Joyce Bulifant

Joyce Collins Bulifant

Theatre Bulifant's Broadway credits include Tall Story (1958) and The Paisley Convertible (1966). She also appeared onstage in Glad Tidings, Auntie Mame, Gentlemen, The Queens!, and Under the Yum-Yum Tree.

She has written and performed autobiographical shows, Life Upon the Wicked Stage and Remembering Helen Hayes with Love, about her former mother-in-law, Helen Hayes, as well as Lillian Gish.

Television Regular cast One of Bulifant's earliest roles on television was as a dancer on Arthur Murray's Dance Party (1950–1960). She played Timmie Barnes in Too Young to Go Steady (1959), Mary Gentry in Tom, Dick and Mary (1964–1965), Marie Slaughter on The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970–1977), Peggy Wilson on Love Thy Neighbor (1973), Lois on It's a Man's World (1962–1963), Marsha Patterson on The Bill Cosby Show (1969–1971), and Marjorie Martin on Big John, Little John (1976–1977). She was heard as the voice of Queen Vanda on the syndicated cartoon series Sport Billy (1982). She was also a regular on CBS’s Flo, as Flo’s best friend Miriam Willoughby from 1980 to 1981.

Guest appearances Bulifant guest-starred as Jessica in Tales of Wells Fargo, episode "Fraud," in 1961, in addition to episodes of Channing; Empire; The Virginian; Bonanza; Gunsmoke; Wagon Train; Destry Rides Again; The Real McCoys; McHale's Navy; Dr. Kildare; Naked City; Police Woman; My Three Sons; Love, American Style; The Facts of Life; Harper Valley PTA; The Bad News Bears; Alice; Three's Company; The Joey Bishop Show; and The Donald O'Connor Show.

She played an intended murder victim in a 1961 episode of Boris Karloff's Thriller (episode: "An Attractive Family"). and with Eva Le Galliene in The Play of the Week Thérèse Raquin. She played Jenny Logan, the incorruptible wife of Tom Logan, played by Frank Aletter, both of whom were being tempted by Mr. Lucifer, played by Fred Astaire, and Mr. Lucifer's assistant, Iris Hecate, played by Elizabeth Montgomery, in "Mr. Lucifer", a 1962 episode of Alcoa Presents.

She played innocent defendant Nancy Banks in the Perry Mason 1964 episode "The Case of the Ice-Cold Hands", the second of two appearances on that show.

She played Miriam Willoughby on Flo and David Spade's mother on Just Shoot Me!

From 1994 to 1997, she played Emily Wallace, the mother of her real-life son John Asher's character in Weird Science.

Television movies Bulifant appeared in Hanging by a Thread, Better Late Than Never, Little Women, Charley's Aunt, and The Shining.

Game shows Bulifant appeared as a frequent guest on game shows including Name That Tune, Password, Match Game, Crosswits, Tattletales, To Tell the Truth, $25,000 Pyramid, and Decisions Decisions, along with David Letterman.

The Brady Bunch Bulifant was the original choice for the role of Carol Brady on ABC's The Brady Bunch, but the part ultimately went to Florence Henderson.

Film Bulifant's most popular film roles were as Rosemary in the Disney live-action feature The Happiest Millionaire, in which she sang "Bye-Yum Pum Pum," and in the 1980 comedy Airplane!

In Airplane!, Bulifant played the mother of a daughter in need of a heart transplant, played by Jill Whelan, in a nod to characters from Airport 1975. This was fitting, since Whelan had already begun playing Vicki Stubing on The Love Boat, the daughter of the Love Boat captain, played by Gavin MacLeod. MacLeod and Bulifant played a married couple on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Airplane thus tied MacLeod's two TV families together.

She has twice been directed by her son, John Asher, in Diamonds and Tooken, and appeared in a comedic short, The Haircut, opposite John Cassavetes.

Recognition Bulifant received a Theatre World Award for 1961–1962 for her performance in Whisper to Me.

In 2014, she and her husband Roger Perry were honored with a Golden Palm Star on the Walk of Stars in Palm Springs, California.

Personal life Bulifant has been married five times:

Her first husband was actor James MacArthur. They married on November 2, 1958, had two children together, Mary MacArthur and Charles MacArthur, and divorced in 1967. Her second husband was Days of Our Lives star Edward Mallory. They married on September 19, 1969, and had one child, John Mallory Asher. They divorced in 1974. Her third husband was TV director William Asher. He adopted her son John, giving him the last name of Asher. She and Asher married August 28, 1976, and divorced in 1993.

Bulifant has a grandson, Evan Joseph Asher, from her son John's marriage to Jenny McCarthy.

Advocacy Bulifant discovered she had dyslexia in her 40s and has served as a longtime advocate for dyslexia research, including writing two musicals on the subject, Gifts of Greatness and Different Heroes, Different Dreams. Recipients of the Hans Christian Andersen Award, which Bulifant founded to recognize dyslexics who've made a positive contribution to society, include Stephen J. Cannell and Whoopi Goldberg. Bulifant herself is a recipient of the 2015 Broken Glass Award from The Dyslexia Foundation.

She has for many years been actively involved with the child abuse prevention nonprofit Childhelp, including serving as a Celebrity Ambassador and as a vice-president on the National Board of Directors.

She also advocates for autism research. 1980 Airplane! Mrs. Davis Titled as Flying High! in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Japan and the Philippines 1999 Diamonds June American comedy film directed by her son, Asher and written by Allan Aaron Katz. 2005 Dirty Love Mary Written by and starring Jenny McCarthy and directed by her son, Asher. 2010 Wreckage Deputy Priest 2015 Tooken Edna Millers 2019 I Hate Kids Betty Bartlett Television Year Title Character Notes ref 1961 The Play of the Week Episode: "Therese Raquin" (S 2:Ep 24) Naked City Connie Hacker Episode: "Take and Put" (S 2:Ep 32) 1962 Thriller Jinny Willis Episode: "An Attractive Family" (S 2: Ep15) General Electric Theater Connie Duncan Episode: "The First Hundred Years" (S 10:Ep 34) Alcoa Premiere Jenny Logan Episode: "Mr. Lucifer" (S 2:Ep 5) Gunsmoke Ellie Episode: "Uncle Sunday" (S 8:Ep 14) 1963 My Three Sons Rebecca Holly Episode: "Flashback" (S 3:Ep 19) Empire Betty Wormser Episode: "The Tiger Inside" (S 1:Ep 20) Perry Mason Hollis Wilburn Episode: "The Case of the Surplus Suitor" (S 6:ep 19) The Real McCoys Barbara Episode: "The Peacemakers" (S 6:Ep 36) McHale's Navy Lt. Georgianna Comstock Episode: "Today I Am a Man!" (S 2:Ep 7) 1964 The Virginian Nancy Mayhew Episode: "Roar from the Mountain" (S 2:Ep 16) Perry Mason Nancy Banks Episode: "The Case of the Ice-Cold Hands" (S 7:Ep 16) Arrest and Trial Alice Episode: "A Roll of the Dice" (S 1:Ep 22) Destry Sheba Hannibal Episode: "Go Away, Little Sheba" (S 1:Ep 7) Wagon Train Julie Episode: "The Michael Malone Story" (S 7:Ep 16) 1964–65 Tom, Dick and Mary Mary Gentry Part of the umbrella title of a short-lived NBC experiment comprising three situation comedies set in a Southern California apartment complex located at the 90 Bristol Court address. 1966 Dr. Kildare Judy Cannon 1968 The Woody Woodbury Show Herself Episodes: 1969 Lancer Cassie Episode: "Angel Day And Her Sunshine Girls" (S 1:Ep 19) 1969–71 The Bill Cosby Show Mrs. Patterson Main cast 1970 Bonanza Bonnie Episode: "Return Engagement" (S 11:Ep 22) 1971–77 The Mary Tyler Moore Show Marie Slaughter 1973 Love Thy Neighbor Peggy Wilson Love, American Style Episode: "Love and the Awkward Age" {S 5:Ep 49) 1973–82 Match Game Herself Semi-regular panelist 1974 Tattletales Herself Episode: "March 18, 1974" (S 1:Ep 5) The Michele Lee Show Gladys Gooch Sierra Shirley Episode: "Taking Cody Winslow" (S 1:Ep 3) Police Woman Peggy Lakes Episode: "Warning: All Wives..." (S 1:Ep 3) 1975–77 Match Game PM Herself Semi-Regular Panelist 1976 Police Story Katie Pardnales Episode: "Monster Manor" (S 4:Ep 8) 1976 Big John, Little John Marjorie Martin Recurring 1977 $20,000 Pyramid Herself Episode: "Joyce Bulifant & David Doyle" (S 6:Ep 11) Three's Company Mrs. Cross Episode: "Chrissy's Date" (S 2:Ep 5) 1978 $20,000 Pyramid Herself Episode: "Joyce Bulifant & Ron Glass" (S 6:Ep 26) Alice Connie Raymond Episode: "Who Ordered the Hot Turkey?" (S 3:Ep 9) 1979 Turnabout 9-months-expectant mother Episode: "We're a Little Late, Folks" (S 1:Ep 3) The Bad News Bears Alice Episodes: The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo Episode: "Disco Fever Comes To Orly" (S 1:Ep 4) 1979–81 Password Plus Herself 1980 Chain Reaction Herself Celebrity guest 1980–81 Flo Miriam Willoughby Spin-off of Alice. 1982 Harper Valley PTA Episode: "The Return Of Charlie's Chow Palace" (S 2:Ep 16} 1980–81 Sport Billy Sport Lilly/Queen Vanda 1985 The Facts of Life Margaret Episode: "Teacher, Teacher" (S 7:Ep 4) 1987 American Playhouse Miss Delahay Episode: "Charley's Aunt" (S 6:Ep 14) 1994–97 Weird Science Emily Wallace 1999 E! True Hollywood Story Herself Episode: "The Brady Bunch" (S 3:Ep 21) 2001 Just Shoot Me! Fantasia 'Fanny' Olivia Finch Episode: "Fanny Finch" (S 5:Ep19)