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Shawlee, Joan

Born March 5, 1926;
Forest Hills, New York, USA

Died March 22, 1987;
Hollywood, California, USA

Maverick Actor

Joan Shawlee began performing at age 14 as a Powers model. At 16, she began singing in New York City nightclubs and was considered one of the "six most beautiful girls in Manhattan." In 1945, she was discovered by Lou Costello while she was singing at Manhattan's famous Copacabana. She was signed with Universal and moved to Hollywood under the guardianship of her mother. She played many character roles in films and television into the mid-1980s. often as a streetwise dame. She may best be remembered for her recurring role as Buddy Sorrell's ex-showgirl wife Pickles on The Dick Van Dyke Show. She died of cancer in Hollywood at age 61.[2]