Joyce DeWitt (born Jocelyn Ingrid Ittaglio April 23, 1949) is an American actress most famous for her role as Janet Wood on the television situation comedy Three's Company. She is also the older sister of boxer Doug DeWitt.
She was born in Wheeling, West Virginia to a mother of Swedish, Dutch, Scottish, Irish, and French descent and an Italian-American father. She became almost as famous for her disappearance after the series as she did for her Three's Company role; after the series, she did not appear as a regular player on any television series, which led to a number of "Whatever Happened to Joyce DeWitt?" retrospectives in newspaper entertainment columns and television gossip shows . This was also parodied on an episode of Family Guy, when Brian finds DeWitt hiding in a wicker basket in an Aladdin-type fantasy world. Surprised, Brian remarks, "Joyce DeWitt!? So that's where you've been!" To which she promptly responds with a "Shhh."
Years later, Joyce DeWitt would reveal that she turned her back on Hollywood and show business because of the "disrespectful treatment" she received from the producers of "Three's Company".
She and her former Three's Company co-star Suzanne Somers have had an acrimonious relationship (caused by Somer's mid-season salary negotiation ploy in 1980) and, according to many sources, did not speak to each other for approximately twenty-three years, but have apparently made up following former co-star John Ritter's untimely death.
Famous for always wearing pantyhose (e.g., Season 7's "A Night Not to Remember"), she became a paid endorser for hosiery. DeWitt was also engaged to actor Randolph Mantooth, but they called off their engagement.
Although she was born in Wheeling, West Virginia, Joyce grew up in Speedway, Indiana, a suburb of Indianapolis. After she received a bachelor's degree from Ball State University, she moved to California to earn her masters degree from the University of California at Los Angeles. While attending UCLA, she worked part-time as a house painter and once was hired to paint actor Abe Vigoda's garage doors. This painting job spawned a friendship between DeWitt and Vigoda which has endured to the present day. Joyce DeWitt is not related to George DeWitt, the noted star of the 1950's musical quiz television program, Name That Tune.
