Actress. She is best remembered for his portrayal of the soft-spoken Alice Scanlon in "The Catered Affair" (1956). Born Joan Creears, she began her career as a leading lady on the stage in little theatres and stock companies. While performing in the title role during a production of "Jane Eyre" at the Pasadena Playhouse, she was discovered by a talent scout who brought her out to United Artists Studios for a series of screen and vocal tests. Upon her footage being reviewed by director Robert Wise, he was so impressed by her dark good looks, hourglass figure, and humble charm, after taking notice of her potential, he arranged for her to begin a career in the film industry beginning with her appearing under his supervision per a major role in the film noir "The Captive City" (1952). From there, she would go on to flourish as a notable character actress appearing in over 30 features, often typecast as wives, mothers, girlfriends, love interests, secretaries, educators, historical figures, white-collared workers, nurses, gold diggers, femme fatales, authority figures, and exotics. She appeared in such feature films as "Stolen Identity" (1953), "Strange Lady in Town" (1955), "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" (1957), and "Tower of London" (1962). On television, she appeared in numerous guest spots on such syndicated sitcoms as "The Doctor," "Chevron Theatre," "Public Defender," "Four Stay Playhouse," "City Detective," "Schlitz Playhouse," "The Ford Television Theatre," "TV Reader's Digest," "The Man Behind the Badge," "Jane Wyman Presents the Fireside Theatre," "Broken Arrow," "Studio 57," "Your Play Time," "Sugarfoot," "Black Saddle," "The Millionaire," "Richard Diamond, Private Detective," "Outlaws," "Perry Mason," "The Outer Limits," and "Follow the Sun". During her career, she was a member of the Screen Actors Guild, was supportive of the Motion Picture and Television Fund, had been a regular parishioner of the Temple Israel of Hollywood following her conversion to Judaism from Catholicism, had been a member of the Hollywood Democratic Committee, presided on her local chapters of the American Red Cross and the Boys and Girls Clubs, had been a celebrity spokeswoman for Lipton's Tea and Paper Mate Ballpoint Pens, was a commercial model for the Ford Agency, sat on the board of directors for the California division of the Homemakers of America, had been a stand-in for such actresses as Marilyn Monroe and Martha Hyer, and she was married to screenwriter Alvin Sargent from 1953 to 1975 (their union ended in divorce and produced two children). Following her 1963 retirement, she spent the remainder of his life being a regular attendee at autograph conventions and partook in charitable and religious causes until her death from the complications of a heart attack.