Joi Lansing was a model, film and television actress, and nightclub singer.… Read Full Bio ↴Joi Lansing was a model, film and television actress, and nightclub singer.

Lansing was born to a Mormon family on April 6, 1929 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Her film career began in 1948; although most of her early roles were uncredited. She appeared in both big budget films and "b-movies," including Singin' in the Rain, Easter Parade, On the Riviera, Queen of Outer Space, Marriage on the Rocks and A Touch of Evil. As an actress, Lansing was often cast in "blonde bombshell" roles played by contemporaries Jayne Mansfield and Mamie Van Doren, and as such, received top billing for her work in Hot Cars in 1956.

She also emerged as an occasional bit player in theater productions in the nascent medium of television. She had roles on The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok, I Love Lucy, State Trooper, This Man Dawson, Maverick, Love That Bob, and had a recurring role in The Beverly Hillbillies as Gladys Flatt.

An actors strike in the early 1960s led Lansing to take up singing, and she broke into the nightclub scene soon thereafter. In May 1965, Lansing cut her first record album. It was composed of a collection of songs written especially for her by composer Jimmie Haskel and actress Stella Stevens. At this time, Lansing was tapped to make a series of Scopitones, which were early music videos filmed on 16mm, and viewed in a video jukebox. Inspired by burlesque performances, Lansing's campy and sexy videos for "Web of Love" and "The Silencer" led her to be dubbed the "Queen of Scopitones."

Lansing died at age 44 on August 7, 1972 in Santa Monica, California after a battle with breast cancer.