Joan Weldon
Born: August 5, 1930
Age: 94
Birthplace: San Francisco, California, U.S.
Joan Weldon (born as Joan Louise Welton on August 5, 1930, San Francisco, California) is an American film and television actress.
Early years
Weldon's grandmother, Olio Cornell, raised her in San Francisco after she "was left motherless at five." Weldon's great-grandfather was an actor on stage and in vaudeville.
Stage
Weldon began her career singing in the San Francisco Grand Opera Company chorus. She also sang with the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera. On Broadway, she appeared in Kean.
After working in film and television, she resumed her career as a singer in road company productions including The Music Man and Oklahoma!. Weldon retired in 1980.
Radio
In 1953, Weldon appeared as the soprano soloist on a broadcast of The Standard Hour on NBC radio.
Film
Weldon's film debut came in the 1953 film The System. Although her background was singing in operas, The System and her next two films, So This Is Love and Rear Guard, all had her in non-singing roles.
She became a contract actress with Warner Bros. where she remained until her contract ended in 1954. Her most prominent film was the cult thriller Them!
Television
Weldon had a brief television career in the 1950s. Her first appearance in 1955 was in an episode of The Millionaire, starring Marvin Miller (actor). She was the first singer to sing in the Metropolitan .]. She made three appearances on Lux Video Theater in various roles. She also played Marian Keats in the title role of the Perry Mason episode, "The Case of the Angry Mourner" in 1957. Her final television appearance was in 1958 on Shirley Temple Theater.
In 1955, Weldon was one of the regular singers on the syndicated program This Is Your Music.
Filmography
- Home Before Dark (1958)
- Shirley Temple's Storybook (1958)
- Maverick (1958)
- Colt .45 (1958)
- Have Gun - Will Travel (1958)
- Day of the Bad Man (1958)
- Perry Mason (1957)
- Cheyenne (1957)
- Gunsight Ridge (1957)
- Lux Video Theatre (1954-1956)
- The Millionaire (1955)
- Deep in My Heart (1954)
- Them! (1954)
- Riding Shotgun (1954)
- The Boy from Oklahoma (1954)
- The Command (1954)
- The Stranger Wore a Gun (1953)
- So This Is Love (1953)
- The System (1953)