Joan Hotchkis

Joan Hotchkis (born September 21, 1927) is an American stage, screen and television actress, writer and performance artist. A lifetime member of the Actors Studio [1] and the Dramatists Guild, Hotchkis is best known for playing Dr. Nancy Cunningham for several seasons on "The Odd Couple," for co-writing with Eric Morris the seminal acting manual "No Acting Please" (1977),[2] which is still used in colleges and conservatories.[3][4][5], and for her groundbreaking performance art works in the 1990s.

Joan Hotchkis
Hotchkis in trailer for the film Breezy (1973)
Born
Joan Hotchkis

(1927-09-21) September 21, 1927
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
OccupationActor, writer, performance artist
Years active1950s -1997


Career

From the 1950s through the 1990s, Hotchkis played many roles in television, film and theater (summer stock and Broadway). She was featured in Broadway productions of "It's a Bird It's a Plane It's Superman" (Philadelphia previews), "Advise and Consent," and "Write Me A Murder" before playing Myra on soap opera "The Secret Storm" for several years in the early 60s. In 1967, she moved back to Los Angeles and worked steadily in television through the 1970s. Most notably, Hotchkis played Dr. Nancy Cunningham, sometime girlfriend of Oscar Madison on the television version of The Odd Couple; Ellen in the Emmy-winning series My World and Welcome to It; and co-starred on "L.A.T.E.R." (1980).

Hotchkis (far left), in a scene from The Odd Couple. Also pictured (left to right): Fred Beir as Nancy's brother, Ray, Jack Klugman as Oscar Madison, and Janis Hansen (as Gloria, Felix's ex-wife).

Hotchkis also made many guest appearances on TV shows such as Bewitched, St. Elsewhere, Lou Grant, Charlie's Angels, Mannix, Marcus Welby, Barnaby Jones and more. On the big screen, she co-starred as Mama Hartley in the feature film "Ode to Billy Joe" (1976).

Hotchkis began writing original material in the 70s, beginning with a one-woman play called "Legacy," depicting an upper class housewife having a mental and emotional breakdown. Eric Morris directed the play on stage; director Karen Arthur saw the play and approached Hotchkis proposing to make a film version, with Arthur as director and Hotchkis as writer, producer and star. The resulting film, "Legacy" (1975), won Best Newcomer at the Tehran Film Festival.

In the early 1980s, Hotchkis returned to the stage, performing for several years in regional theaters such as the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Milwaukee Repertory Theater before returning home to start in "The Glass Menagerie" at Los Angeles Theater Center and do the occasional television role.

Tearsheets Productions

Beginning in the late 1980s, Hotchkis resumed writing original material, this time moving beyond legitimate theater into the performance art world. She founded the Santa Monica-based Tearsheets Productions.[6] and wrote, produced and performed two solo performance pieces.[7] The first, Tearsheets: Rude Tales from the Ranch,[8][9] toured the United States in the early 1990s [10][11] and went abroad to the Edinburgh International Festival Fringe,[12] where it was the only U.S. production to win a Fringe First Award.[13] Her second solo work was Elements of Flesh: Or Screwing Saved My Ass (1996), about aging and sexuality.[14][15][16]

Personal life

Hotchkis was born in Los Angeles, California and raised in San Marino. She graduated from Smith College in 1949, got a Master's degree in Early Childhood Education from Bank Street Teacher's College in 1951, and taught nursery school in New York City for a short time before finally yielding to her lifelong desire to become an actress. Staying in New York to pursue her career, she met director Robert Foster on a live commercial in 1958; they married and had a daughter, Paula, in 1962. In 1967, they divorced and Hotchkis moved with Paula back to Los Angeles where she was getting many TV offers and where she had family. She never remarried, but maintained a good co-parenting relationship with Foster.

Hotchkis' lifelong interest in psychology led her to eventually become a part-time paraprofessional in aggression training at the Institute of Group Psychotherapy (mentored by George Bach), and her interest in politics led her to be increasingly active in political organizations and social justice nonprofits, such as The Liberty Hill Foundation.

Now retired, Hotchkis enjoys a quiet life in Los Angeles.

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1971The Late LizSally Pearson
1973BreezyPaula Harmon
1975LegacyBissie Hapgood
1976Ode to Billy JoeAnna 'Mama' Hartley
1979Old BoyfriendsPamela Shaw
1984The Last GameCory's Mother
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References
  1. Garfield, David (1980). "Appendix: Life Members of The Actors Studio as of January 1980". A Player's Place: The Story of The Actors Studio. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc. p. 278. ISBN 0-02-542650-8.
  2. Complete results for "No Acting Please" in year 1977. WorldCat. Retrieved 2012-12-13.
  3. Elston, Ken (Approved 2012-09-19). George Mason University Course Approval Form. George Mason University College of Visual and Performing Arts; retrieved 2012-12-13 (Scroll to "Professional Perspectives on Performance: Recommended Reading").
  4. Heinlein, Kurt Gerard; Parker, Stacy Parker (2009, 2012). Missouri State Theatre & Dance: BFA in Acting Program Guidelines; retrieved 2012-12-13 (Scroll to "Additional Information and Resources: 13. Publications for the Actor').
  5. St. Clair, Charles (Spring 2011). 'Acting for the Camera' Course Guide. The New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences at Arizona State University; retrieved 2012-12-13 (Scroll to "Suggested Reading" on page 3).
  6. "Tearsheets Productions". Archived from the original on 2010-11-01. Retrieved 2009-11-14.
  7. Curtis, Cathy (1996-10-18). "Acting Her Age; It Took Joan Hotchkis Years to Come to Terms With the 'Elements' of Her Life--but She Did It". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-12-13.
  8. "'Shadow of a Gunman' Pulls Irish Trick; 'Going On' Gives Glimpse of Backstage; 'Tearsheets' Zeroes in on Family Revelations". The Los Angeles. 1990-11-16. Retrieved 2012-12-13.
  9. Churnin, Nancy (1991-10-17). "Women's Family Secrets Go Public in 'Tearsheets'". The Los Angeles. Retrieved 2012-12-13.
  10. Staff (1991-06-28). "East Coast Premiere". The Schenectady Daily Gazette. p. C1. Retrieved 2012-12-13.
  11. "Main Events". The Austin American-Statesman. 1992-02-08. Retrieved 2012-12-13.
  12. Epstein, Robert (1992-07-09). "Letters to the Past: Exploring Relationships of a California Dynasty". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-12-13.
  13. "Odd Couple's Joan Hotchkis in the Flesh in CA". Playbill.com. 1997-02-27. Retrieved 2012-12-13.
  14. Haithman, Diane (1996-05-09). "Just Wait Until Sen. Jesse Helms Hears This One". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-12-13.
  15. Foley, F. Kathleen (1996-05-10). "'Elements of Flesh' Dares to Be Sensuous". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-12-13.
  16. "Aging and Sexuality Just Might Be Compatible, After All". The Los Angeles Times. 1997-02-12. Retrieved 2012-12-13.

Demetria Fulton added Joan Hotchkis role in Barnaby Jones; episode titled "Dangerous Summer"(02/11/1975).

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