Australian actress Joy Westmore dies aged 88: Prisoner star known for playing officer Joyce Pringle loses her battle with dementia
Australian actress Joy Westmore (née Grisold) has died aged 88 following a battle with dementia.
Her death was announced on Channel Seven’s The Morning Show on Friday.
Joy was best known for playing bespectacled officer Joyce Pringle in the TV show Prisoner – known in Britain and America as Prisoner: Cell Block H – from 1979 to 1986.
Rest in peace: Australian actress Joy Westmore (née Grisold) has died aged 88 following a battle with dementia. She was best known for playing bespectacled officer Joyce Pringle in the TV show Prisoner – known in Britain and America as Prisoner: Cell Block H – from 1979 to 1986
She also appeared in other classic Australian soaps like Neighbours, The Sullivans and Blue Heelers.
Some fans may also remember Joy from playing Mrs. Blanche White in the popular Cluedo game show.
On Prisoner, Joy’s character was a friendly, somewhat dim-witted officer who was often taken advantage of by the prisoners.
In one memorable scene, she was brutally beaten up by villain Eve Wilder.
Farewell: Her death was announced on Channel Seven’s The Morning Show on Friday
Another storyline saw Joyce kidnapped by prison thug Lou Kelly, who used her to escape from the prison.
Her character eventually married the prison chef, Mervin Pringle.
Before Prisoner, Joy worked with comedian Barry Humphries and was involved in one of his first sketches featuring his iconic character Dame Edna Everage.
Iconic: On Prisoner, Joy’s character Joyce (left) was a friendly, somewhat dim-witted officer who was often taken advantage of by the prisoners
Remember this? Some fans may also remember Joy from playing Mrs. Blanche White in the popular Cluedo game show in 1992
She had regular roles on The Graham Kennedy Show and The Ernie Sigley Show.
Joy got her start in showbusiness in the early 1950s reading commercials for radio.
She previously described herself as ‘not very ambitious’, preferring instead to focus on raising her four children, Adam, Harriet, Lucy and Emily.
She married husband Dr Brian William Westmore in 1960. He died in January while surrounded by friends and family.
Working actress: Joy also had a few short roles on the Australian soap Neighbours (pictured with Mark Raffety)