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Born on June 9, 1931, in Chicago, Joan Marshall attended St. Clement's School. Despite her young age, she appeared much older and was hired as a showgirl at Chicago's Chez Paree at just 14, one of the country's top nightclubs during the 1940s and 1950s. By 16, she was performing in Las Vegas productions, where she met her first husband and gave birth to her son, Steven. Three years later, her daughter Shari was born. After moving to Beverly Hills, she starred in the TV series Bold Venture during the 1959-60 season. She appeared in about 10 feature films, liking only a few. In 1961, under the name "Jean Arless," she starred in Homicidal, playing both male and female roles; this film has since gained a cult following.
Signed by CBS, she frequently appeared on shows like The Jack Benny Program (1950) and The Red Skelton Hour (1951). Though her comedic talent was often overshadowed by her beauty, she had a knack for writing and, in the 1970s, co-wrote sitcoms with her longtime friend, award-winning writer Dirk Wayne Summers.
She married film director Hal Ashby, and during the first six months of their marriage, at his urging, she shared personal life stories that Ashby and Robert Towne turned into the romantic comedy Shampoo (1975). She was reportedly unhappy that her private experiences were used in the film.
Her actual wedding to Ashby appears in the opening scenes behind the credits of Ashby's romantic comedy The Landlord (1970). Ashby passed away in 1988, and two years later, Joan married business executive Mel Bartfield. Despite rumors, she was never secretly married to Richard Chamberlain; they remained close friends. After visiting Jamaica, she fell in love with the island, where she maintained a home and eventually died of lung cancer on June 28, 1992, at 61. Her ashes were scattered under her favorite tree on the property.
