Joan Hotchkis was an actress and writer who played Oscar’s girlfriend, Dr. Nancy Cunningham, on TV’s “The Odd Couple.”
- Died: September 27, 2022 (Who else died on September 27?)
- Details of death: Died in Los Angeles of congestive heart failure at the age of 95.
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Acting career
Hotchkis had early roles on TV shows including “Robert Montgomery Presents” and “Diagnosis: Unknown.” She starred in the single-season series “My World and Welcome to It” and had guest roles on “Bewitched” as both Alice Swanton and Miss Ferndale. Hotchkis joined the cast of “The Odd Couple” midway through the first season, in 1971, and remained through part of the second season. She made other notable TV appearances on “Marcus Welby, M.D.,” “Charlie’s Angels,” “Lou Grant,” and “St. Elsewhere,” as well as starring in the short-lived soap opera parody “The Life and Times of Eddie Roberts.” Hotchkis wrote and starred in the 1975 movie “Legacy” and appeared in other movies including “Ode to Billy Joe” and “Breezy.” She was also a stage actress who had roles in Broadway plays including “Write Me a Murder” and “Advise and Consent,” and she co-wrote the acting manual “No Acting Please.” Later in her career, Hotchkis was a performance artist who wrote and performed shows including “Tearsheets: Letters I Didn’t Send Home.”
Notable quote
“I really wanted to be respectable and approved of and altruistic and unselfish and noble, but ever since I was a very little girl, I knew acting was my medium.” —from a 1991 interview for the Los Angeles Times
Tributes to Joan Hotchkis
Full obituary: Deadline
