Biography
Stephen Joyce was an American stage, television and film actor. He was born in New York City, to Stephen James Joyce and Ruth Rita Reilly. The family moved to Brooklyn, and he attended Catholic schools, Xavier High School and Fordham University (where he majored in theater). He married Billie Jean Jones; the couple had three children.
At the beginning of the Korean War he joined the Air Force and spent two years in the Far East. A few weeks after his discharge he was cast as the juvenile lead in the George Montgomery film, Street of Sinners (1957). Later movie roles would include 'The Greatest Story Ever Told' (1965), Irish Whiskey Rebellion (1972), The Dark Secret of Harvest Home (1978), One Police Plaza (1986), A Stranger Is Watching (1982), The Red Spider (1988), Stranger on My Land (1988), Billy Bathgate (1991), and Invasion (1997).
Joyce's first professional job was with the Irish Players. His first major role in New York City was as Romeo in the initial production of Shakespeare in the Park. In his review in the Herald Tribune, Walter Kerr wrote, "in short this Romeo must be fairly close to what Shakespeare had in mind". He appeared at the American Shakespeare Festival as well as the San Diego Festival, where he played such roles as Hotspur ('Henry IV, Part 1'), Leontes in 'The Winter's Tale' (with his son, Michael, playing the prince), and Puck ('A Midsummers Night Dream'). He played Edgar to Morris Carnovsky's titular King Lear at the Pilgrimage Theater in Hollywood directed by John Houseman. With the Seattle Repertory Theater he played Hamlet and Biff ('Death of a Salesman'). At Yale, he interpreted Caliban ('The Tempest'), Bill Cracker ('Happy End'), and Sigismund ('Life is a Dream').
Below the Mason Dixon Line, Joyce appeared in the World Premiere production of Hugh Leonard's 'Da', a role he repeated in Chicago where he was nominated for the Joseph Jefferson award. He created the role of the tormented priest Father Rivard in 'The Runner Stumbles' in Stamford, Connecticut, and repeated that role at the Little Theater on Broadway. For that portrayal, Clive Barnes, then-New York Times critic, posited that Joyce was a consummate actor and that he had been brought to tears by his performance. Joyce garnered excellent reviews for his portrayal of the violent soldier Pvt. Brown in 'Maneuvers'. He won a Theater World Award (1967-68) for his portrayal of the title role in 'Stephen D.' He was nominated for the Drama Desk Award for his role as Capt. Blakely in 'The Caine Mutiny Court Martial' at the Circle in the Square in New York City, which was his last role on Broadway.
During his career, Joyce also appeared numerous times on television, including but not limited to daytime soap operas and prime-time series such as Another World (1964), The Edge of Night (1956), Search for Tomorrow (1951), All My Children (1970), General Electric Theater (1953), Bronco (1958), Texas (1980), Lovers and Friends (1977), Omnibus (1952), Combat! (1962), Matinee Theatre (1955), 'Studio One', Where the Heart Is (1969), Miami Vice (1984), The Equalizer (1985), Crazy Like a Fox (1984), and Spenser: For Hire (1985), as well as numerous voice-overs.
