Revealing Facts About Joi Lansing, The Forgotten Glamour Goddess
In the 1950s and 60s, actress and buxom beauty, Joi Lansing, worked tirelessly to prove that her measurements didn't define her. She became known as the Marilyn Monroe of TV and a B-movie icon, but true stardom was always just out of reach.
Sadly, this wasn't even the greatest tragedy of her life.
1. She Was A Grandpa’s Girl
Joi Lansing was born Joy Rae Brown on April 6, 1929, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Though her parents separated when she was just a year old, she wanted for nothing.
Her grandparents, well-to-do, devout Mormons, doted on her, especially her grandfather Ray, who gave her anything her little heart desired.
This turned out to be drama and piano lessons, because what Joi wanted most, even as a child, was to become a star.
2. She Won A Coveted Spot
Her mother remarried and moved the family to Los Angeles in 1935. By the age of 14, Joi was working as a swimsuit model. A few years later, she won a talent competition hosted by MGM studios and appeared twice in the film Easter Parade, starring Fred Astaire and Judy Garland. But that was only the beginning.
In 1948, MGM signed her to a contract—and for good reason.
3. She Was A Knockout
At 5’5”, with blonde hair, green eyes, and the hourglass measurements of 39-23-35, Joi was every inch the ideal starlet. Her peaches-and-cream complexion was flawless, though she was always insecure about the roundness of her plump cheeks.
She would later come to think of her beauty as a mixed blessing, saying, “I was always known as a glamour girl and categorized as only that. It was very limiting”.
But in those early days, she still had hope that her looks would do her more good than harm.
4. She Was In Good Company
The studio enrolled her at the Bliss-Hayden School of Acting along with such other up-and-coming actresses as Janet Leigh, Ava Gardner, and Esther Williams. There, she worked on her poise and performing skills and met another student by the name of Marilyn Monroe. They were not especially close—but Marilyn might have wanted them to be much closer.
