“Cool Hand Luke” actress Joy Harmon died from cardiopulmonary arrest on April 14, according to a death certificate from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
Harmon, who had a memorable scene in the 1967 film “Cool Hand Luke” and later launched a bakery business, died in Los Angeles. She was 85.
According to People, which obtained a copy of the actress’ death certificate, Harmon’s death was also caused by respiratory failure and pneumonia, as well as tachycardia — an increased heart rate, according to the Mayo Clinic — and “adult failure to thrive” as other significant conditions.
[ Joy Harmon, actress who had memorable scene in ‘Cool Hand Luke,’ dies at 85 ]
Harmon’s scene in “Cool Hand Luke” was brief, but memorable. Wearing a tattered dress, she turns on a portable radio and washes a 1941 DeSoto with plenty of soapy water under a hot sun while inmates watch approvingly, according to The Hollywood Reporter. George Kennedy, who plays Dragline in the film, refers to the actress as “Lucille.”
Born in New York on May 1, 1940, Joy Patricia Harmon was a child model and a finalist in a Miss Connecticut pageant, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
She appeared in the late 1950s Broadway comedy “Make a Million” and in 1960 was a contestant on the Groucho Marx-hosted show, “You Bet Your Life.”
Marx asked Harmon to return as a co-host of his 1961 spinoff show, “Tell It to Groucho."
According to her death certificate, Harmon was cremated on April 24, People reported.