Who was Joyce Randolph? ‘The Honeymooners’ Actress Dead at 99

Joyce Randolph, the actress renowned for her role as Trixie Norton in the beloved sitcom “The Honeymooners” and the last surviving member of the cast, passed away at the age of 99 on Saturday in New York City.

According to her son Randy, Joyce was under hospice care at the time of her demise and succumbed to natural causes, as reported by TMZ.

In “The Honeymooners,” Randolph portrayed the wife of Art Carney’s character, Ed Norton, forming the amusing neighbors of Jackie Gleason and Audrey Meadows, who played Ralph and Alice Kramden.

Originally named Joyce Sirola and born into a Finnish American family in Detroit, she embarked on her showbiz journey by joining a touring production of “Stage Door” while working at a department store. Subsequently, she relocated to New York, where she engaged in theater and television, featuring in shows like “Buck Rogers.”

Her breakthrough came when Jackie Gleason spotted her in a commercial and cast her in “The Honeymooners” in 1951. Initially presented as a sketch on “Cavalcade of Stars” and “The Jackie Gleason Show,” the sitcom aired independently in 1955 and 1956 on CBS. Despite its modest 39-episode run, the show’s enduring popularity influenced subsequent sitcoms, portraying the dynamics of bickering working-class families.

Although absent from later revivals of the series, Randolph became synonymous with the character of Trixie, making it challenging to secure other roles after the show concluded. In 1991, she made a notable appearance on the meta sitcom “Hi Honey I’m Home,” which featured several former TV stars, and also took part in one episode of the earlier TV drama “The Doctors and the Nurses.”