Joyce Jillson

Joyce Jillson, born Joyce Linda Twitchell on December 26, 1945, in Cranston, Rhode Island, was an American actress, syndicated astrology columnist, and author. She died on October 1, 2004, of kidney failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center at age 58, having suffered from diabetes.

Jillson attended Boston University on an opera scholarship before launching her acting career in New York City. Her Broadway work included two productions: the Anthony Newley musical The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd and La Grosse Valise, both in 1965. That year she received a Theatre World Award.

Her screen career encompassed television and film work across the 1970s. On television, she played Jill Smith in ABC's Peyton Place and appeared in the 1973 Columbo episode "Any Old Port in a Storm" as Joan Stacey, and in the 1977 television film Murder in Peyton Place as Jill Harrington. Her film credits include the 1973 cult action spoof Superchick, in which she played the lead role of Tara B. True, and the 1976 film Slumber Party '57, in which she appeared as Car Hop Gladys.

Jillson began presenting horoscope reports in Los Angeles in 1973 and went on to serve as the official astrologer for Twentieth Century Fox Studios. Her astrology column was eventually syndicated in more than 200 newspapers and magazines worldwide. Among her published books are Real Women Don't Pump Gas, The Fine Art of Flirting, A Year of Good Luck, and Joyce Jillson's Lifesigns. Two final manuscripts, Astrology for Dogs and Astrology for Cats, were published posthumously.

She was married to Joseph Gallagher from 1969 until their divorce in 1981. They had no children.