Born into a middle-class Jewish family in New York City, Joan Maxine Kupchik (later known as Joan Copeland) entered the acting world after studying at the newly formed Actors Studio, becoming one of its first members while launching a stage career in the mid-1940s. She debuted as Juliet at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and soon appeared on Broadway, later earning the 1981 Drama Desk Award for Outs…
