
Known for|

* The Christine Jorgensen Story
* Valiant Lady
* Sam Benedict
* This Is Nora Drake

Spouse(s)| Steve Appleby
Karl Swenson
Children| 4 stepsons

Joan Swenson (July 9, 1915 – January 29, 2005),[1] previously known as Joan Tompkins, was an American actress of television, film, radio, and stage.

## Early life and career

[edit]

A New York City native, the eldest of two daughters born to Merritt E. Tompkins and Florence H. Aitken,[2][3] Tompkins performed with stock theater companies in Mount Kisco, New York and White Plains, New York.[4] She acted on Broadway in My Sister Eileen,[5] The Golden Journey,[6] Pride and Prejudice,[5] and Fly Away Home.[4]

## Personal life

[edit]

On July 25, 1936, Tompkins married actor Stephen Ker Appleby in Briarcliff, New York. They were divorced on December 4, 1941.[7] She was also married to actor Karl Swenson.[8][9]

## Radio

[edit]

Her roles on radio programs include:

Program | Role

|

Against the Storm | Siri Allen[10]
David Harum | Susan Wells[10]: 94
Lora Lawton | Lora Lawton[10]: 206
Our Gal Sunday | Madeline Travers[10]: 262
This Is Nora Drake | Nora Drake[5]
Young Widder Brown | Joyce Turner[10]: 361
Your Family and Mine | Judy Wilbur[10]: 362

## Filmography

[edit]

### Film

[edit]

Year  | Film  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

1966  | Made in Paris | Ruth (uncredited)  |
1969  | Popi | Miss Musto  |
1970  | Zig Zag | Judge Beth Weaver  | Crime thriller film
The Christine Jorgensen Story | Aunt Thora  |
I Love My Wife | Grandma Dennison  | Comedy film

### Television

[edit]

Her television roles included:

* Adventures in Paradise as Cora Summers in "Assassins" (1961)
* Hazel as Florence Gurney in "Hazel and the Gardener" (1962)
* The New Breed as Mrs. Marsh in "How Proud the Guilty" (1962)
* Bus Stop, as Sarah Jenkins in "The Runaways" (1961) and unknown role in "I Kiss Your Shadow" (1962)
* The Danny Thomas Show, two episodes (1959 and 1962)
* The Lieutenant, two episodes (1963–1964)
* Route 66, as Mrs. Thomas in "Between Hello and Goodbye" (1962)
* The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters as Martha Pollux in "The Day of the Wizard" (1964)
* The Eleventh Hour, three episodes, including the two-parter, "Does My Mother Have to Know?", in the role of Aggie Britt (1964)
* Mr. Novak as Mrs. Douglas Morgan, Sr., in "The Private Life of Douglas Morgan, Jr." (1964)
* Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. as Mrs. Harper in "A Date for the Colonel's Daughter" (1964)
* Perry Mason, three episodes (1962–1964)
* Dr. Kildare, three episodes (1962–1965)
* Slattery's People, as Dorothy Ralston in "Question, What Time Is the Next Bandwagon?" (1965)
* The Farmer's Daughter in "Katie's Castle" (1965)
* General Hospital, recurring as Nurse Genevieve Kendall Jones (1967–?)[8][11]
* My Three Sons, recurring as Lorraine Miller (1967-1970)
* Mannix as Mrs. Dover in "Turn Every Stone" (1967)
* Mission: Impossible as Miss Putnam in "The Seal" (1967)
* Occasional Wife as Mrs. Brahms in "Pilot" and "No Cookie for Dessert" (1966)[citation needed]
* I Dream of Jeannie as General's wife in "Invisible House for Sale" (1968)
* Bewitched as Harriet Walters in "Once in a Vial" (1968)
* The Brady Bunch as Mrs. Tyler in "The Honeymoon" (1969) which was that show's premiere episode
* Lassie, in two episodes, including the role of Mrs. Davis in the 1964 episode "The Little Christmas Tree" and as Katherine in the 1971 segment entitled "The Awakening"
* The Scarecrow as Mistress Cynthia Merton, television play (1972)
* The Mary Tyler Moore Show, as Mrs. Thorn, secretary to Lou Grant, episode "Who's in Charge Here?" (1972)
* Griff, as Ruth in "Elephant in a Cage" (1973)
* Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law, three episodes, including two as a judge (1973–1974)
* Barnaby Jones, three episodes, including role of Judge Edith Royce in "Voice in the Night" (1976)
* The Waltons, as Mrs. Herbert in "The Achievement" (1977), the final appearance of Richard Thomas in the series and the episode in which John-Boy Walton he obtains publication of his first novel[12]
* Emergency! as Maggie Trigg in "The Most Deadly Passage" (1978), made into a television movie the following year[citation needed]

* Biography portal
* New York (state) portal
* New York City portal
* Los Angeles portal
* California portal
* Radio portal
* Film portal
* Theatre portal
* Television portal

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Social Security Death Index". ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com. Retrieved January 17, 2010.
2. ^ "United States Census, 1930", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X4GZ-HYD : Sat Mar 09 13:19:29 UTC 2024), Entry for Merritt E Tompkins and Florence A Tompkins, 1930.
3. ^ "United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6K97-FWVZ : 10 February 2023), Joan Tompkins Appleby, .
4. ^ a b Dorfman, Nat (August 16, 1941). "Drama in Stage Job". The Brooklyn Citizen. p. 8. Retrieved October 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
5. ^ a b c "This Is Nora Drake Will Be New Serial Over KSCJ". Sioux City Journal. April 11, 1940. p. 10 - Section 2. Retrieved October 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
6. ^ Field, Rowland (September 16, 1936). "The New Play: 'The Golden Journey,' a New Comedy by Edwin Gilbert Is Presented by Lee Schubert at the Booth Theatre".
7. ^ "Mrs. Appleby Obtains Divorce". The New York Times. December 5, 1941. p. 8. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
8. ^ a b "Reunion of Pals". The Daily Herald. May 22, 1967. p. 2\. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
9. ^ "Actor Karl Swenson Dies". The Ledger. Florida, Lakeland. October 9, 1978. p. 2 A. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
10. ^ a b c d e f Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 18\. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4.
11. ^ Terrace, Vincent (1985). Encyclopedia of Television Series, Pilots and Specials 1974-1984, Volume 2. New York: Zoetrope. p. 162\. ISBN 0-918432-61-8.
12. ^ "The Waltons: "The Achievement"". fandango.com. Archived from the original on April 5, 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2010.

## External links

[edit]

* Joan Tompkins at IMDb
* Joan Tompkins at the Internet Broadway Database

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* Germany
* United States