Joyce DeWitt, 74, gained widespread fame after appearing in the cult television series Three’s Company. After the show was canceled, the actress, who had spent about a decade working in the industry, made the decision to take a significant break. After appearing in a number of television programs and motion pictures, DeWitt is once again employed in the industry. The 74-year-old continues to look just as stunning as she did back then.
This is all you need to know about Joyce DeWitt – and her final encounter with Three’s Company co-star John Ritter before his passing. Joyce DeWitt was born on April 23, 1949, in Wheeling, West Virginia. Image source: Youtube/CC Trubiak. She grew up in both West Virginia and Indiana as the second oldest of her parents’ four children, Paul and Norma DeWitt.
Early life of Joyce DeWitt Joyce was always thinking about performing. She had in fact already decided that she wanted to perform before beginning school. “When I was younger, I was a complete movie nut, but I always wanted to take on the part that Spencer Tracy or Clark Gable were playing. She admitted to Playbill, “I was never really interested in the roles that women were playing. “I thought the roles the guys were playing were way more intriguing. “[Performing] never considered a hobby. Even though I hadn’t started school yet, I already had a plan in place.
Everyone simply laughed at me, of course.
Early on, I was aware. When Joyce DeWitt was 13 years old, she made her stage debut. At that point, she had developed a deep passion and love for performing, and it became her second home. After taking acting classes while attending Speedway Senior High School, Joyce went on to enroll at Ball State University, where she received her degree in 1972. The aspiring actress, however, was set on living in New York and pursuing a career in theater.
Like many actors and actresses before her, she found “The Big Apple” to be extremely competitive and difficult at times. As Joyce DeWitt struggled after arriving in New York, that became evident to her. She had always desired a job on Broadway, but she understood that it would have to wait. Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty ImagesInstead, she worked a summer stock season in Chicago after completing her undergraduate degree before relocating to the west coast to begin graduate studies at UCLA. DeWitt, who played Janet Woods in “Three’s Company,” kept her attention on moving back to New York City so she could pursue her dream of working on Broadway. Life, however, had different ideas for her. She completed her Master of Fine Arts at UCLA and was cast in Stop the World, I Want To Get Off. When DeWitt finally took off, her major accomplishment quickly appeared in front of her.
Joyce DeWitt soon found herself in the casting room for the Three’s Company pilot, a new television comedy series. She was unaware at the time that it would eventually turn into a cult favorite and mark the start of DeWitt’s new life. DeWitt rose to fame as Janet Wood, starring alongside John Ritter and Suzanne Somers. Between 1976 and 1984, she made an appearance in 171 episodes of the program. It was such a gift. It was, after all, legendary. Who would have guessed it, though?” Joyce DeWitt asked The Spec. “We only sought to elicit laughter from the audience. Actually, now that I think about it, the show was an attempt to recreate a 16th-century farce in the modern era. It was about absurdity gone awry. Even though we occasionally discussed serious topics, that was always present. Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images “We don’t want people to just laugh; we want them to fall over their couch laughing,” she continued.
John Ritter once said this.
The depth of their friendship and the love they had for one another were always the real problems. People were drawn to them because of that. ”.
After “Three’s Company,” Joyce DeWitt spent 12 years away from the entertainment industry. Three’s Company was canceled in 1984. One Primetime Emmy was won for the program, and the actors became well-known figures. Joyce DeWitt wasn’t upset when it was shut down, though. In fact, she believed that it was time to move on after eight years on the show. It was finally time, she said. “I was prepared for some solitude and thought. Although I enjoyed playing Janet, she was never the only thing that made me get out of bed in the morning. She and that show did not determine who I was or how valuable I was. Naturally, there is a period of loneliness. As much as the actors who played the characters did, I missed them too,” she continued. But I essentially live by myself. My inclination is to enter the cave and reflect rather than to howl outside. Oh, I’m social, but there’s also the inner Joyce, I suppose.’”.
At the time, Joyce DeWitt had only made a few productions, with Three’s Company serving as her primary project for many years. So, one might assume that she would be open to more work given that she was just starting her acting career. But Joyce went in the exact opposite direction. The actress was initially only supposed to take some time off, but she didn’t enjoy being famous at all. She doesn’t regret her ten-year absence from society, though. Regrets can be deadly, according to Bart Sherkow in Shutterstock. She stated to GayCalgary in 2009, “I am very fortunate that in my life I have only twice regretted something, and both times it was 10 or 15 years later. “I wasn’t sure I wanted to play it” “If I had to do it again, I couldn’t change it.”. In order to unwind, I intended to take six months off. I observed Hollywood and the way it acted, and it did not conform to my moral standards. I wasn’t sure I wanted to play the game if this was how it was supposed to be played. I took some time off and began conversing with and learning from various spiritual teachers all over the world. I anticipated it would last six months instead of twelve. “.
Joyce DeWitt in 1978 / Getty Images In 1995, Joyce DeWitt made a comeback, playing small parts in a few films as well as the television shows Cybill and Hope Island. Fans remembered her and praised her for the role even though it had been ten years since she appeared in Three’s Company. In actuality, she changed people’s lives in the capacity of Janet Woods. Women in their 30s have come to me and said that DeWitt inspired them to become lawyers, she continued. “I knew that women could be intelligent and successful in the world. In addition, I fought valiantly to portray [Janet] in the manner I desired. She really enjoyed working with John Ritter and Suzanne Somers. But Somers left the program in 1980 because John Ritter, her male co-star, received equal pay.
Youtube/CafeMom Studios “They painted me as she’s trying to ruin the show,” Somers remarked in 2020. I therefore never spoke to anyone from that show again. never again. “Joyce DeWitt recalled the final evening she spent with John Ritter before the actor passed away. DeWitt and Somers lost touch, and it was more than 30 years before they ever spoke again. The reunion in 2012 was particularly memorable because Joyce appeared on Suzanne’s talk show. Following the show, DeWitt described her and Somers’ relationship as having “very different approaches to our careers.”. We required very different things. I didn’t support myself solely by way of a child. I didn’t understand someone with a business head because I didn’t have one. Joyce DeWitt and co-star John Ritter, on the other hand, continued to have a fantastic relationship. Ritter kept acting right up until his death in September 2003. His sudden demise, which was caused by an aortic dissection, was reported to be the result of an undetected heart defect.
DeWitt reminisced about her last encounter with her former co-star while appearing on Somers’ talk show. Ritter stayed in a hotel close by to hers in New York City, and DeWitt convinced herself that this was fate. He quickly returned her call after she left him a message in his hotel room. She recalled, “I pick up the phone as I walk out the door and it’s Jonathan.”. And he says, “Baby, we’ve got three parties and a dinner to do tonight. It was so delicious… and a month later, he passed away.
I’ll pick you up at seven!”.
“Shutterstock/Kathy Hutchins Despite the fact that she had been absent from television for ten years, Joyce still pursued one big dream.
made her stage debut in 2011 DeWitt had always wanted to work in theater, and in 2011 she fulfilled her dream by making her stage debut in New York City. Miss Abigail’s Guide to Dating, Mating, and Marriage was an off-Broadway production, but that didn’t matter in the slightest to DeWitt. I’m just a late bloomer,” she told the San Diego Tribune, “but I also felt that it was very similar to my role in Three’s Company, and the shot was a 90-minute comedy.”. I didn’t have confidence in my work for a very long time. According to DeWitt, “[the show] allows us to play, be silly, funny, and laugh about human interactions. My favorite kind of play to perform is one where the audience is meant to laugh, enjoy themselves, and occasionally have their hearts touched. ”.
The Savant (2018), Rock Story (2015), and Snapshot (2014) are just a few of the projects that DeWitt has since continued to work on. Bobby Bank/Getty Images In 2018, she was given a role in the stage production of Scattered, Smothered & Covered Christmas, which was set in a Waffle House. The pandemic forced YouTube to broadcast it in December 2020. Joyce DeWitt’s current family, kids, and net worth were revealed in her biography. “We are offering this play for free this Christmas because it has a message that needs to be shared in this very difficult situation we are in,” Joyce DeWitt said. “It’s a fantastical journey of love and truth that should be enjoyed by people all over the world. There are no known details of Joyce DeWitt having ever been married or having any children. The most crucial factor, however, is that she appears to be doing well and continues to enjoy her work, both on stage and in films.
Joyce DeWitt’s net worth is estimated at $4 million by Celebrity Net Worth. So, it’s not a huge surprise to learn what she is most proud of in her professional life. If pressed, Joyce DeWitt said, “I don’t know that there is a proudest, but if asked to come up with one, it would have to be to have been a part of Three’s Company, and that’s an easy one to say because if as an actor you are given the opportunity to create joy and laughter in the world — that’s a great gift,” she added. “Any actor would express their gratitude to the casting director repeatedly for the role. Essentially, you can’t even make up a fantasy if it’s still doing that after 30 or so years. That one is completely out of the question. It just appears in your life. ”.
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It appears that DeWitt will continue to work as an actress into her 74th year. We wish her luck in the future, but she still looks fantastic to this day. If you watched Three’s Company as well, please spread the word about it to your loved ones.
