Joyce Meadows, a talented actress born Joyce Johanna Burger, was one of three siblings to Joseph Henry Burger and Johanna Louise Schelske, both of German descent, in Alberta, Canada. Growing up on a farm, she developed a strong connection with horses, which would later benefit her in numerous television western series appearances, such as Tombstone Territory, The Texan, Cheyenne, and Tales of Wells Fargo.
After relocating to California, Joyce attended school in Sacramento, where she formed a song-and-dance act with a friend and won consecutive titles of Miss Sacramento and Miss Hollywood in beauty pageants. Her stage debut came as Juliet in a production of Romeo and Juliet at the Little Eaglet Theater. She furthered her musical training at the Geary Conservatory in San Francisco and taught herself to play the guitar.
Joyce continued her acting education under the guidance of Jeff Corey in Hollywood and Stella Adler in New York. She performed on stage at the Pasadena Playhouse and later in Glendale, where she was discovered by an agent and signed a contract. Her film debut was in the low-budget western Flesh and the Spur alongside John Agar in 1956. She went on to co-star with Agar in The Brain from Planet Arous and Frontier Gun.
For the most part, Joyce found success in television, enjoying recurring or semi-regular roles as the assistant to George Nader's scientist in The Man and the Challenge and as a saloon owner in Two Faces West. Between 1958 and 1965, she appeared frequently as a guest actress in shows like Markham, Sea Hunt, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, 77 Sunset Strip, and Perry Mason.
After reportedly becoming disillusioned with Hollywood, Joyce took a hiatus from the screen in the mid-1960s to embark on a tour of classic theatrical plays, including King Lear, The Glass Menagerie, Richard III, and The Rainmaker. She also worked as an instructor at drama workshops across different states.
Joyce's comeback to screen acting began in the early 1990s, with repeat appearances on the soaps Santa Barbara and Days of Our Lives.
