The daughter of Russian immigrant parents, Joan was born in Brooklyn in 1933. She discovered her comic talent at an early age, by entertaining her father's work colleagues, but upon graduating she became a buyer for a chain store. She also worked as a tour guide at the Rockefeller Centre and as a proof-reader for an advertising agency.
Determined to succeed, Joan appeared in a number of small plays, including a role as a lesbian opposite an equally unknown Barbara Streisand. When it became apparent that acting was not her forte, she switched to comedy and spent the next seven years doing the rounds of New York's comedy clubs.
Her years as a struggling performer in the coffeehouses of Greenwich Village gave her the experience she needed, when her big break finally came along in 1965. A booking on 'The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson' turned Joan's career around, and she became an instant hit.
Her first syndicated talk show on daytime TV, 'That Show With Joan Rivers', combined with appearances on Carson and 'The Ed Sullivan Show', made Joan a household name.
Following a small part in the 1969 film 'The Swimmer', with Burt Lancaster, Joan moved to Hollywood where she wrote a TV-movie, 'The Girl Most Likely To' and directed her first film, 'Rabbit Test'.
By 1983, Joan was headlining Las Vegas, had a Grammy nominated comedy album and two best-selling books.
However, by the late 1980s, Joan's career suffered a series of setbacks. Her show was cancelled, the industry turned its back on her and, in 1987, her husband and producer of 22 years, Edgar Rosenberg, committed suicide. In a book published ten years after his death, Rivers said she developed bulimia during this dark period of her life and even considered suicide. The star said she managed to eventually move forward with counselling and help from her family and friends.
Joan moved back to New York and, by 1989, launched a new syndicated daytime talk show. She went on to win an Emmy and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1994, she wrote and starred in 'Sally Marr and Her Escorts', which earned her a Best Actress Tony nomination.
These days, Joan designs and sells her own line of costume jewellery on QVC, and presents a number of shows. She has become infamous for her Oscar Night red carpet shows, and sells out comedy tours on both sides of the Atlantic.
Her trademark outrageous wit and determination to stay young, through extensive plastic surgeries, have made Joan Rivers a living legend!
In 2005, Rivers attended the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles. Two years later, she was invited to perform at the Royal Variety Show at the Liverpool Empire Theatre in front of the Queen and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh.
In 2011, a new series starring Joan and her daughter Melissa was launched on WE TV. The reality show follows Joan as she moves to California and searches for a new home. A second series of the show was commissioned and premiered early in 2012. In 2014, she featured in a documentary about the making of 'The Swimmer' called 'The Story Of The Swimmer'.
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