Joy Harington

Joy Harington (22 February 1914, London – 22 October 1991, Bristol) was an English actress, writer, producer, and director whose career spanned stage, film, and television across several decades. She began her professional acting career in 1933 and relocated to the United States in 1938, the same year she appeared on Broadway in Murder in the Cathedral.

Following her Broadway appearance, Harington toured in theatrical productions before transitioning to film work in Hollywood, where she served as a dialogue director and script editor at Paramount Pictures. She appeared in several Hollywood productions during this period, typically without screen credit, among them Gaslight and National Velvet, both released in 1944.

After the Second World War, Harington returned to London and joined the BBC as a stage manager in television. By 1950 she had moved into producing for BBC Children's Television, overseeing a range of programmes that included Treasure Island in 1951, Jo's Boys, and Billy Bunter of Greyfriars School. Her most prominent work during this period was the eight-part children's series Jesus of Nazareth, broadcast live in 1956 with pre-filmed exterior sequences shot on location in Galilee and Jerusalem. The production was considered controversial, as existing law at the time prohibited an actor from portraying Jesus in a public performance; an exception was granted for the series, and it was broadly regarded as a success. In recognition of the programme, Harington received a 1956 award from the Guild of Television Directors and Producers, the organization now known as BAFTA, marking the first occasion on which a children's programme had received that distinction. She subsequently wrote and produced the biblical serial Paul of Tarsus in 1960.

Harington continued working in religious, schools, and further education broadcasting until her retirement in 1970, after which she returned to acting. Between 1972 and 1973 she appeared as a lead in the television series Thursday's Child. She died in Bristol on 22 October 1991.