Joanna Cameron, born Patricia Kara Cameron, was an American actress and model with a relatively brief acting career spanning from 1969 to 1980. She is best known for portraying the superheroine Isis/Andrea Thomas in the short-lived series "The Secrets of Isis" from 1975 to 1976.
Andrea Thomas was a distant descendant of the Pharaoh Hatshepsut from the 15th century BC. An amulet belonging to her ancestor granted her elemental powers, transforming her into a representative of the goddess Isis.
The series lasted for two seasons, with a total of 22 episodes. Cameron also appeared as Isis in three guest roles on the superhero series "Shazam!" from 1974 to 1976.
Cameron attended college in the late 1960s, where she befriended Linda Hope, the daughter of comedian Bob Hope. Linda introduced Cameron to her father, who cast her in the role of Nancy Benson in the comedy film "How to Commit Marriage" in 1969.
This film was Cameron's film debut, where Nancy is a 19-year-old music student impregnated by her boyfriend. She plans to give birth and then offer the child for adoption, while her parents conspire to adopt their grandchild without informing Nancy of its fate.
Cameron was subsequently cast as a female student in the black comedy film "Pretty Maids All in a Row" in 1971. In the film, high school football coach and guidance counselor Michael "Tiger" McDrew systematically seduces female students, and has flings with them. The girls are unaware that Tiger is secretly a serial killer, and that he is responsible for killing several young girls.
This was the only feature film scripted by Gene Roddenberry, the famed television writer. Cameron ceased making film appearances by 1971, but she had already started being cast in guest star roles in various television series.
She had a recurring role as Nurse Anne MacAndrews in the medical drama "Marcus Welby, M.D.", and also depicted an unrelated one-shot character in the same series. Cameron was a relatively familiar face to television viewers by the time she gained the lead role in "The Secrets of Isis".
Following the end of her series, Cameron resumed making guest appearances in various television series. Her most notable role in this period was playing the young journalist Gale Hoffman in the first two episodes of the superhero series "The Amazing Spider-Man" from 1977 to 1979.
Her character was determined to get an interview from the mysterious Spider-Man. Gale was unaware that Spidey was her work colleague, Peter Parker. She and Peter even traveled together on an assignment by J. Jonah Jameson.
By the late 1970s, Cameron appeared regularly in television commercials. She had become the chosen model for several brands of cosmetics, shampoo, wine, beer, pantyhose, and breath freshener. At one point, she held the record for the most appearances in commercials, reportedly appearing in 105 commercials within a few years.
Her commercials had a combined length of 150 hours. Cameron chose to retire from acting in 1980, at the age of 32. She subsequently worked for a decade as a nurse in the home health-care industry.
She retired from this role in order to work in the marketing department of the hotel industry. Her marketing career lasted for several decades.
In October 2021, Cameron died at the age of 73 due to complications following a stroke. Her death was announced to the press by Joanna Pang Atkins, her former co-star in "The Secrets of Isis". Cameron's death attracted considerable press attention, though she had remained out of the spotlight for 40 years. "The Secrets of Isis" still has a cult following, and versions of Andrea Thomas have appeared in comic books by DC Comics.
