Joan Nicholas was married to Fred from 1983 until her passing in 2019. Joan was born on May 3, 1934 in Clifton, New Jersey, to Helen and John Kuzmich. She began dancing at the age of three, eventually becoming one of the youngest Rockettes in history as a 16 year-old. She was awarded a position as a June Taylor dancer on the Jackie Gleason variety show and later appeared on the cover of Life Magazine in 1952. That same year, Joan was voted Miss New York City and competed in the Miss America Pageant, where she won a talent award for her dancing.
Joan performed at the Copacabana and Bill Miller's Riviera and toured the U.S and England with the Empire Theater Circuit. Joan danced on many television programs in the 1950s including shows hosted by Kate Smith, Bing Crosby and Ben Blue. She appeared in the great Billy Wilder comedy, Some Like it Hot as a clarinet player in the all-girl band featuring Marilyn Monroe.
During her marriage to Fred, Joan worked tirelessly in the Los Angeles arts community supporting art institutions such as MOCA, the American Film Institute and the Cedars-Sinai Advisory Council for the Arts.
