# Joan Blackman > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Joan_Blackman > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Joan_Blackman.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_Blackman > Source revision: 1357022269 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) American actress (born 1938) This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentially libelous. Find sources: "Joan Blackman" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (June 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Joan Blackman Blackman and Richard Crenna in Slattery's People, 1965 Born (1938-05-17) May 17, 1938 (age 88) San Francisco, California, U.S. Occupation Actress Years active 1957–1975 Spouses Joby Baker ​ ​ (m. 1959; div. 1961)​ Rockne Tarkington ​ ​ (m. 1968; div. 1970)​ Children 2 **Joan Blackman** (born May 17, 1938, [San Francisco, California](/source/San_Francisco%2C_California))[1] is an American former actress. ## Early years She attended [Abraham Lincoln High School](/source/Abraham_Lincoln_High_School_(San_Francisco)) in San Francisco, California, and upon graduating sang at nightclubs throughout California. She lived at the [Hollywood Studio Club](/source/Hollywood_Studio_Club) where her roommates included [Barbara Eden](/source/Barbara_Eden) and Wendy Wilde. ## Film Blackman appeared in her first [motion picture](/source/Motion_picture), *[Good Day for a Hanging](/source/Good_Day_for_a_Hanging)*, in 1959. She had significant roles in two [Elvis Presley](/source/Elvis_Presley) films: she played Maile Duval in the 1961 film *[Blue Hawaii](/source/Blue_Hawaii)*, and the following year played Rose Grogan in *[Kid Galahad](/source/Kid_Galahad)*. She also appeared with [Dean Martin](/source/Dean_Martin) in *[Career](/source/Career_(1959_film))* (1959), and played Ellen Spelding, the love interest of Kreton, the character of [Jerry Lewis](/source/Jerry_Lewis) in *[Visit to a Small Planet](/source/Visit_to_a_Small_Planet)* (1960). Her other film appearances included roles in *[The Great Impostor](/source/The_Great_Impostor)* (1961), *[Twilight of Honor](/source/Twilight_of_Honor)* (1963), *[Daring Game](/source/Daring_Game)* (1968), *[Pets](/source/Pets_(film))*, *[Macon County Line](/source/Macon_County_Line)* (both 1974), and *[Moonrunners](/source/Moonrunners)* (1975). According to the book *Hollywood Surf and Beach Movies: The First Wave, 1959–1969*, in 1985 Blackman played the mother in the [Ray Davies](/source/Ray_Davies) film *[Return to Waterloo](/source/Return_to_Waterloo_(film))*;[2] but going by the end credits of the film, this is a confusion with British actress [Joan Blackham](/source/Joan_Blackham).[3][4] ## Television Blackman made her television-acting debut as a guest performer in a 1957 series, *[Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans](/source/Hawkeye_and_the_Last_of_the_Mohicans)*. Among her television appearances was her role as Hilary Gray in the 1964 *[Perry Mason](/source/Perry_Mason_(1957_TV_series))* episode "The Case of the Ruinous Road". She played opposite [Jack Lemmon](/source/Jack_Lemmon) in the episode "Disappearance" of *[Alcoa Theatre](/source/Alcoa_Theatre)* in 1958 and also made single appearances in *[Bonanza](/source/Bonanza)*, *[I Spy](/source/I_Spy_(1965_TV_series))*, and *[Gunsmoke](/source/Gunsmoke)*. Blackman was part of the regular cast of the [primetime](/source/Primetime) television serial *[Peyton Place](/source/Peyton_Place_(TV_series))* during its 1965–1966 season. In that show she played Marion Fowler, the wife of the district attorney. ## Personal life In May 1959, Blackman married [Joby Baker](/source/Joby_Baker), a fellow actor she met in drama school. The couple divorced two years later, in November 1961. She then married actor [Rockne Tarkington](/source/Rockne_Tarkington) in July 1968. They had two children before divorcing in October 1970.[5] ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Joan Blackman"](https://web.archive.org/web/20181008132712/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b9fbb7e5e). BFI. Archived from [the original](https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b9fbb7e5e) on October 8, 2018. Retrieved 2023-03-29. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Lisanti, T. (2015). [*Hollywood Surf and Beach Movies: The First Wave, 1959-1969*](https://books.google.com/books?id=eBvMFuHle2kC&pg=PA56). McFarland. p. 57. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-4766-0142-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-4766-0142-7). Retrieved August 11, 2021. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Return to Waterloo (1984)"](https://web.archive.org/web/20171013101135/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b7620f486). BFI. Archived from [the original](https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b7620f486) on October 13, 2017. Retrieved 2023-03-29. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** [Maslin, Janet](/source/Janet_Maslin) (1985-05-17). ["Screen: 'Return to Waterloo'"](https://www.nytimes.com/1985/05/17/movies/screen-return-to-waterloo.html). *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20150524170818/https://www.nytimes.com/1985/05/17/movies/screen-return-to-waterloo.html) from the original on 2015-05-24. Retrieved 2023-03-29. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-film_fan_5-0)** Claesson, Samuel (December 2025). "Joan Blackman". *FilmFan*. pp. 14–16. ## External links - [Joan Blackman](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0085751/) at [IMDb](/source/IMDb_(identifier)) - [Joan Blackman, Elvis Women](http://elviswomen.greggers.net/blackmanjoan.htm) Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF GND WorldCat National United States France BnF data Spain Netherlands Artists MusicBrainz Other SNAC Yale LUX This article about a United States film and television actor born in the 1930s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. - [v](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:US-screen-actor-1930s-stub) - [t](/source/Template_talk%3AUS-screen-actor-1930s-stub) - [e](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:US-screen-actor-1930s-stub) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Joan Blackman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_Blackman) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_Blackman?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.