Joyce DeWitt’s father was as old school as they come. Paul DeWitt, Joyce’s father, was born in 1925. He and his wife, Norma DeWitt, welcomed the actor nearly 20 years later in 1946. Although 20 years doesn’t seem that long, there were definitely some generational differences between Joyce and Paul, one being her career.
In an interview with The Hamilton Spectator in 2021, the “Three’s Company” actor admitted her father was concerned with the career path she wanted to have. She shared, “My dad was very disturbed with this notion.” Paul couldn’t seem to wrap his head around the idea of his daughter taking on such a daunting career, especially with how he grew up. Joyce explained, “Remember this was a time when women either got married, or became a nun. The idea of an actress’s independent lifestyle was terrifying to him.”
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Despite her father’s concern, the former Indiana resident knew she needed to take the leap of faith to pursue acting. She traveled to Los Angeles in her $50 car with not much to her name, per The Hamilton Spectator. She shared, “I went to K-Mart and bought material to make a bedspread. There was a two-burner hot plate on top of the toilet. It was straight out of some American TV comedy. Here I was, this little girl from West Virginia in the land of freedom and love, and my daddy didn’t own me anymore.”
