In 1960, for one season, television pioneer Arthur Godfrey joined Allen Funt as the co-host of the classic CBS show, “Candid Camera.” At that time, the show had been on the air in various versions for over a decade, and while it would continue to return to the airwaves in several more adaptations through 2004, with Funt’s son Peter as the host, it was that 1960 season that rendered one of the program’s most memorable moments.

The hidden-camera gag, that is still remembered by those who watched the show, presented an attractive young woman wearing a hat adorned with a huge feather. Approaching various men in a bus terminal and asking them to help her read a map, she would then proceed to contort herself in every way possible to place the feather in the men’s eyes, ears, nose and mouth.

The woman who pulled off those contortions was a young actress by the name of Joan Benedict.

Born in the tony Park Slope section of Brooklyn, New York, Joan developed an early love for performing by staging shows for her grandparents and seven uncles. From the time she was very young, her mother both encouraged her and stressed formal study. “I started dance lessons when I was seven, and by the time I was nine I found myself on my way to Rome to continue my studies at the Royal Opera Ballet School,” says Joan. “I was there for a year-and-a-half and then my mother, who had gotten divorced, joined me and we moved to Paris where I continued my studies.”

The following year, having returned to the United States and once again settled in New York, Joan continued her theatrical study with legendary acting coaches including Stella Adler of the Actor’s Studio. “I started acting professionally when I was in my teens,” says Joan. “My first job came when I was 16, on the Sunday night “Steve Allen Show” where I worked with Don Knotts and Tom Poston. I was on that show for a year doing comedy skits, and then I became the spokesperson for one of the advertisers – Hazel Bishop Cosmetics.”

Following her work with Steve Allen, Joan also began appearing in various theatrical productions, films and in regular roles on daytime dramas such as “General Hospital” and “Days of our Lives.”

Having eloped when she was very young, Joan’s first marriage didn’t last long enough for her to even consider it a marriage, but it did produce her daughter, Claudia. “Shortly after I was divorced, I met a handsome actor by the name of John Myhers,” says Joan. “He was an actor and singer who had been a regular on “The Jack Paar Show.” He was very talented and Richard Rogers selected him to play Caption von Trapp with Florence Henderson as Maria in the first national touring company of “The Sound of Music.”

During that time, Joan had been appearing in a television show called “Masquerade” on which numerous big names stars made guest appearances. One of those stars was Rod Stieger.

Simultaneously appearing on Broadway in the play “Rashmon” and on the big screen in “Al Capone, Steiger would go on to star in over 100 motion pictures, be nominated for three Academy Awards, and win the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of Police Chief Bill Gillespie in the 1967 film, “In the Heat of the Night.” While working on “Masquerade,” he made quite an impression on the young Joan, whom he always referred to as: “kid.”

“I was very impressed with him,” says Joan. “We started dating, but shortly after that he went back to California to do a film and we fell out of touch. I then met another actor, Jeremy Slate, who went on to have roles in “True Grit” and “One Life To Live.” We also dated, but then he too left to pursue his career in California.”

After Stieger and Slate left for Hollywood, the relationship between Joan and Myhers started to heat up. A romance developed between the two and they ultimately married. “John toured in “The Sound of Music” for three-years, and sometimes I would take time off to travel with him,” Joan recalls. “We eventually moved to Los Angeles and I continued my acting career appearing in various television shows including “Fantasy Island,” “T.J. Hooker,” “Capitol” and “The Incredible Hulk.” We were married for 30 very happy years, and then he was diagnosed with cancer and passed away in 1992.”

After Myhers death, Joan received an out-of-the-blue phone call from her old acquaintance, Rod Steiger. “He was recently divorced and had been at a party where my name came up,” Joan explains. “Well, we talked, ended up getting together, and eventually got married and were just inseparable. I did two films with him, “A Month of Sundays” and “The Flying Dutchman,” and we lived in a beautiful palatial home in Malibu. We were just wonderful together.”

In 2002, Steiger had been cast in a film that was slated to begin principal photography in Scotland. As he and Joan began preparing to leave for Europe, Steiger started to feel ill. “Rod was diagnosed with cancer of the pancreas,” says Joan. “He had surgery, and a week later he was dead.”

After Steiger’s passing, Joan once again reunited with her old flame, Jeremy Slate, who by then was a veteran of over 80 films and television shows. Rekindling the spark they had felt many years before as young actors in New York, the two maintained a close relationship until Slate was also diagnosed with cancer and passed away in 2006.

“I consider those three men to be three of the greatest guys in the world,” said Joan. “Both of my husbands, and my partner Jeremy – I loved each one of them – they were wonderful men.”

Having had to deal with two spouses and a companion who were all diagnosed with cancer and died, Joan says she is aware that the way she has dealt with their deaths is probably not the way most women would. “When Jeremy died I had a doctor suggest I join a support group with other women who had lost their husbands to cancer,” she says. “I passed on that. It just wasn’t for me. Maybe it’s oaky for some women, but not for me – I just wanted to hold on to the wonderful memories of the times I had with each of them, and get on with my life.”

Today, Joan still performs on the stage and screen from time-to-time, and has recently appeared on the Fox Television show “Dollhouse.” Last year she wrote, produced and starred in an autobiographical one-woman show, “The Loves of My Life,” that tells the story of her relationship with the three distinguished actors she with whom she has shared her life. She is also currently compiling material for a memoir she is writing.

Unwilling to reveal her actual age, which she believes is irrelevant, Joan says she never pays attention to her biological age. “Let’s just say I’m over 50 and leave it at that,” she says with a laugh.

Maintaining an extremely active and healthy lifestyle, Joan says that she believes the secret to beating the depression of dealing with the death of a spouse and staying vigorous and happy comes from having a positive attitude. “It was very rough to lose three men who meant the world to me, but you have to go on with your life,” she says. “I try to live as healthy of a life as possible. But beyond what I eat and what exercises I do, I believe the most important thing is to keep a positive attitude. People probably look at me and wonder why I’m always smiling, but I don’t care. My positive outlook on life plays a big role in the way I live my life. I keep very active. I dance twice a week. I’m very spiritual – and I’m also a list maker, “she adds with a laugh. “I have always kept lists since I was a teenager. Every day I make my lists and then cross things off and by the end of each day I feel very accomplished. I just love life. I can’t wait to get up every morning.”