Joi Lansing was born Joyce Renee Brown on April 6, 1929, in Salt Lake City, Utah. As a teenager, she developed early and her striking good looks led her to model, which she did with great success throughout the 1940s.
It was only natural that her physical assets would eventually land her on the silver screen. Her first film roles occurred in 1948, where she played models in The Counterfeiters, Julia Misbehaves, and Easter Parade, all released in the same year. At the time, she was just 20 years old, and her acting skills were still developing, but producers were more interested in her looks and body.
The following year brought more of the same, with Lansing getting mostly uncredited roles in films, where she was primarily used as a showpiece. She took a hiatus in 1950 to focus on her modeling career, but returned to the big screen in 1951, taking on minor roles. This time, her acting went a bit better, as she played Susan Matthews in F.B.I. Girl and Marilyn Turner in On the Riviera. She continued to play minor roles, including an uncredited part in the iconic film Singin' in the Rain, before returning to being a showpiece.
In 1952, Lansing had an uncredited role in The Merry Widow, and began appearing on television in 1955, with guest spots on Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok and I Love Lucy. Her big break came in 1955, when she landed a recurring role as Shirley Swanson on the television series The Bob Cummings Show, which proved to her and others that she was a capable actress.
As a result of her success on the show, Lansing began to land more substantial roles in films, including The Brave One, Hot Cars, and So You Think the Grass Is Greener, all released in 1956. However, she continued to appear in B-movies with less-than-quality roles for the balance of the decade.
In the early 1960s, Lansing appeared in the comedy film Who Was That Lady?, and then landed the role of Goldie on the television series Klondike. However, she is perhaps best remembered for her role as the wife of Lester Flatt on the situation comedy The Beverly Hillbillies, which she appeared on from 1965 to 1968.
Her film career began to wind down in the late 1960s, and she appeared in the B-movie Hillbillys in a Haunted House in 1967. Unfortunately, her health began to decline, and she died of breast cancer at the age of 43 on August 7, 1972, in Santa Monica, California.
