Joan Rice

Joan Rice (1930-1997) was a pert, dark-haired leading lady, who enjoyed a brief flurry of popularity in British films of the early- to mid-1950s. She is probably best known as Maid Marian to Richard Todd's Robin Hood in Disney's The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men (1952) and as Dalabo in His Majesty O'Keefe (1954) with Burt Lancaster.


British postcard in the Picturegoer Series, London, no. W 955. Photo: J. Arthur Rank Organisation Ltd.


British postcard in the Film Star Autograph Portrait Series by L.D. Ltd., London, no. 64. Photo: J. Arthur Rank Organisation.

Trained at Rank's Charm School

Joan Rice was born in 1930 in Derby, Derbyshire, England. One of four sisters from a broken home, she spent eight years in a convent orphanage in Nottingham.

In 1949, upon arriving in London she first took a job as a waitress at Lyon's Restaurant in London. She was crowned "Miss Lyons, 1949" (or Miss Nippy - the sources differ), at an in-house beauty contest.

There she was introduced to the theatrical agent Joan Reese, who secured a screen test and a two-line bit part in the comedy, One Wild Oat. Thereafter, she trained at the Rank Organisation's "charm school".

Rice made her real screen debut in Blackmailed (Marc Allégret, 1950) with Dirk Bogarde and Mai Zetterling. She settled into demure, ornamental roles and for several years in the early and mid-1950s, Rice was considered one of 'Rank's top stars'.

In Disney's Anglo-American production The Story of Robin Hood (Ken Annakin, 1952), she was maid Marian opposite Richard Todd as Robin. In the drama A Day to Remember (Ralph Thomas, 1953), she appeared with Stanley Holloway.

Rice was Burt Lancaster's vis-a-vis in His Majesty O'Keefe (Byron Haskin, 1954). She was also the leading lady in the comedy One Good Turn (John Paddy Carstairs, 1955), starring Norman Wisdom.


Dutch postcard by Takken / 't Sticht, no. 1283. Joan Rice in The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men (Ken Annakin, 1952).


Spanish postcard by H. Burt Lancaster and Joan Rice in His Majesty O'Keefe (Byron Haskin, 1954). On the flipside is written that the actress is Ronda Fleming (sic).

The graverobber's wife in The Horror of Frankenstein

Joan Rice's last film was the crime drama Payroll (Sidney Hayers, 1961) with Michael Craig and Françoise Prévost before she retired from films.

In the 1970s, she made a comeback as a character actress and played the graverobber's wife in The Horror of Frankenstein (Jimmy Sangster, 1970) with Ralph Bates, Kate O'Mara, and Dennis Price as the Graverobber.

She operated an estate agency in Maidenhead, Berkshire. Joan Rice passed away in 1997 in Maidenhead, at the age of 66. Her interment was at Braywick Cemetery in Maidenhead.

Her first husband, from 1953 to 1964, was David Green, son of the American comedian, Harry Green. They had one son, Michael, who committed suicide. In 1984 she married former Daily Sketch journalist Ken McKenzie.


British postcard in the Greetings series. Photo: R.K.O. Radio. Collection: Marlene Pilaete.


Trailer for The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men (1952) starring Richard Todd. Source: wwodtv (YouTube).

Sources: Hal Erickson (AllMovie), Find A Grave, Wikipedia, and IMDb.