Joanne Field was born in St. Louis, Missouri to John L. Field and Eunice Stearns Field. Her parents were both native North Carolinians and they returned to NC when she was a baby. She grew up in Marion, NC. She attended Queens College in Charlotte, NC, and was graduated from Salem College in Winston-Salem, NC with a double major in English and Music. She took graduate courses at UNC-Chapel Hill. On 23 June 1962, she married Lt. Kenneth O. Pankow, of the US Navy. They lived in Asheville, NC. Joanne taught school for many years, but took early retirement from teaching to pursue a career as a professional actress. She got her start on the TV series "In the Heat of the Night," and was in more than 60 films, series, commercials, etc. She was in "Two Soldiers," a short film based on a William Faulkner short story that won an Oscar for best short film. In addition to acting, Joanne was an accomplished musician. She played the piano, pipe organ and harp.