Joan Marshall was an American film and television actress who is best known for her appearances in The Twilight Zone’s “Dead Man’s Shoes”, and Star Trek’s “Court Martial”. She also starred in the cult horror film Homicidal, and was the original Phoebe Munster in the unaired pilot of The Munsters. She had a successful career in Hollywood, but her personal life was marred by multiple marriages, divorces, and health problems. She died of lung cancer at age 61 in Jamaica, where she had moved with her fifth husband. Here is a brief overview of her life and death.
Early Life and Career
Joan Marshall was born Joan Schrepferman on June 6, 1931 in Chicago, where she was raised. When she was 17, she had polio that paralyzed her face, neck, spine, and vocal cords, leaving her temporarily unable to speak. She began her career performing as a showgirl in Chicago clubs. She moved to Las Vegas and then to Beverly Hills, where she married her first husband, Leslie Sanders, and had a son, Steven. She divorced Sanders in 1951 and married her second husband, Charles Murano, in 1952. She had a daughter, Shari, with him, but they also divorced.
She made her film debut in The Chicago Kid in 1945, but her breakthrough came in 1959 when she reprised the Lauren Bacall role of Sailor Duval in the short-lived television series version of the film Bold Venture. During the 1960s, she frequently guest-starred on various television series, such as Tales of Wells Fargo, Maverick, Surfside 6, Hawaiian Eye, Gunsmoke, and The Jack Benny Program. She also appeared in the films Homicidal (using the stage name Jean Arless) and Tammy and the Doctor opposite Sandra Dee and Peter Fonda.
Star Trek and The Munsters
One of her most memorable roles was as Lieutenant Areel Shaw in the Star Trek episode “Court Martial”. She played a former lover of Captain Kirk who had to prosecute him for the death of a crew member. She filmed her scenes in October 1966 at Desilu Stage 9 and Stage 10.
She also had a chance to star in another iconic TV show, The Munsters. She played Phoebe Munster, the wife of Herman Munster and the mother of Eddie Munster, in the 15-minute unaired pilot of the show. However, she was replaced by Yvonne De Carlo when the show was picked up by CBS. The reason for her replacement was that network executives thought her character was too much like Morticia Addams from The Addams Family.
Personal Life and Death
Marshall was married five times. Her third marriage was to director Hal Ashby in August 1969. He used details of her life to create the romantic comedy film Shampoo with Warren Beatty. She divorced him a year later in 1970. She married for a fourth time to Jeffrey A. Stein in 1978, whom she also divorced. In 1990 she married for a fifth time, this time to executive Mel Bartfield.
She bought property in Jamaica and fell in love with the island nation. She died there of lung cancer at age 61 on June 28, 1992. Her ashes were spread under her favorite tree on the property.
Joan Marshall was a talented and beautiful actress who left behind a legacy of memorable performances. She also had a turbulent and tragic life that ended too soon. She will always be remembered by her fans and admirers as one of the stars of Star Trek and The Twilight Zone.
