Joan Copeland

She moved into television and film during the 1950s while still maintaining an active stage career. She is best known for her performances in the 1977 Broadway revival of Pal Joey and her award-winning performance in the 1981 play The American Clock. She also played a number of prominent roles on various soap operas throughout her career, including Andrea Whiting on Search for Tomorrow and Gwendolyn Lord Abbott on One Life to Live. She voiced Tanana in Brother Bear.

• Name — Joan Copeland • Birth Name — Joan Maxine Miller • Born — 1 June 1922 • Birthplace — New York City, U.S. • Died — 4 January 2022 • Place of death — New York City, U.S. • Occupation — Actress • Years Active — 1945–2011 • Children — 1 • Relatives — Arthur Miller (brother) Rebecca Miller (niece)

Miller was born to a middle-class Jewish family in New York City. Her father, Isidore, was a woman's clothes manufacturer, and her mother, Augusta (née Barnett), was a schoolteacher and a housewife. Her family was of Polish-Jewish origins. She was the younger sister of Kermit Miller and playwright Arthur Miller and was briefly sister-in-law to Marilyn Monroe, with whom she shared a birthday. She was married to George J. Kupchik, an engineer, from 1946 until his death in 1989. She had a son named Eric with him. Copeland died at her home in Manhattan on January 4, 2022, at the age of 99.

Copeland began her career in the theatre, making her professional debut as Juliet in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 1945. She made her Broadway debut as Nadine in the original 1948 production of Bessie Breuer's Sundown Beach. Thereafter she maintained an active career in the theatre. Her other Broadway credits include Detective Story (1949), Not for Children (1951), The Diary of Anne Frank (1955), Handful of Fire (1958), standby for Vivien Leigh in Tovarich (1963), Something More! (1964), standby for Kate Reid in The Price (1968), standby for Katharine Hepburn in Coco (1969), Two By Two (1970), Pal Joey (1976), Checking Out (1976), and The American Clock (1980), the latter of which was written by her brother Arthur Miller; Copeland won the 1981 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play. In 2001, Copeland was set to play the role of Zelda in the Broadway mounting of Neil Simon's 45 Seconds from Broadway, however she left the production during rehearsals (replace by Rebecca Schull) and never actually performed in the production. She worked extensively Off-Broadway in New York City. Her notable credits therein include Desdemona in Othello at the Equity Library Theatre (1946), Betty Shapiro in The Grass is Greener at the Downtown National Theatre (1955), Melanie in Conversation Piece at the Barbizon-Plaza Theatre (1957), Mrs. Erlynne in Delightful Season at the Gramercy Arts Theatre (1960), Leonie Frothingham in End of Summer at the Manhattan Theatre Club (1974), Lillian Hellman in Are You Now or Have You Ever Been at the Promenade Theatre (1978), the title role in Candida at the Roundabout Theatre (1979), Tasha Blumberg in Isn't It Romantic? at the Playwrights Horizons (1983), Mrs. Thompson in Hunting Cockroaches at the Manhattan Theatre Club (1987), Rose Brill in The Rose Quartet at the Circle Repertory Theatre (1991), Aida Gianelli in Over the River and Through the Woods at the John Houseman Theatre (1998), Nelly Fell in The Torch-Bearers at the Greenwich House Theatre (2000), and as part of a rotating cast in Wit & Wisdom at the Arclight Theatre (2003). She won an Obie Award in 1991 for her portrayal of Eva Adler in The American Plan at the Manhattan Theatre Club. Copeland began working in television in the early 1950s as a guest actress on such shows as Suspense and The Web and on the live telecast of O'Neill's play The Iceman Cometh in 1960. She appeared on numerous soap operas. She portrayed Andrea Whiting (Joanne's daughter, Patti's malevolent former mother in-law) on Search for Tomorrow, twin sisters Maggie and Kay Logan on Love of Life, and roles on The Edge of Night, How to Survive a Marriage, and As the World Turns. She also portrayed Gwendolyn Lord Abbott on One Life to Live from 1978–1979, and later returned to the series to play Selma Hanen in 1995. Between 1993 and 1997 she portrayed the recurring character of Judge Rebecca Stein on Law & Order. Her other television credits include guest appearances on The Patty Duke Show, Chicago Hope, ER, All in the Family, and Naked City. Copeland made her first film appearance as Alice Marie in The Goddess (1958). Her film career was sporadic and her appearances were almost exclusively in prominent secondary roles. Her film credits include Middle of the Night (1959), Roseland (1977), It's My Turn (1980), A Little Sex (1982), Happy New Year (1987), The Laser Man (1988), Her Alibi (1989), Jungle 2 Jungle (1997), The Peacemaker (1997), The Object of My Affection (1998), The Adventures of Sebastian Cole (1998), The Audrey Hepburn Story (2000), The Last Request (2006), and The Private Lives of Pippa Lee (2009). She also voiced Tanana in Disney's Brother Bear (2003).

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1958 — The Goddess — Alice Marie • 1959 — Middle of the Night — Lillian Englander • 1977 — Roseland — Pauline — "The Hustle" • 1980 — It's My Turn — Rita • 1982 — A Little Sex — Mrs. Harrison • 1987 — Happy New Year — Sunny Felix • 1988 — The Laser Man — Ruth Weiss • 1989 — Her Alibi — Audrey • 1997 — Jungle 2 Jungle — Mrs. Prelot • The Peacemaker — Senator Bevens • 1998 — The Object of My Affection — Madame Reynolds • The Adventures of Sebastian Cole — Grandma Cole • 2003 — Brother Bear — Tanana — Voice • 2004 — Koda's Outtakes — Video short (Uncredited) • 2006 — The Last Request — Alice Rudolf • 2009 — The Private Lives of Pippa Lee — Piano player • 2011 — Love Is Like Life But Longer — Old nun — Short film (final film role)

Joan Copeland was recorded at birth as Joan Maxine Miller. The authorities additionally record the headings Joan Maxine Miller, Joan Maxine Copeland, Joan Maxime Kupchik and Joan Maxine Kupchik. Her recorded language was English.

Joan Copeland is recorded as actress.