Joyce Diane Brothers (October 20, 1927 â€" May 13, 2013) was an
American psychologist, television personality, advice columnist, and
writer. She first became famous in 1955 for winning the top prize on
the American game show The $64,000 Question. Her fame from the game
show allowed her to go on to host various advice columns and
television shows, which established her as a pioneer in the field of
"pop (popular) psychology".Brothers is often credited as the first to
normalize psychological concepts to the American mainstream. Her
syndicated columns were featured in newspapers and magazines,
including a monthly column for Good Housekeeping, in which she
contributed for nearly 40 years. As Brothers quickly became the "face
of psychology" for American audiences, she often appeared in various
television roles, usually as herself. From the 1970s onward, she also
began to accept fictional roles that parodied her "woman psychologist"
persona. She is noted for working continuously for five decades across
various genres. Numerous groups recognized Brothers for her strong
leadership as a woman in the psychological field and for helping to
destigmatize the profession overall.Brothers is often credited as the
first to normalize psychological concepts to the American mainstream.
Her syndicated columns were featured in newspapers and magazines,
including a monthly column for Good Housekeeping, in which she
contributed for nearly 40 years. As Brothers quickly became the "face
of psychology" for American audiences, she often appeared in various
television roles, usually as herself. From the 1970s onward, she also
began to accept fictional roles that parodied her "woman psychologist"
persona. She is noted for working continuously for five decades across
various genres. Numerous groups recognized Brothers for her strong
leadership as a woman in the psychological field and for helping to
destigmatize the profession overall.Joyce Diane Brothers was born to
Morris K. Bauer and Estelle Rapport, who were attorneys that shared a
law practice. She grew up in a Jewish household in Far Rockaway,
Queens, New York. Brothers also had a sister named Elaine Goldsmith
whom she was close with. Joyce Brothers describes that growing up, her
father treated her like the son, even having decided to name her
"Joseph" instead of Joyce before she was born. As a result, Brothers
grew up in an environment in which her status as a female made no
difference in the family's expectations of high academic excellence
for all their children. Consequently, she was often described as being
a studious person, thriving on "hard work and academic achievement".In
1949, Brothers married Milton Brothers who later went on to become an
internist. In 1989, Brothers lost her husband due to bladder cancer.
Following the death of her husband, Brothers fell into a state of
depression for a year, and contemplated suicide; however, she used her
work to achieve inner peace and recover. With her husband, she had a
daughter. Brothers was also close to her four grandchildren and two
great-grandchildren. Joyce Brothers Top Movies & Young Movies