Joan Shepard

Joan Shepard (1932–March 3, 2023) was an American actress, director, writer, and producer whose career encompassed Broadway performance, children's theatre, and summer stock production. Born in New York City to Sylvia Wasson Shepard and trumpet player Hayden Shepard, she began performing professionally at a remarkably young age.

Shepard made her Broadway debut in 1940 at age seven in Romeo and Juliet, the production starring Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh. She went on to accumulate a range of Broadway credits over the following decades, appearing in Tomorrow the World alongside Ralph Bellamy and Shirley Booth, and in Foolish Notion with Tallulah Bankhead. Additional Broadway appearances included A Young Man's Fancy and My Romance. Among her most significant stage work was originating the role of Doris in the 1950 Broadway production of The Member of the Wedding, which featured Julie Harris and Ethel Waters. Her Broadway career extended through 1965.

In 1959, Shepard married fellow actor Evan Thompson. The couple collaborated extensively in the decades that followed, co-founding the Fanfare Theatre Ensemble in 1972, a touring company dedicated to presenting classic theater adapted for children's audiences. Shepard wrote, directed, and performed in the majority of the company's productions, which toured throughout the United States for more than forty years until 2014. She and Thompson also co-founded River Rep, which produced summer stock at the Ivoryton Playhouse from 1987 to 2005. Those productions featured Shepard, Thompson, and their children Owen Thompson and Jenn Thompson.

Shepard died in New York City on March 3, 2023.