Biography
Handsome William Joyce was born on October 21, 1930, in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and raised in New Rochelle, New York. His childhood dream was to become a major-league baseball pitcher (he even worked out with the New York Yankees in 1947). However, Joyce was introduced to acting after he entered the army and became the star, writer and producer of "Camp Pickett Reveille Roundup." He made his film debut in 1954 with an uncredited bit part as a dancer in the comedy musical Top Banana (1954) (he had previously appeared in an early 1950s Broadway stage production of this particular musical).
William had his only lead role as hunky pulp adventure novelist Tom Harris in the low-budget zombie horror picture I Eat Your Skin (1971). He had secondary parts in Lifeguard (1976), The Parallax View (1974) (in one of his customary politician roles) and The Young Nurses (1973). He was a regular recurring cast member on the daytime soap operas Somerset (1970) and Days of Our Lives (1965). Among the many TV shows William did guest spots on are Hunter (1984), Knots Landing (1979), Falcon Crest (1981), Scarecrow and Mrs. King (1983), Knight Rider (1982), Lou Grant (1977), Barnaby Jones (1973), The Rockford Files (1974), The F.B.I. (1965), Cannon (1971), The Real McCoys (1957), Lawman (1958), The Rifleman (1958), Rawhide (1959), The Restless Gun (1957) and Conflict (1956).
Outside of his film and television work, Joyce acted in Broadway stage productions of "Damn Yankees" and "Bye Bye Birdie."
He retired from acting in the late 1980s, and died at age 67 on September 3, 1998, in Encino, California.
