# Joanna Pettet

Joanna Pettet (born Joanna Jane Salmon; 16 November 1942) is a Canadian and English former actress.

## Early life

Pettet was born in London, England, daughter of Harold Nigel Egerton Salmon and Cecily J. Tremaine, who were married in Chelsea, London in 1940. Her father, a British Royal Air Force pilot, was killed in the Second World War in 1943. After the war, her mother remarried and settled in Montréal, where Joanna was adopted by her stepfather and assumed his surname of "Pettet".
When Pettet was 16, she moved to New York City.

## Career

Pettet studied with Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre, as well as at the Lincoln Center, and made her debut, aged 19, on Broadway in Take Her, She's Mine (December 21, 1961-December 8, 1962). She also appeared on Broadway in The Chinese Prime Minister, and Poor Richard.
Beginning in 1964 with an episode of Route 66, she began making guest appearances in several US dramatic television series of the mid-sixties, including The Doctors, The Nurses, The Trials of O'Brien, The Fugitive, A Man Called Shenandoah, and Dr. Kildare.
In 1966, she was cast in writer/producer Sidney Buchman's 1966 adaptation of Mary McCarthy's novel The Group. The success of that film launched a film career that included roles in The Night of the Generals (1967), as Mata Bond in the James Bond spoof Casino Royale (1967), Peter Yates's Robbery (1967) with Stanley Baker, Blue (1968) with Terence Stamp, and the Victorian period comedy The Best House in London (1969).
In the 1970s, Pettet's feature film appearances became sporadic and included roles in the cult horror films Welcome to Arrow Beach (1974) and The Evil (1978). Pettet re-emerged as the star of over a dozen television movies, including The Weekend Nun (1972), Footsteps (1972), Pioneer Woman (1973), A Cry in the Wilderness (1974), The Desperate Miles (1975), The Hancocks (1976), Sex and the Married Woman (1977), Cry of the Innocent (1980) with Rod Taylor, and The Return of Frank Cannon (1980).
Also in the 1970s, Pettet guest-starred four times on the classic Rod Serling anthology series Night Gallery, appearing with her then-husband Alex Cord in the episode "Keep in Touch - We'll Think of Something". She also guest-starred in two episodes of the Brian Clemens anthology series Thriller in the UK. Pettet starred in the NBC miniseries Captains and the Kings (1976), starred in the episode "You're Not Alone" from the 1977 NBC anthology series Quinn Martin's Tales of the Unexpected (known in the United Kingdom as Twist in the Tale), was a guest on both Fantasy Island and The Love Boat (appearing three times on each series), and had a recurring role on Knots Landing in 1983 as Janet Baines, an LAPD homicide detective investigating the murder of singer Ciji Dunne (played by Lisa Hartman).
Through the 1970s and 1980s, Pettet made appearances on the television series Harry O, Banacek, McCloud, Mannix, Police Woman, Knight Rider, Tales of the Unexpected (the UK series) and Murder, She Wrote. In 1984, she appeared as herself in a James Bond tribute episode of The Fall Guy with ex-Bond girls Britt Ekland and Lana Wood.
Her final role was in the 1990 thriller Terror in Paradise, after which she retired from acting, still in her 40s.

## Personal life

On 8 August 1969, Pettet had lunch at the home of actress Sharon Tate, just hours before the crimes that would be committed at that residence by members of the Manson Family. This event is illustrated in the fictional/alternate-reality 2019 film Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood, in which Pettet is portrayed by Rumer Willis.
Actor Sir Alan Bates bequeathed Pettet £95,000 (equivalent to £189,712 in 2023) upon his death in December 2003. The two had been friends since 1964, and Pettet provided support and companionship during his final months after he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in February 2003. Pettet was quoted as saying: "It was a very touching gesture because he had done everything while he was in hospital to make sure I would be looked after following his death."
In August 2021, Pettet became trapped under a boulder for three hours in high desert near Anza, California. As a result, she needed surgery to replace her shoulder and rotator cuff.

## Recognition

Pettet won a Theatre World Award for 1964–1965 for her work in Poor Richard.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role |
| 1966 | The Group | Kay Strong Peterson |
| 1967 | The Night of the Generals | Ulrike von Seidlitz-Gabler |
| 1967 | Casino Royale | Mata Bond / James Bond |
| 1967 | Robbery | Kate Clifton |
| 1968 | Blue | Joanne Morton |
| 1969 | The Best House in London | Josephine Pacefoot |
| 1974 | Welcome to Arrow Beach | Grace Henry |
| 1978 | The Evil | Dr. Caroline Arnold |
| 1982 | Double Exposure | Mindy Jordache |
| 1982 | Black Commando | Desdemona |
| 1987 | Sweet Country | Monica |
| 1990 | Terror in Paradise | Dr. Fletcher |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1964 | Route 66 | Millie Wilkins | "Child of a Night" |
| 1965 | The Doctors | Judy Lloyd | "1.481" |
| 1965 | The Nurses | Carol Lloyd | "A Dangerous Silence" |
| 1965 | The Trials of O'Brien | Liz Martin | "Picture Me a Murder" |
| 1966 | The Fugitive | Tina Andresen | "Shadow of a Swan" |
| 1966 | A Man Called Shenandoah | Julia Riley | "The Riley Brand" |
| 1966 | Dr. Kildare | Yvonne Barlow | Guest role (season 5) |
| 1967 | Three for Danger | Serena | TV film |
| 1970 | Night Gallery | Elaine Latimer | "The House" |
| 1971 | Night Gallery | Claire Foster | "Keep in Touch - We'll Think of Something" |
| 1971 | Mannix | Cindy Warren | "A Button for General D." |
| 1972 | The Delphi Bureau | April Thompson | "Pilot" |
| 1972 | Miss Stewart, Sir | Kate Stewart | TV film |
| 1972 | The Weekend Nun | Sister Mary Damian/Marjorie Walker | ABC Movie of the Week |
| 1972 | Banacek | Christine Verdon | "Project Phoenix" |
| 1972 | Footsteps | Sarah Allison | TV film |
| 1972 | Night Gallery | Rhona Warwick / The Girl with the Hungry Eyes | "The Caterpillar", "The Girl with the Hungry Eyes" |
| 1973 | McCloud | Melissa Thompson | "The Solid Gold Swingers" |
| 1973 | Pioneer Woman | Maggie Sergeant | TV film |
| 1974 | Medical Center | Molly | "Girl from Bedlam" |
| 1974 | A Cry in the Wilderness | Delda Hadley | TV film |
| 1974 | Police Story | Adria | "Glamour Boy" |
| 1974–75 | Thriller | Sylvia Dee / Jody Baxter | "A Killer in Every Corner", "A Midsummer Nightmare" |
| 1974–75 | Harry O | Glenna Nielson / Breda Beach | "Forty Reasons to Kill: Parts 1 & 2", "Group Terror" |
| 1975 | Caribe | Andrea | "Vanished" |
| 1975 | The Desperate Miles | Ruth Merrick | TV film |
| 1975 | Police Woman | Glenna Burns / Beth Lord | "Silence" |
| 1976 | The Dark Side of Innocence | Jesse Breton | TV film |
| 1976 | Captains and the Kings | Katherine Hennessey | TV miniseries |
| 1977 | Quinn Martin's Tales of the Unexpected | Julie Thomas | "You're Not Alone" |
| 1977 | Sex and the Married Woman | Leslie Fitch | TV film |
| 1979 | Heaven Only Knows | Lynn Harpster | TV film |
| 1979–82 | The Love Boat | Carol Hanson / Angelina Blenderman / Lenore Pitchford | 3 episodes |
| 1980 | Charlie's Angels | Barbara Brown | "Nips and Tucks" |
| 1980 | Cry of the Innocent | Cynthia Donegin / Candia Leighton | TV film |
| 1980 | The Return of Frank Cannon | Alana Richardson | TV film |
| 1980–83 | Fantasy Island | Nona Lauren / Celeste Vallon / Vanessa Walgren | 3 episodes |
| 1981 | Aloha Paradise | Fiona | 2 episodes |
| 1981 | Tales of the Unexpected | Betsy | "A Glowing Future" |
| 1982 | The Littlest Hobo | Cynthia Masters | "Forget Me Not" |
| 1982 | Seven Brides for Seven Brothers | Meg Palmer | "Christmas Song" |
| 1983 | Knots Landing | Det. Janet Baines | Recurring role |
| 1984 | The Yellow Rose | Lane Roberts | "Running Free" |
| 1984 | Knight Rider | Joanna St. John | "Mouth of the Snake" |
| 1984 | The Fall Guy | Herself | "Always Say Always" |
| 1984 | Finder of Lost Loves | Claire Hardy | "Undying Love" |
| 1984–85 | Hotel | Lauren Chapman / Sally Banks | "Reflections", "Lost and Found" |
| 1987 | Murder, She Wrote | Virginia McCormack | "The Way to Dusty Death" |
| 1989 | ABC Afterschool Special | Carolyn Adams | "Just Tipsy, Honey" |

### Awards and nominations

Awards :
| Year | Award | Category | Production | Result |
| 1965 | Theatre World Award | Outstanding New York city stage debut performance, either on Broadway or Off-Broadway | Poor Richard | Won |
| 1974 | Western Heritage Awards | Television Feature Film | Pioneer Woman | Won |