Actress Joan Benedict, who worked in TV and on stage over the course of decades, has died at the age of 96.
Benedict passed away at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on June 24 due to complications she suffered after a stroke, a spokesperson for the family of the late actress confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter on Monday.
Among the most high-profile projects Benedict worked on included Candid Camera, the original Steve Allen Show and soaps such as General Hospital and Days of Our Lives, and a stage show in which she played late hotelier Leona Helmsley.
Benedict had been in a number of high-profile Hollywood relationships. She was wed to How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying actor John Myhers from 1962 until he died of pneumonia in May of 1992.
Benedict was also wed to Academy Award winner Rod Steiger from 2000 through July of 2002, when he died as result of pneumonia and kidney failure.
Actress Joan Benedict, who worked in TV and on the stage over the course of decades, has died at the age of 96. Pictured in 2017 in LA
Benedict passed away at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on June 24 due to complications she suffered after a stroke. Pictured in 2013 in Hollywood, California
She was also romantically involved with One Life to Live actor Jeremy Slate until his 2006 passing at the age of 80 from esophageal cancer.
Benedict told Women Fitness in September of 2016, ‘Both of my husbands, and my lifetime partner, Jeremy, were wonderful men who respected me as an actress.
‘They all died from different forms of cancer, so my memories are sometimes bittersweet, but with no regrets.’
Benedict had been affiliated with the stock company the late Allen Funt presided over for his Candid Camera franchise.
In recurring bits on the CBS comedy, she used a feather in her cap to tickle men who sat alongside her at the airport; making it difficult to passersby to light up her cigarette as she stood in a phone booth, according to THR.
She said that the key was to keep her composure amid the comedic bits, according to THR, saying, ‘Essentially, it’s acting; I can’t laugh or the whole stunt is broken up.’
Benedict also showed her comedic talents as a cast member on The Steve Allen Show on NBC. She acted in skits and also served as a Hazel Bishop cosmetics spokesperson during the timeframe.
Benedict was also wed to Academy Award winner Rod Steiger from 2000 through July of 2002, when he died as result of pneumonia and kidney failure. Pictured in London in 2001
The twice-widowed actress was romantically involved with actor Jeremy Slate until his November 2006 passing at the age of 80 from esophageal cancer. Pictured in August of 2006 in Beverly Hills, California
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