{{short description|American actress (1905–1980)}} {{Infobox person | name = Joyzelle Joyner | image = The Sign of the Cross CM233.jpg | caption = Joyner held by Fredric March in ''The Sign of the Cross'' (1932) | birth_date = August 27, 1905 | birth_place = Alabama, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|1980|11|30|1905|8|27}} | death_place = Orange, California, U.S. | occupation = Film actress | years_active = 1925–1935 }}
'''Joyzelle Joyner''' (August 27, 1905 – November 30, 1980) was an American actress and dancer. She appeared in at least thirty films between 1925 and 1935, garnering some notoriety for her appearance in ''The Sign of the Cross''.
==Career== Joyner began appearing in films around 1924 or 1925, often playing dancers. Her first major role in a major motion picture came in 1930, when she appeared as twin queens of Mars, Boo Boo and Loo Loo in ''Just Imagine''. Her role as Ancaria in ''The Sign of the Cross'', a major production directed by Cecil B. deMille, drew attention from censors; in the film, she performed the lesbian-overtoned "Dance of the Naked Moon".
The scene was eliminated from the re-released 1935 version of the film, but reinserted in 1993 for the MCA-Universal video version.<ref>Vieira, Mark A. (1999). Sin in Soft Focus: Pre-Code Hollywood. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc. p. 109</ref> That same year, she had prominent roles in two westerns, ''Whistlin' Dan'' for Tiffany Pictures, and ''The Vanishing Frontier'' (starring Johnny Mack Brown) for Paramount Pictures.
Most of Joyzelle's work after 1932 constituted uncredited parts, though she did appear under the name "Laya Joy" in ''House of Mystery'', a horror film for Monogram Pictures. Her last-known screen appearance, in ''Dante's Inferno'' (1935), was uncredited, but did afford her the opportunity to show off her dancing skills.
==Personal life== Joyner was born in Alabama and had a younger brother, Clarence.<ref name="shooting">"Jealous Husband Shoots Actress", ''The Southeast Missourian''. August 11. 1927. pg. 1. Web. April 3. 2011</ref> According to U.S. census records, Clarence was living in California in 1930 with wife Lois.
Joyner's first marriage was to Dudley V. Brand. The two became estranged over Joyner's pursuit of an acting career. During an argument on August 11, 1927, Brand fired two shots through a closed bedroom door, one shot injuring Joyner in the arm. Clarence Joyner was on hand to protect his sister by restraining Brand.<ref name="shooting"/> She filed for divorce from Brand on November 10, 1927.<ref>{{cite news |title=Film actress asks divorce |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-san-francisco-examiner-joyzelle-joyn/163377611/ |access-date=January 19, 2025 |work=The San Francisco Examiner |agency=Associated Press |date=November 11, 1927 |page=3|via = Newspapers.com }}</ref> Joyner's second marriage was to film director Phil Rosen in 1929.{{Citation needed |date=May 2023}}
Joyner died in Orange, California on November 30, 1980, aged 75.{{Citation needed |date=May 2023}}
==Filmography== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes |- |1925|| ''Ben-Hur'' || Slave Girl || Uncredited |- |rowspan=2 | 1926|| ''Dance Madness'' || Dancer || '''Lost''' film |- | ''The Sea Beast'' || Dancer in prologue || |- |1927|| ''Out of the Past'' || Saida || '''Lost''' film |- |rowspan=4 | 1928|| ''Turn Back the Hours'' || A Cantina Girl || |- | ''Moran of the Marines'' || || '''Lost''' film |- | ''Shadows of the Night'' || Cabaret Dancer || |- | ''The Shady Lady'' || Unbilled || Uncredited |- |rowspan=3 | 1929|| ''Close Harmony'' || Dancer || |- | ''The Black Watch'' || Indian Dancer || Uncredited |- | ''One Hysterical Night'' || Salome || |- |rowspan=5 | 1930|| ''Prince of Diamonds'' || Dancing Girl || |- | ''Sombras habaneras'' || || |- | ''Song of the Caballero'' || Conchita || |- | ''Lotus Lady'' || The Dancer || |- | ''Just Imagine'' || Loo Loo / Boo Boo || |- |rowspan=3 | 1932|| ''Whistlin' Dan'' || Carmelita || |- | ''The Vanishing Frontier'' || Dolores || |- | ''The Sign of the Cross'' || Ancaria || |- |1933|| ''Girl Without a Room'' || Dancer || Uncredited |- |rowspan=3 | 1934|| ''Search for Beauty'' || Beauty Contestant Entrant || Uncredited |- | ''House of Mystery'' || Chanda || |- | ''I Believed in You'' || Vavara || |- |rowspan=2 | 1935|| ''Go into Your Dance'' || Cantina Dancer || Uncredited |- | ''Dante's Inferno'' || Dancer || Uncredited, (final film role) |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{commons category|Joyzelle Joyner}} *{{IMDb name|0431655}} *[http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/photos/joyzelle-joyner?excludenudity=true&sort=mostpopular&mediatype=photography&phrase=joyzelle%20joyner Photograph] at gettyimages
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Joyner, Joyzelle}} Category:1905 births Category:1980 deaths Category:American female dancers Category:Dancers from California Category:American silent film actresses Category:American film actresses Category:Actresses from Alabama Category:Place of birth missing Category:20th-century American actresses Category:20th-century American dancers