Joan O’Brien might not have had a long career in the entertainment industry, but her short-lived career earned her a place among industry big shots during the 1950s and 1960s. actresses who rose to prominence upon her appearance on The Bob Crosby Show paved the way for her to star alongside Cary Grant, John Wayne and Jerry Lewis.
However, her story will be incomplete without mention of her failed marriages and relationships, which then diverted public attention from her talent to her relationship crisis. Read on to learn all about this 50s and 60s movie star.
Biography of Joan O’Brien (Age)
Joan O’Brien whose full name is Joan MarieO’Brien is a Valentine’s Day baby as she was born into the family of David and Rita O’Brien on February 14, 1936. She spent only a few years at her birthplace in Cambridge, Massachusetts as her family moved to California when she was about 8 years old and got her into dance school to develop her talent.
It was also in California that Joan was enrolled at Chaffey Union High School in Ontario, but there was no record of her entering college, as Joan O’Brien became very good at dancing and singing, which made her inspired her to get into the entertainment industry at an early age.
It didn’t take long for her talent to be noticed by audiences and other performers, including Cliffie Stone – a host of the TV show called Hometown Jamboree. Cliffie invited her to join him in directing his show and her skills got her more slots on other shows like The Bob Crosby show on which Joan O’Brien became a regular face. She also joined stars like Cary Grant and Tony Curtis in directing the 1959 film Operation Petticoat .
It is also known that Joan O’Brien’s performance on The Bob Crosby Show was so outstanding that it brought her a lot of recognition and other artists sent in their proposals to get her on their shows. Lawrence Welk was one such artist as he too spotted Joan on the show and immediately fell in love with her singing talent. In 1959, he had her replaced for a week by singer Alice Lon and really wanted to hire her long term, but her young age at that time gave him second thoughts.
However being abandoned by Lawrence didn’t slow Joan O’Brien down as she began to live the life of her dreams, in shows, concerts and movies. She has showcased her acting skills and comedic talent in major movies like The Case of the Love Bet, The Man From UNCLE and many more.
Family: Spouse
There is quite a story to be told about Joan O’Brie and her relationships as she has not been so lucky in most of her relationships. She contracted five different marriages, of which 4 ended in divorce and the last ended because her spouse died. It is also known that his relationship instability impacted his career as more attention was given to his sour relationships than his performance.
The dynamic actress had her first marriage in 1954 at age 18, while she was still preparing the pieces for her career. This marriage was to Billy Strange who was an instrumentalist, although two years in the car in 1956 it was annulled. This marriage produced a child who was in the custody of Joan O’Brien.
Joan married the second time to John F. Meyer in 1957, just a year after the first ended. Well, the second marriage followed suit as it only lasted 3 years, ending in 1960 with a child too. The third marital trip which lasted only one year, from 1963 to 1964, was with Harvey Allen Godorov, and the fourth with Dino Kotopoulis also lasted one year from 1966 to 1967.
After a short-lived affair with Elvis Presley, a famous actor in Hollywood, she decides to marry for the fifth time but it is not to Elvis. She married Lieutenant Colonel Malcolm Bernard Campbell who was in the army. Joan O’Brien and Malcolm were married on August 4, 1979 and lived together in Auburn, California. The countdown started, one year, two years, until five years later and they were still together. It could have been her happily ever after, but the marriage ended when Malcolm lost his life on May 8, 2004.
Body measurements
Joan O’Brien was a beautiful lady during her heydays – with blonde hair, sparkling eyes and a fabulous physique. Although her height is around 5 feet 4 inches, she had a spectacular hourglass figure with a 35 inch bust, 25 inch waist and 36 inch hip width.
Other facts about the actress
1. Joan O’Brien’s last three marriages did not produce children, but she and Malcolm took care of her two children.
2. During the short period of her active career, she was able to appear in about forty films.
3. The last movie she acted in her career was in 1965 and it was called Perry Mason – she played Jill Fenwick.
4. Challenges in her personal life, especially her failed marriages, forced her out of public life to lead a private life.
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