Many people have wondered if the late actress Joan Hackett, who starred in films such as Will Penny, The Terminal Man, and Only When I Laugh, was related to the late comedian Buddy Hackett, who appeared in movies such as The Music Man, It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, and The Love Bug. The answer is no, they were not related by blood, but they did share a brief marriage and a lasting friendship.
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Joan Hackett’s Early Life and Career
Joan Hackett was born on March 1, 1934, in East Harlem, New York, to John and Mary Hackett, who were of Irish and Italian descent respectively. She had a sister, Theresa, and a brother, John. She grew up in Elmhurst, Queens, where she became a model and dropped out of high school in her final year.
She began her acting career in 1959 with a role in the television series Young Doctor Malone. She won acclaim for her performance in the Off-Broadway play Call Me By My Rightful Name in 1961, for which she received a Theatre World Award, an Obie Award for Best Actress, and a Drama Desk Award. She also had a recurring role in the CBS legal drama The Defenders from 1961 to 1965.
She made her film debut in 1966 with The Group, directed by Sidney Lumet. She went on to star in several films, including the western Will Penny (1968) with Charlton Heston, the comedy Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969) with James Garner, the murder mystery The Last of Sheila (1973) with James Coburn, and the sci-fi thriller The Terminal Man (1974) with George Segal. She also appeared in many TV movies and shows throughout her career.
She received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress and won a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the comedy-drama Only When I Laugh (1981) with Marsha Mason. She also starred as Christine Mannon in the PBS miniseries version of Mourning Becomes Electra (1978), for which she won an Emmy nomination.
She died of ovarian cancer on October 8, 1983, at the age of 49. She was buried at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
Buddy Hackett’s Early Life and Career
Buddy Hackett was born on August 31, 1924, in Brooklyn, New York, to Philip and Anna Hacker, who were Jewish immigrants from Poland and Hungary respectively. He had a brother named Jack. He grew up in Borough Park, Brooklyn, where he attended New Utrecht High School. He suffered from Bell’s palsy as a child, which affected his speech and facial expression.
He served in the US Army during World War II for three years in an anti-aircraft battery. After the war, he worked as a “tummler” (a Yiddish term for an entertainer) at Catskills resorts. He also started performing stand-up comedy at nightclubs under the name “Butch Hacker”. He later changed his name to Buddy Hackett after his first job at the Pink Elephant club in Brooklyn.
He made his Broadway debut in 1954 with Lunatics and Lovers. He also appeared in two television specials produced by Max Liebman. He made his film debut in 1950 with a short documentary called King of the Pins. He had his first major film role in The Music Man (1962) as Marcellus Washburn. He also starred in one of the biggest comedy hits of all time, It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), as Benjy Benjamin. He continued to appear in many films throughout his career, such as The Love Bug (1968) as Tennessee Steinmetz, Scrooged (1988) as Scrooge’s father, and The Little Mermaid (1989) as the voice of Scuttle. He also had his own TV show called The Buddy Hackett Show (1960-1961) and guest-starred on many other shows.
He died of natural causes on June 30, 2003, at the age of 78. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered over the Pacific Ocean.
Joan Hackett’s Relationship with Buddy Hackett
Joan Hackett was married to Buddy Hackett from 1955 until their divorce in 1958. The couple had one child together, a son named Sandy, who is also an actor and comedian. Despite their divorce, Joan and Buddy remained close friends until Buddy’s death in 2003.
According to Sandy Hackett, his parents divorced because they were too young and immature to handle marriage. He said that they loved each other very much, but they also fought a lot. He also said that they never remarried because they felt that they had a perfect relationship as friends.
Joan Hackett never married again after her divorce from Buddy Hackett. She had a long-term relationship with actor Richard Mulligan, whom she met on the set of The Group in 1966. They married in 1966 and divorced in 1973. She also dated director Sidney Lumet and actor David Carradine.
Buddy Hackett married Sherry Cohen in 1955, the same year he divorced Joan Hackett. They remained married until his death in 2003. They had two more children together, a daughter named Lisa and a son named Ivy.
