Stars · Hollywood and beyond
Joan Rivers
American comedian, actress, and television host (1933 to 2014)
Joan Rivers biography
Joan Rivers was an American comedian, actress, and television host, born on 8 June 1933 in Brooklyn, who died on 4 September 2014.
Joan Rivers's screen career began in 1951 with Mister Universe, playing Teenage Girl in Audience.
Joan Rivers appeared in 47 films and 140 television or streaming titles between 1951 and 2016.
Honours include Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host, star on Hollywood Walk of Fame and Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year.
- Also known as
- Joan Alexandra Molinsky
- Born
- 8 June 1933
- Died
- 4 September 2014 (aged 81)
- Birthplace
- Brooklyn
- Work
- Comedian, Television presenter, Film director, Screenwriter, Writer
- Film industries
- Hollywood and beyond
- Years active
- 1956 to 2014
- Awards
- Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host
- star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
- Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year
Joan Rivers filmography
47 films and 140 television or streaming titles, newest first.
Films
| Year | Title | Role | Where | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Love, Sweat and Tears | Documentary | ||
| 2016 | Joan Rivers: Enter Laughing | Documentary | ||
| 2016 | Joan Rivers - Exit Laughing | |||
| 2014 | Women Aren't Funny | Documentary | ||
| 2014 | Where the Sun Kisses the Ocean | Poetry. | ||
| 2014 | The Story of The Swimmer | Behind-the-scenes documentary | ||
| 2014 | Mostly Ghostly: Have You Met My Ghoulfriend? | Grandma Doyle | (Final film role) | |
| 2013 | Iron Man 3 | English | ||
| 2013 | Why We Laugh: Funny Women | Documentary | ||
| 2013 | Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf's | Documentary | ||
| 2013 | Moms Mabley: I Got Somethin' to Tell You | Documentary | ||
| 2012 | Don't Start With Me | |||
| 2011 | The Smurfs | Party Guest | ||
| 2010 | Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work | Documentary feature | ||
| 2009 | What's the Name of the Dame? | Documentary | ||
| 2009 | The Hipsters | Floressa Malone | ||
| 2009 | Comedy Central Roast of Joan Rivers | |||
| 2008 | Every Little Step | Television special | ||
| 2007 | Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project | Documentary special, HBO | ||
| 2007 | Making Trouble | Documentary | ||
| 2006 | Before Melissa Pulls the Plug | |||
| 2006 | Another Audience with Joan Rivers | |||
| 2005 | Spaceballs: The Documentary | Behind-the-scenes documentary | ||
| 2005 | John Candy: Comic Spirit | Behind-the-scenes documentary | ||
| 2005 | (Still A) Live at the London Palladium (Allegedly) |
Show all 47 films
| Year | Title | Role | Where | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | First Daughter | English | ||
| 2004 | Live At the Apollo | |||
| 2002 | The Making and Meaning of We Are Family | Television special | ||
| 2002 | Hip! Edgy! Quirky! | Floressa | ||
| 2000 | The Intern | Dolly Bellows | ||
| 2000 | Whispers: An Elephant's Tale | Spike | Voice | |
| 1999 | Goosed | Mom / Blanche | ||
| 1997 | KnitWits | Becky | Voice | |
| 1996 | Shopping for Fitness | |||
| 1995 | Napoleon | Mother Penguin | Voice | |
| 1994 | Stonewall 25: Voices of Pride and Protest | Documentary | ||
| 1992 | Abroad In London | |||
| 1990 | The World of Jewish Humor | Television special | ||
| 1990 | How to Murder a Millionaire | Irma Summers | ||
| 1989 | Look Who's Talking | Julie | Voice; credited under pseudonym of "Baby Guess" | |
| 1987 | Spaceballs | Dot Matrix | Voice | |
| 1987 | Les Patterson Saves the World | President Rivers | Uncredited | |
| 1984 | The Muppets Take Manhattan | Perfume Saleswoman | Cameo | |
| 1984 | An Audience with Joan Rivers | |||
| 1978 | Rabbit Test | Second nurse | Cameo, director and writer | |
| 1968 | The Swimmer | Joan | Cameo | |
| 1951 | Mister Universe | Teenage Girl in Audience | Cameo; uncredited |
Television and streaming
| Year | Title | Role | Where | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Celebrity Apprentice 7 | Boardroom advisor | ||
| 2014 | Howard Stern Birthday Bash | SiriusXM Special | SiriusXM Special | |
| 2013 | Whoopi Goldberg Presents Moms Mabley | HBO | Interviewee | |
| 2013 | In Bed with Joan | Host, Writer, Executive producer | Host, Writer, Executive producer | |
| 2013 | Celebrity Apprentice 6 | Boardroom advisor | ||
| 2012 | Joan Rivers: Don't Start With Me | Star, Writer, Producer (Showtime) | Star, Writer, Producer (Showtime) | |
| 2012 | Hot in Cleveland | Anka | Anka | |
| 2012 | E! True Hollywood Story | E! | ||
| 2011 | The Simpsons | Annie Dubinsky (voice) | Annie Dubinsky (voice) | |
| 2011 | Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best? | Executive producer | ||
| 2010 | Fashion Police | Host | Host | |
| 2010 | Celebrity Apprentice 3 | Boardroom Advisor | ||
| 2009 | How'd You Get So Rich? | Host (10 episodes) | ||
| 2009 | Celebrity Ghost Stories | Storyteller | ||
| 2009 | Celebrity Apprentice 2 | Winner | ||
| 2008 | Spaceballs: The Animated Series | Dot Matrix (voice) | Dot Matrix (voice) | |
| 2008 | Celebrity Family Feud | Contestant | ||
| 2008 | Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack | Celebrity hijacker | ||
| 2008 | Arthur | Bubbe/Camel (voice) | Bubbe/Camel (voice) | |
| 2007 | E! True Hollywood Story | E! | ||
| 2006 | The Story of Light Entertainment | BBC | ||
| 2006 | The Electric Company's Greatest Hits & Bits | PBS | DVD 2007 | |
| 2006 | The 50 Greatest Comedy Films | Channel 4 | Narrator Stephen Fry | |
| 2006 | Straight Talk | Host, Writer (Bravo! pilot) | Host, Writer (Bravo! pilot) | |
| 2006 | Joan Rivers: Before Melissa Pulls the Plug | Star, Writer (with comic Jeremy Blaine and publicist Jordan Roberts) |
Show all 140 titles
| Year | Title | Role | Where | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks | Shirley the Sheep (voice) | Shirley the Sheep (voice) | |
| 2006 | Dawn French's More Girls Who Do Comedy | BBC | ||
| 2006 | Dawn French's Girls Who Do Comedy | BBC | ||
| 2006 | 8 Out of 10 Cats | Contestant | ||
| 2005 | The Royal Wedding of HRH the Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles | Live broadcast coverage of the event | Live broadcast coverage of the event | |
| 2005 | The Comedians' Comedian | Channel 4 | Presenter Jimmy Carr | |
| 2005 | Less than Perfect | Louise | Louise | |
| 2005 | Favouritism | Channel 4 | ||
| 2005 | Britain's 50 Greatest Comedy Sketches | Channel 4 | Narrator Tom Baker | |
| 2005 | 50 Questions of Political Incorrectness | Sky UK | Presenter Clive Anderson | |
| 2004 | The Joan Rivers Position | Host, Writer | Host, Writer | |
| 2004 | The Best of 'So Graham Norton' | DVD Special | DVD Special | |
| 2004 | Just for Laughs | 21 March 2004 / Performer | RTÉ | |
| 2004 | Jack Dee Live at the Apollo | Pilot / Featured Performer Season 3, Episode 5 / Guest Host | BBC One | |
| 2004 | Happy Birthday Oscar Wilde | BBC/RTÉ | Quote | |
| 2004 | Funny Already: A History of Jewish Comedy | Channel 4 | Directed by Emma Cahusac | |
| 2004 | Dave the Barbarian | Zonthara - Empress of Evil (voice) | Zonthara - Empress of Evil (voice) | |
| 2004 | CMT: 40 Greatest Done Me Wrong Songs | CMT | Writer | |
| 2004 | Bob Monkhouse: A BAFTA Tribute | Celebration of Britain's King of Comedy | Celebration of Britain's King of Comedy | |
| 2004 | Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway | Celebrity guest | ||
| 2004 | Alf's Hit Talk Show | Cameo | Cameo | |
| 2003 | When I Was a Girl | We TV | ||
| 2003 | The 100 Greatest Musicals | Channel 4 | Presenter Denise van Outen | |
| 2003 | Heroes of Jewish Comedy | Channel 4/Comedy Central | ||
| 2003 | E! True Hollywood Story | E! | ||
| 2003 | 100 Years of Hope and Humor | Birthday celebration of the comedy legend. | Birthday celebration of the comedy legend. | |
| 2003 | 100 Greatest Sexy Moments | Channel 4 | Narrated by Anna Chancellor | |
| 2002 | The South Bank Show | Bravo!/ITV | ||
| 2002 | Just for Laughs | Performer (stand-up festival doc with many comedians) | Performer (stand-up festival doc with many comedians) | |
| 2002 | Hollywood Greats | BBC | ||
| 2002 | Heroes of Black Comedy | Channel 4/Comedy Central | ||
| 2002 | E! News Live | E! | ||
| 2002 | Cleavage | A&E | Narrated by Carmen Electra | |
| 2002 | Biography | A&E | ||
| 2001 | The Human Face | BBC | ||
| 2001 | E! True Hollywood Story | E! | ||
| 2001 | E! Mysteries and Scandals | E! | ||
| 2000 | The Talk Show Story | BBC | ||
| 2000 | Intimate Portrait | Lifetime | ||
| 2000 | E! Mysteries and Scandals | E! | ||
| 2000 | Biography | A&E | ||
| 1999 | The Hollywood Fashion Machine | American Movie Classics | ||
| 1999 | KnitWits Revisited | Becky (voice) | Animated | |
| 1999 | Hollywood Squares | Panelist | ||
| 1999 | Heroes of Comedy | Channel 4 | ||
| 1998 | Suddenly Susan | Edie | Edie | |
| 1998 | Biography | A&E | ||
| 1997 | Noel's House Party | Celebrity contestant | ||
| 1997 | Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist | Joan (voice) additional material writer | Joan (voice) additional material writer | |
| 1997 | Biography | A&E | ||
| 1997 | Another World | Meredith Dunston | Meredith Dunston | |
| 1996 | The Royal Variety Performance | Annual Royal Variety Charity benefit. | Annual Royal Variety Charity benefit. | |
| 1996 | Disney's Most Unlikely Heroes | Hosted by Roy E. Disney. | Hosted by Roy E. Disney. | |
| 1995 | The Beatles: All Together Now | Celebrities recall their earliest and fondest memories of the Beatles. Premiere of Free as a Bird music video to promote The Beatles Anthology. | ||
| 1995 | Can We Shop? | Host (QVC style shopping in a talk show format) | Host (QVC style shopping in a talk show format) | |
| 1994 | The Annual Friars Club Tribute Presents a Salute to Barbara Walters | Roaster (Roast of the legend) | Roaster (Roast of the legend) | |
| 1994 | Sally Marr ... and her escorts | Sally Marr, original play written and performed | ||
| 1993 | Intimate Portrait | Lifetime | ||
| 1993 | Biography | A&E | ||
| 1992 | Roseanne | Claire | Claire | |
| 1992 | Lady Boss | Bibi Grant | Based on book by Jackie Collins | |
| 1992 | Joan Rivers: Abroad In London | Star, Writer, Producer (Showtime) | Star, Writer, Producer (Showtime) | |
| 1992 | Alistair Cooke Salute | A tribute hosted by Peter Ustinov, airing shortly after Cooke's last appearance as the 22-year host of "Masterpiece Theatre." | ||
| 1990 | Shalom Sesame | Microphone (voice) Herself | ||
| 1990 | Night of 100 Stars III | Performer, charity benefit for the Actors Fund of America. | Performer, charity benefit for the Actors Fund of America. | |
| 1990 | Happy Birthday, Bugs!: 50 Looney Years | Bugs Bunny celebration special. | Bugs Bunny celebration special. | |
| 1990 | Comic Relief IV | Performer (Comic Relief, Inc. HBO charity benefit) | Performer (Comic Relief, Inc. HBO charity benefit) | |
| 1989 | The Joan Rivers Show | Host, Writer | Host, Writer | |
| 1989 | Sesame Street | Narrator (voice; The Adventures of Letterman segment) | ||
| 1988 | Pee-wee's Playhouse Christmas Special | English | ||
| 1988 | Broadway Bound | Kate, replacement performer | ||
| 1987 | The New Hollywood Squares | Center square | ||
| 1986 | WrestleMania 2 | Second Pay-per-view WWF WrestleMania event. | Second Pay-per-view WWF WrestleMania event. | |
| 1986 | The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers | Host, Writer (first season) | Host, Writer (first season) | |
| 1986 | NBC 60th Anniversary Celebration | Unveiling of new peacock logo featuring Johnny Carson, Bob Hope, Sid Caesar, Ted Danson, The Monkees, Betty White and The Cosby Show kids. | ||
| 1986 | Joan Rivers: Can We Talk? | Host | Host | |
| 1986 | George Burns' 90th Birthday Party: A Very Special Special | Celebration of the legendary comedian. | Celebration of the legendary comedian. | |
| 1985 | Moving Image Salutes Sidney Lumet | An honor celebrating the film director. | An honor celebrating the film director. | |
| 1985 | Joan Rivers and Friends Salute Heidi Abromowitz | Host / Writer | Showtime sketch comedy | |
| 1984 | Johnny Carson Presents the Tonight Show Comedians | Performer (also featuring Bill Cosby, Steve Martin and Steven Wright) | ||
| 1984 | Garry Shandling: Alone in Vegas | Cameo (Showtime) | Cameo (Showtime) | |
| 1984 | An Audience with | Joan Rivers | ITV | |
| 1983 | The Love Boat | Allison Newman | Allison Newman | |
| 1983 | Saturday Night Live | Host, Writer | ||
| 1981 | Lily: Sold Out | Cameo (CBS) | Cameo (CBS) | |
| 1980 | Circus of the Stars #5 | Circus-acts variety special featuring Lloyd Bridges, Angela Lansbury, Rock Hudson and Valerie Perrine. | ||
| 1979 | The 3rd Annual People's Command Performance | Variety special featuring Chubby Checker, Lainie Kazan, Jerry Lewis, Vincent Price and Rod Stewart. | ||
| 1979 | Celebrity Challenge of the Sexes 4 | Bicycle racer | ||
| 1979 | Bonkers! | 1 | ||
| 1978 | Husbands, Wives & Lovers | Creator/Writer | Creator/Writer | |
| 1978 | Hollywood's Diamond Jubilee | Historical variety special hosted by Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Raquel Welch, featuring Woody Allen, Fred Astaire, Marlon Brando and Bette Davis. | ||
| 1978 | Bernard Manning in Las Vegas | Cameo (UK) | Cameo (UK) | |
| 1978 | ABC Presents Tomorrow's Stars | Talent contest hosted by John Ritter, featuring Charles Nelson Reilly, Norm Crosby and Dick Van Patten. | ||
| 1977 | Husbands and Wives | Writer | Spin-off TV series followed | |
| 1977 | Happy Birthday, Las Vegas | Variety special hosted by Don Meredith and Cindy Williams, featuring Rodney Dangerfield, Redd Foxx and David Brenner. | ||
| 1975 | The Magnificent Marble Machine | Contestant | ||
| 1973 | The Shape of Things | Variety special featuring Phyllis Diller, Brenda Vaccaro, Valerie Harper, Lynn Redgrave and directed by Lee Grant. | ||
| 1973 | The Girl Most Likely To | Writer of story/teleplay | ABC Movie of the Week starring Stockard Channing | |
| 1973 | The $10,000 Pyramid | Celebrity contestant | ||
| 1973 | Needles and Pins | Eleanor Karp | Eleanor Karp | |
| 1973 | Here's Lucy | Joan Reynolds (Juror) | Joan Reynolds (Juror) | |
| 1972 | The Electric Company | Narrator (voice; The Adventures of Letterman segment) | ||
| 1972 | Fun City | Jill Fairchild, original play written and performed | ||
| 1971 | The Hollywood Squares (Syndicated version) | Panelist | ||
| 1971 | Can You Top This? | Contestant | ||
| 1970 | The Movie Game | Contestant | ||
| 1970 | The Hollywood Squares (Daytime version) | Panelist | ||
| 1970 | Concentration | Contestant | ||
| 1969 | You're Putting Me On | Contestant | ||
| 1968 | That Show starring Joan Rivers | Host | Host | |
| 1967 | Personality | Contestant | ||
| 1965 | The Mike Douglas Show | Co-host, Guest | Co-host, Guest | |
| 1965 | The Match Game | Team Captain | ||
| 1965 | The Game is Up | Material writer | ||
| 1960 | Candid Camera | Writer (4 episodes) Herself / "Bait" |