Joyce Haber
Joyce Haber (December 28, 1930 – July 29, 1993) was one of Hollywood's last powerful gossip columnists, "capable of canonizing a film or destroying a star". An American, she worked for the Los Angeles Times starting in 1968, succeeding Hedda Hopper, who died in 1966.[1][2]
In 1970, as retaliation for American actress Jean Seberg's public support of the Black Panther Party, Haber agreed to plant an unfounded rumour in her column that Seberg's pregnancy resulted from a liaison with a leader of the Black Panthers. Seberg later miscarried and thereafter suffered from depression, which ultimately led to her suicide in 1979.[3]
Haber left the Times in 1976 to write a roman a clef titled The Users. It was her only novel, rose to the top of the New York Times Bestseller List,[1][2] and was made into a tele-film with the same name.
Personal life
Haber was married to television producer Douglas S. Cramer from 1966–1972. Together they had two children, Douglas S. Cramer III and Courtney Cramer.
In 1994 (after Haber's death), Cramer attempted to produce The Last Great Dish, a two-act play about their marriage, but never got it off the ground.[4][5]
Death
On July 29, 1993, Haber died of kidney and liver failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, having been admitted a couple weeks prior.[1] She was 62 years old at the time.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | The Christian Licorice Store | Hollywood Party Guest #3 | |
| 1972 | Conquest of the Planet of the Apes | Zelda | (final film role) |
References
- ^ a b c Folkart, Burt A. (July 31, 1993). "Joyce Haber; Noted Hollywood Columnist". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ a b "Joyce Haber, a Gossip Columnist Known for Barbed Commentaries". The New York Times. August 1, 1993.
- ^ Betty Medsger, born 1942, The Burglary: The Discovery of J. Edgar Hoover's Secret FBI, e-book 2014.
- ^ "Cramer Play Dishes on Ex-Wife". Variety.
- ^ "Douglas S. Cramer, producer of 'The Love Boat,' 'Dynasty' and 'Wonder Woman,' dies". Los Angeles Times. March 17, 1994.