Joan Staley, the film, TV and stage actress died 24 November at the age of 79. Her memorable film roles included The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, alongside Elvis Presley in Roustabout, and on TV in series including Perry Mason and 77 Sunset Strip. DC Comics fans might recognize her from her role as Okie Annie in the classic Batman series with Adam West and Burt Ward.
Born on 20 May 1940, in Minneapolis, Stanley studied violin as a child in Los Angeles and played the instrument with the Junior Symphony at the Hollywood Bowl and on a fire truck in Billy Wilder’s The Emperor Waltz (1948), starring Bing Crosby and Joan Fontaine.
That led to roles at The Little Theater in Hollywood and small parts on live series like Playhouse 90. In 1958, she made the first of four appearances on Perry Mason, and that same year was Miss November in Playboy. Her early TV credits also included The Untouchables, The Tab Hunter Show and The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. In 1962 she co-starred with singer Vic Damone on NBC’s The Lively Ones.
Stanley is survived by her second husband Dale Sheets whom she married in 1967, and her children Dina, Linda, Victoria, Patricia, Sherrye, Stephanie, and Greg, as well as 10 grandchildren and 26 great grandchildren.