Joey Heatherton — a name that would make any man’s heart stop in the ‘60s — was seen in a rare appearance over the weekend during a grocery run in Los Angeles, Daily Mail reports.
The former actress, who is now 81 years old, looked as glamorous as ever as she applied lip gloss while driving her car.
Joey Heatherton’s Beauty Never Fades
While she is notably known for performing for soldiers overseas during Bob Hope’s USO tours between the mid-‘60s and mid-‘70s, Heatherton had a successful run early on in her career as an entertainer for variety television.
Heatherton gained widespread attention after she appeared as a teenager in “The Perry Como Show” in 1959, her IMDb reports. From there, she made her rounds in variety television, with Dean Martin’s unscripted NBC series being one of her first acts as the legendary showwoman she’s remembered as today.
Joey Heatherton’s Iconic Dancing
Heatherton’s breathtaking looks, sensual dancing and comical wit landed her on several other variety series, including “The Andy Williams Show,” “The Ed Sullivan Show” and “This Is Tom Jones.”
The former Hollywood star’s debut film role was as Laura Mae Brown in the 1963 movie “Twilight of Horror.” The official site for the Golden Globes reports that Heatherton earned a nomination for New Star Of The Year for her outstanding performance.
Heatherton continued her success in film with the 1965 movie “My Blood Runs Cold” and the 1977 flick “The Happy Hooker Goes to Washington.”
Joey Heatherton & Bob Hope’s USO Tours
The blonde beauty, who knew how to rock a pixie cut better than most in the ‘60s, became a prominent figure during Bob Hope’s USO tours, where she danced, sang and used her comedic nature to bring a sense of normalcy to soldiers overseas, according to Daily Mail.
In a 2003 interview on the “America Swings Radio,” Heatherton talked about hearing her dad Ray Heatherton’s orchestra perform at the Biltmore when she was very young, which she said “swept” her away into an everlasting love for performing.
“I saw these beautiful women and these gorgeous gowns singing with my father, and then I would see these wonderful dancers,” she told Horace Heidt Jr., adding that after being starstruck, there was “nothing else in the world” she wanted to do.
Heatherton married former NFL player Lance Rentzel in 1969, going on to divorce just three years later, her IMDb reports. The Hollywood star did not remarry.
