Joey Heatherton's biography: what is the American actress up to now?

Joey Heatherton's biography: what is the American actress up to now?

Joey Heatherton was among the most popular American female stars between the 1960s and 1970s. She was an actress, dancer, and singer. Participating in American actor Bob Hope's USO tours for over a decade helped Heatherton build a massive fan base worldwide. As a result, the actress had millions of people hooked on films like My Blood Runs Cold (1965).

Joey Heatherton biography
Joey Heatherton pictured in 1965 (L) and 1967 (R). Photo: @Silver Screen Collection, @Martin Mills (modified by author)
Source: UGC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Joey Heatherton had a special bond with her fans. Some loved everything about her, while others harshly criticized the controversial roles she played on television. For instance, her first TV role was as a spoiled kid in the Route 66 (1960) crime-drama series. Heatherton acted so well that, afterward, most filmmakers would hire her to play various controversial roles, including a troubled teenager.

Profile summary

Full nameDavenie Johanna Heatherton
Famous asJoey Heatherton
GenderFemale
Date of birth14 September 1944
Zodiac signVirgo
Age79 years (as of 2023)
BirthplaceRockville Centre, New York, USA
NationalityAmerican
Hair colorBlonde
Eye colorHazel
SexualityStraight
Marital statusSingle
Ex-husbandLance Rentzel (1969 – 1972)
FatherRay Heatherton
MotherDavenie Ross Watson
SiblingDick Heatherton
EducationSaint Agnes Academy
Ballet dance trainerChoreographer George Balanchine
CareerActress, dancer, and singer
Net worth$5 million

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Joey Heatherton's biography

Davenie Johanna Heatherton was born on 14 September 1944 in Rockville Centre, New York, USA. Her family nicknamed her "Joey," a name turned into her trademark.

Who is Joey Heatherton's father?

Joey's father, Ray Heatherton, was a renowned American media personality. He was a singer, Broadway musical theatre performer, and a New York City TV personality in the medium's early days. The Broadway star acted in Babes in Arms and hosted New York's most popular children's program, The Merry Mailman. Joey Heatherton's father died on 15 August 1997 in Englewood, New Jersey, at age 92.

Joey Heatherton's biography
Photo: canva.com (modified by author)
Source: Original

Who is Joey Heatherton's mother?

The actress's mother, Davenie Ross Watson, was an American dancer. She met Ray Heatherton when both were performing in Babes in Arms. The couple married in 1941, and she passed away in 1987 at age 43.

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Who is Joey Heatherton's brother?

Her elder brother, Dick Heatherton, is a renowned author and empowerment/motivational speaker in the United States of America. He has built his lifetime career around consulting and public relations. Dick is only a year older than Joey.

Educational background

She attended Saint Agnes Academy, a Catholic grade and high school, and learned ballet dancing for four years from George Balanchine, a prominent choreographer and dancer. The girl later studied modern jazz dance, voice, and dramatics.

Career history

Johanna started her career as a child actress in her father's children's show. In 1959, Broadway hired the 15-year-old actress to join The Sound of Music show as Perry Como's secret admirer. The show later changed its name to Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall.

Joey Heatherton's biography
Joey Heatherton in designer necklaces. Photo: @2GAB Archive, @ABC Photo Archives (modified by author)
Source: UGC

The actress released her first song, That's How It Goes (or I'll Be Seeing You), in 1959, but it did not become a hit in the US. Nonetheless, she could still sweep fans off their feet three years later with three heart-soothing singles.

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What was Joey Heatherton famous for?

Heatherton became famous in the US in the mid-1960s because of her sensual dance moves on television. She not only gained attention nationwide but also attracted negative criticism from viewers.

Joey Heatherton's debut album was released in 1972. One of its tracks, the cover song Gone by Ferlin Husky, stayed on Billboard's Hot 100 for 15 weeks. In the same year, Joey Heatherton's Playboy pictures without clothes over the upper part of her body appeared on the cover of the Bluebeard (1972) film.

What commercial did Joey Heatherton do?

Actress Joey Heatherton's SERTA commercial for the brand's mattress appealed to many. The Perfect Sleeper advert played a critical role in SERTA's success.

Joey Heatherton's movies and TV series

Below is a list of movies and TV series actress Joey Heatherton was featured in:

YearTV series and filmography
1960Route 66
1962 to 1963The Doctors and the Nurses
1963The Virginian
1963Twilight of Honor
1963Mr. Novak
1963Arrest and Trial
1964Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
1964Channing
1964Breaking Point
1964Where Love Has Gone
1965My Blood Runs Cold
1966I Spy
1968Of Mice and Men
1969It Takes a Thief
1969The Jackie Gleason Show
1969The Ballad of Andy Crocker
1970Love, American Style
1970The Hollywood Palace
1971The Powder Room
1972Bluebeard
1973Old Faithful
1976Doug Henning's World of Magic 2
1977The Happy H*ooker Goes to Washington
1981Laverne & Shirley
1986The Perils of PK
1990Cry-Baby
2002Reflections of Evil

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Who did Joey Heatherton marry?

Actress Joey Heatherton and American football player Thomas Lance Rentzel married in April 1969. The American NFL footballer played for the LA Rams, Vikings, and Dallas Cowboys.

Johanna fell into depression, and her career went down the drain when her husband was arrested in 1970 for showing himself undressed to a ten-year-old girl. She filed for divorce in September 1971, and the court finalized the process in 1972. The following year, the court gave Lance a suspended sentence because he pleaded guilty and promised to seek psychiatric treatment.

Joey Heatherton's scandals

In 2014, she was accused of attacking her neighbor inside their apartment's lobby and hitting her with a high-heeled shoe. Johanna and her upstairs neighbor, Chandra Arend, allegedly never got along because of noise.

Chandra's blender's irritating morning sounds would make Johanna bang the ceiling to silence her in vain. Nevertheless, Chandra did seek the court's restraining order against her attacker because she was afraid the case would be dismissed.

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Joey Heatherton's parents
Joey in short hair. Photo: @Classic Actors of Hollywood, @An Appreciation of Joey Heatherton (modified by author)
Source: UGC

On 30 August 1986, the police arrested Joey in New York for assaulting her ex-lover and ex-manager, Jerry Fisher. Joey stabbed him with a steak knife during a heated argument. Jerry dropped the assault charges against her after the local hospital discharged him.

During the assault arrest, she handed her purse to the police, for they doubted her words. The cops found a foil packet of cocaine inside the bag and charged her with drug possession. The court dismissed the accusations in October 1987, citing that she had the right to refuse a purse search during the police arrest.

The actress was acquitted of disturbing the peace and interfering with a government agent's duties on 8 July 1985. It is alleged that she slapped and pulled a clerk's hair at a Passport Agency office in Manhattan, USA.

In July 1985, she pleaded not guilty to theft from a Long Island-based hotel and spa. The business claimed she owed them $4,906 for using their accommodation services in 1984.

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Where is Joey Heatherton today?

The now-retired American actress lives in Rockville Centre, New York, USA. Joey Heatherton's now and then pictures reveal a massive physical transformation. She is older now and looks stunning as ever.

Joey Heatherton's then and now pictures
Joey Heatherton's then and now pictures. Photo: @ABC Photo Archives, @David Keeler (modified by author)
Source: UGC

How much is Joey Heatherton worth?

Actress Joey Heatherton's net worth is around $5 million.

Who is married to Joey Heatherton?

Joey after divorcing Lance Rentzel in 1972.

What is Joey Heatherton doing now?‌

The actress has unofficially retired from the movie industry.

Facts about Joey Heatherton

  • Her parents worked in the entertainment industry.
  • She took after her mum's passion for dance.
  • She shares her first name, "Davenie," with her mum.

Joey Heatherton's free-spirited and jovial nature earned her millions of followers. Her ex-husband's scandal almost broke the actress, but she managed to overcome the depression the situation plunged her into.

Briefly.co.za featured the story of the South African political figure Penuell Maduna. He served as the Deputy Minister of Home Affairs after the 1994 elections and was appointed the Minister of Mineral and Energy Affairs in June 1996.

Maduna diligently served as a board member of the faculty of law at the University of Witwatersrand. He was also the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development from 1999 to 2004.

Source: Briefly News

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Peris Walubengo (Lifestyle writer) Peris Walubengo is a content creator with 5 years of experience writing articles, researching, editing, and proofreading. She has a Bachelor of Commerce & IT from the University of Nairobi and joined Briefly.co.za in November 2019. The writer completed a Google News Initiate Course. She covers bios, marketing & finance, tech, fashion & beauty, recipes, movies & gaming reviews, culture & travel. You can email her at perisrodah254@gmail.com.