Celebrity Nooz: Joey Heatherton

Joey Heatherton (Actress) - 1960's Superstar

Updated: 5/29/2006

Name: Joey Heatherton

Born: September 14, 1944 in Rockville Centre, Long Island, New York

Claim To Fame: No info available.

Family Life: Married Lance Rentzel in 1969 and divorced in 1972

Father was veteran song-and-dance man Ray Heatherton (1909-1997)

Brother, Dick Heatherton, was a prominent radio disc jockey in New York, on CBS FM in the seventies and eighties.

Info: Joey was a product of the swinging 60's. She could sing, dance and act.

She appeared as an innocent type teen who developed a crush on Perry Como in his TV show. From this she moved to films where she often played neurotic young girls.

She eventually developed a hip, sulky, Lolita-like "sex kitten"
image, decked out in mini-skirts and go-go boots with frenetic dance moves. Vegas came calling and she did very well there.

She toured many times with Bob Hope and the USO.

Troubles soon followed for Joey. In 1971, her marriage to pro football player Lance Rentzel ended in scandal when he was arrested for indecent exposure in front of a young girl. They divorced soon after this.

Thn Joy's mounting problems with drugs (cocaine) became evident. She was arrested multiple times for possession and the effects of her addiction started affecting her mental faculties.

An eating disorder ravaged and nearly killed her.

Trivia: Joey Heatherton was the Mystery Guest on the November 7, 1965 edition of "What's My Line?" Long time panelist Dorothy Kilgallen, 52, was found dead just hours after the program aired live.

Where Are They Now: Joey tried a few comebacks, most notably, she was in John Waters' "Cry Baby", but never got back into the limelight.

Except for a few talk show appearances in the past 10 years, there has been no news about Joey. I was able to find a picture from about 8 years ago. You can see her before and after picture on the site. I have provided a link after Joey's credits (below).

Write To Joey Heatherton:
No info available.

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