# Joan Hackett
**Joan Hackett** (Joan Ann Hackett) was an American actress of stage, film, and television, known for intensely natural performances in mostly nonglamorous roles and for winning a Golden Globe and earning an Academy Award nomination for *Only When I Laugh* (1981)[1](https://cbsrmt.com/actor/75-hackett-joan.html) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0352466/bio/). Her date of birth is disputed: most film-reference sources give March 1, 1934, in [East Harlem](https://www.edgepedia.org/east-harlem), New York City[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0352466/bio/) • [3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/joan_hackett), while the *Women in World History* encyclopedia entry gives May 1, 1942[4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/hackett-joan-1942-1983). She died of cancer on October 8, 1983, in Encino, California[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0352466/bio/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Joan Ann Hackett; daughter of John Hackett, an Irish-American postal clerk, and Mary Esposito, an Italian immigrant[4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/hackett-joan-1942-1983) • [5](https://chreporter.com/joan-hackett-career-roles-harlem-roots/) |
| Born | Disputed: March 1, 1934, East Harlem, New York City (IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes)[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0352466/bio/) or 1942, New York City (*Women in World History*)[4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/hackett-joan-1942-1983) |
| Breakthrough | Off-Broadway, *Call Me by My Rightful Name* (1961): Obie and Vernon Rice Awards[4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/hackett-joan-1942-1983) |
| Film debut | Dottie Renfrew in Sidney Lumet's *The Group* (1966), adapted from Mary McCarthy's novel[4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/hackett-joan-1942-1983) |
| Awards | 1982 Golden Globe winner and Academy Award nominee, Best Supporting Actress, *Only When I Laugh*; 1962 Emmy nomination for *Ben Casey*; 1967 BAFTA nomination for *The Group*[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0352466/awards/) |
| Marriage | Married actor Richard Mulligan on January 3, 1966; divorced 1973[4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/hackett-joan-1942-1983) |
| Died | October 8, 1983, Encino, California, of ovarian cancer[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0352466/bio/) |
## Early life and training
Hackett grew up in East Harlem, the daughter of an Irish-American father, John Hackett, and an Italian immigrant mother, Mary Esposito[4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/hackett-joan-1942-1983) • [5](https://chreporter.com/joan-hackett-career-roles-harlem-roots/). She left school during her final year of high school to become a model, and in 1952 she appeared on the cover of *Harper's Junior Bazaar*[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0352466/bio/). When 20th Century-Fox offered her a contract on the strength of that cover, she turned it down and instead took acting classes at [Lee Strasberg](https://www.edgepedia.org/lee-strasberg)'s Actors Studio[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0352466/bio/). The encyclopedia entry also credits her with study under the actress Mary Welch[4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/hackett-joan-1942-1983).
## Stage and early television
Her New York stage debut came in *A Clearing in the Woods* at the Sheridan Square Playhouse in February 1959, followed by work as an understudy for Hero in the [John Gielgud](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-gielgud) production of *Much Ado About Nothing* at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre that September[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0352466/bio/) • [4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/hackett-joan-1942-1983). In January 1961 she played Chris in the off-Broadway *Call Me by My Rightful Name*, a performance that won her an Obie Award and the Vernon Rice Award[4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/hackett-joan-1942-1983).
Television made her a working professional. From 1961 to 1962 she played social worker Joan Miller, fiancée of one of the law firm's partners, on the CBS courtroom drama *[The Defenders](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-defenders-1961-tv-series)*[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0352466/bio/). A 1962 *Time* profile described her as typical of a new phenomenon, the television-trained professional, and said that of the current crop of young actresses none worked more consistently than Hackett[7](https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0%2C33009%2C828117%2C00.html). In the two seasons before that profile she had played an unmarried pregnant woman (*The Nurses*), a drug addict (*The New Breed*), a patient with epilepsy (*Ben Casey*), and a girl about to enter a convent (*Empire*)[7](https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0%2C33009%2C828117%2C00.html). She was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for the *Ben Casey* episode "A Certain Time, A Certain Darkness"[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0352466/awards/) and played the second Mrs. de Winter opposite [James Mason](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-mason) in a television version of [Daphne du Maurier](https://www.edgepedia.org/daphne-du-maurier)'s *Rebecca*[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0352466/bio/). The profile also recorded her selectivity: she had turned down 15 movies the year before and quit *Dear Me, the Sky Is Falling* in rehearsal, saying the part was wrong for her and that she was not allowed to play it the way she felt she should[7](https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0%2C33009%2C828117%2C00.html).
Her most praised later stage role was Elaine Wheeler in *Night Watch*, Lucille Fletcher's play, at the Morosco Theatre in February 1972; Clive Barnes of *The New York Times* called the performance "beautifully judged"[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0352466/bio/).
## Film career
Hackett's feature debut came in [Sidney Lumet](https://www.edgepedia.org/sidney-lumet)'s *The Group* (1966), an ensemble study of female college classmates adapted from [Mary McCarthy](https://www.edgepedia.org/mary-mccarthy)'s novel, in which she played Dottie Renfrew; reviewers noted the scope it gave her emotional range[4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/hackett-joan-1942-1983) • [8](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/joan-hackett/). She received a BAFTA nomination for Best Foreign Actress for the film in 1967[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0352466/awards/).
Her screen work was intermittent through the 1970s but included Westerns, comedies, and thrillers: *Will Penny* (1968), *Assignment to Kill* (1968), *Support Your Local Sheriff!* (1969) opposite [James Garner](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-garner), *The Last of Sheila* (1973), *The Terminal Man* (1974, as Dr. Janet Ross opposite [George Segal](https://www.edgepedia.org/george-segal)), *Mackintosh and T.J.* (1975), *Treasure of Matecumbe* (1976), *One Trick Pony* (1980), and *[The Escape Artist](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-escape-artist)* (1982)[4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/hackett-joan-1942-1983) • [3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/joan_hackett). On Rotten Tomatoes, *Will Penny* is her highest-rated film at 93 percent and *The Terminal Man* her lowest at 50 percent[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/joan_hackett). From *The Last of Sheila* onward she alternated supporting roles with leads[8](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/joan-hackett/).
Television movies and guest appearances filled much of her schedule, including *Lights Out* (1972), *The Possessed* (1977), *Pleasure Cove* (1979), the short-lived sitcom *Another Day* (1978), and *Paper Dolls* (1982)[8](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/joan-hackett/).
## *Only When I Laugh*
In one of her last feature roles, Hackett played Toby Landau, the vain, edgy girlfriend of [Marsha Mason](https://www.edgepedia.org/marsha-mason)'s character in [Herbert Ross](https://www.edgepedia.org/herbert-ross)'s *Only When I Laugh* (1981)[8](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/joan-hackett/). The role brought her the year's major recognition: a nomination for the 1982 [Academy Award for Best Actress](https://www.edgepedia.org/academy-award-for-best-actress) in a Supporting Role and the 1982 Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Motion Picture[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0352466/awards/).
## Personal life, activism, and death
Hackett married the actor [Richard Mulligan](https://www.edgepedia.org/richard-mulligan), later known for his television comedy work, on January 3, 1966; they divorced in 1973[4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/hackett-joan-1942-1983). Alongside her acting she was politically active, particularly in the women's rights movement of the 1960s and 1970s[4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/hackett-joan-1942-1983).
She died of ovarian cancer on October 8, 1983, in Encino, California[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0352466/bio/). Her recorded age at death differs with her disputed birth year: 41 according to the encyclopedia entry[4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/hackett-joan-1942-1983) and 49 according to TVInsider[8](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/joan-hackett/). Her final screen appearances, *The Escape Artist* and *Paper Dolls*, were released in 1982, and the film *Flicks*, shot earlier, was delayed to 1983[8](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/joan-hackett/).
## References
1. [Joan Hackett (Actor), CBS Radio Mystery Theater](https://cbsrmt.com/actor/75-hackett-joan.html)
2. [Joan Hackett - Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0352466/bio/)
3. [Joan Hackett Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/joan_hackett)
4. [Hackett, Joan (1942–1983), Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia, Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/hackett-joan-1942-1983)
5. [Joan Hackett: Career, Essential Roles and Harlem Roots, chreporter](https://chreporter.com/joan-hackett-career-roles-harlem-roots/)
6. [Joan Hackett - Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0352466/awards/)
7. [Show Business: On the Brink, TIME, April 12, 1963](https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0%2C33009%2C828117%2C00.html)
8. [Joan Hackett - Actress, TVInsider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/joan-hackett/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1940s to 1960s › Surnames H*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license