Peggy Hopkins Joyce
Flamboyant socialite and actress known for six marriages and lavish lifestyle.
Peggy Hopkins Joyce was born Emma Marguerite Upton on May 26, 1893, in Berkley, Virginia (now part of Norfolk). Known as Peggy, she left home at 15 with a vaudeville bicyclist. En route to Denver by train, she met millionaire Everett Archer Jr., abandoned the bicyclist, and married Archer in 1910. He annulled the marriage six months later upon learning she was underage. Joyce later said she left him because the life of a millionaire’s wife bored her. Using the settlement money, she attended the Chevy Chase School for Girls in Washington, D.C., where she met lawyer Sherburne Hopkins, son of a wealthy attorney. They married on September 1, 1913. She left him in 1917 to pursue show business in New York, and they divorced in January 1920. Joyce made her Broadway debut in 1917 in the Ziegfeld Follies, then appeared in the Shuberts’ *A Sleepless Night*. She had a brief affair with producer Lee Shubert. In 1920, she married millionaire lumberman J. Stanley Joyce and took his surname. The new Mrs. Joyce made headlines for a $1 million shopping spree in one week. By 1922, her romantic exploits made her one of the most written-about women in the American press. She granted any interview, sometimes receiving reporters in her bedroom wearing a sheer negligee with nothing underneath. Cole Porter and Irving Berlin referenced her in lyrics; *The New Yorker* ran cartoons about her; comedians like Will Rogers, Eddie Cantor, and Frank Fay got laughs by invoking her name. The 1930 film *Be Yourself!* also used her reputation for a joke. Her notoriety caused a sensation when she performed in the 1923 *Earl Carroll’s Vanities*. Her second film, *The Skyrocket* (1926), so provoked the Wisconsin state legislature that it introduced a bill to censor all movies entering the state. The film was a box office failure. In 1930, she published a ghostwritten “tell-all” book supposedly based on her steamy diary, *Men, Marriage and Me*, which advised that true love was a heavy diamond bracelet, preferably with the price tag still on. In 1933, she played herself in the film *International House*, which gently mocked her love life. Joyce owned the Portuguese Diamond, one of the world’s most expensive gems, later sold to Harry Winston; it is now displayed at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Harpo Marx claimed she was illiterate after meeting her in the late 1920s, but she was credited with writing a gossip column in the early 1930s for the spicy New York publication *Varieties* (not the trade paper *Variety*), covering the hijinks of public figures in New York and London. Joyce married six times and claimed about fifty engagements. Her first marriage, to Everett Archer Jr., was annulled when he learned she was underage. Her second, to Sherburne Hopkins, ended when she left him for show business. While traveling with the Ziegfeld show in 1919, she met Chicago lumberman J. Stanley Joyce. He paid for her divorce from Hopkins, granted on January 21, 1920. Two days later, on January 23, they married. On their wedding night, she locked herself in the bathroom and refused to come out until he wrote her a $500,000 check. Within a year, she left him for Parisian playboy and newspaper owner Henri Letellier. She sued for divorce, seeking $10,000 monthly alimony and $100,000 in attorney fees. Stanley countersued, claiming she married him only to defraud him of money, accusing her of multiple affairs, bigamy (arguing her first marriage was not legally dissolved before her second), and driving a U.S. Army lieutenant to suicide—the man reportedly shot himself in a Turkish bath after going broke trying to keep her happy. The 1921 trial revealed Stanley had given her $1.4 million in jewelry, a $300,000 Miami home, furs, cars, and other property. She was awarded $600,000, allowed to keep all jewelry acquired during the marriage, and given stock in his lumber company providing a $1,500 monthly annuity for life. The media reported she eloped with Letellier, but they never married. She said she didn’t marry him because “Frenchmen understand women too well.
- born
- May 26, 1893, Berkley, Virginia (now part of Norfolk)
- died
- June 12, 1957
- field
- Actress, artist's model, columnist, dancer, socialite
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Six marriages, flamboyant lifestyle, diamond collections, and notoriety in the A
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
Peggy Hopkins Joyce was born Marguerite Upton in 1893 in Berkley, Virginia. She left home at age 15 with a vaudeville bicyclist, but en route to Denver met millionaire Everett Archer Jr., whom she married in 1910. Archer had the marriage annulled after six months when he discovered Joyce was underage. Using the settlement money, she attended the private Chevy Chase School for Girls in Washington D.C., where she met lawyer Sherburne Hopkins. They married on September 1, 1913. Joyce left Hopkins in 1917 to pursue show business in New York City, and they divorced in January 1920. Joyce made her Broadway debut in 1917 in the Ziegfeld Follies, followed by an appearance in the Shuberts' A Sleepless Night. In 1920 she married millionaire lumberman J. Stanley Joyce, taking his name, and drew attention for a $1 million shopping spree over a week. By 1922, her romantic escapades made her one of the most written-about women in the American press. She granted any interview, sometimes receiving reporters in her bedroom while wearing a sheer negligee, sans undergarments. Cole Porter and Irving Berlin used her name in lyrics, The New Yorker ran cartoons mentioning her, and comedians like Will Rogers, Eddie Cantor and Frank Fay could get a laugh by invoking her reputation. She appeared in the 1923 installment of Earl Carroll's Vanities and the film The Skyrocket (1926), which provoked the Wisconsin state legislature into introducing a bill to allow censorship of all movies entering the state. In 1930 she published a ghostwritten book, Men, Marriage and Me. She owned the Portuguese Diamond, one of the most expensive in the world, which she sold to Harry Winston; it is displayed at the Smithsonian Institution. Joyce married six times and claimed to be engaged around fifty times. Her third husband, J. Stanley Joyce, gave her a reported $1.4 million in jewelry during their marriage; she was awarded $600,000 in their 1921 divorce settlement, plus all jewelry and stock providing $1,500 monthly for life. She later had affairs with wealthy men including W. Averell Harriman, Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark, Charlie Chaplin (who based part of A Woman of Paris on stories she told him), and Irving Thalberg. In 1922, her affair with Chilean attaché Guillermo Errázuriz ended when he shot himself in her Paris hotel room and died the following day. She married Swedish Count Gösta Mörner on June 3, 1924, but left him by the end of July 1924; they divorced in February 1926. She married for the fifth time on December 3, 1945, to consulting engineer Anthony Easton, refusing to include the word 'obey' in the vows. In 1953 she married for the sixth and final time to Andrew C. Meyer, a retired bank teller. She died of throat cancer on June 12, 1957, and is buried at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne, New York.
Reader's Guide
Peggy Hopkins Joyce's significance lies in her role as a precursor to modern celebrity culture, leveraging scandal and personal drama for public attention. Her six marriages, numerous affairs, and lavish spending made her a staple of American press in the 1920s and 1930s, referenced by comedians like Will Rogers and lyricists like Cole Porter. Her life exemplified the intersection of wealth, show business, and notoriety, influencing how public figures managed their images. The Wisconsin censorship bill prompted by her film The Skyrocket highlights her impact on media regulation. Her ownership of the Portuguese Diamond and her ghostwritten book Men, Marriage and Me further cemented her legacy as a symbol of excess and independence. Despite claims of illiteracy by Harpo Marx, she was credited with writing a gossip column in the early 1930s for the New York publication Varieties. Her legacy endures as a study in the power of personal branding before the modern era.
Did You Know?
- Joyce's third husband, J. Stanley Joyce, gave her a reported $1.4 million in jewelry during their marriage; she was awarded $600,000 in their 1921 divorce settlement.
- In 1922, her affair with Chilean attaché Guillermo Errázuriz ended when he shot himself in her Paris hotel room and died the following day.
- She owned the Portuguese Diamond, one of the most expensive in the world, which she later sold to Harry Winston; it is now displayed at the Smithsonian Institution.
- Harpo Marx claimed Joyce was illiterate, but she was credited with writing a gossip column in the early 1930s for the New York publication Varieties.
- Joyce's 1926 film The Skyrocket provoked the Wisconsin state legislature into introducing a bill to allow censorship of all movies entering the state.
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