June Squibb

June Squibb played the role of Joe in Waitress the Musical on Broadway at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre in late 2018, during which the role was renamed Josie.

June has an extensive history in theatre, film and TV, having made her Broadway debut in the original production of Gypsy starring Ethel Merman, taking over the role of stripper Electra in 1960. In 1968 she appeared in The Happy Time, which was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Musical.

In 2014, June was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Alexander Payne’s film “Nebraska.” In 2015, she was inducted into the Cleveland Play House Hall of Fame.

Jessie Nelson, who wrote the book for Waitress the Musical, said: “Initially we kept Old Joe as a man as that’s how he was portrayed in Adrienne Shelly’s beautiful film and we wanted to honour that. As our lead character Jenna was surrounded and supported by her women Waitress comrades, it seemed good for the balance to have an irascible male grumpy fairy godfather presence. June came to see Waitress as a friend and colleague and she and I began to play with this idea of Old Joe Old Josie. Diane and Sara also loved the idea of the owner of the diner being a savvy business woman. Since Old Joe is a man who never chose to marry or have a family and children that choice became interesting to look at as bold choice coming from a women from June’s era.”

Selected Previous Credits

Broadway

• Sacrilege
• Gorey Stories
• The Happy Time
• Gypsy

Film

• Toy Story 4
• Blow The Man Down
• Ralph Breaks The Internet
• Summer ’03
• Love the Coopers
• I’ll See You in My Dreams
• Nebraska
• Would You Rather
• Just Add Water
• About Schmidt
• Meet Joe Black
• In & Out

TV

• Good Girls
• Grey’s Anatomy
• Bones
• Modern Family
• Shameless
• The Big Bang Theory
• The Jack and Triumph Show
• Devious Maids
• Glee
• Girls
• Mike & Molly
• Ghost Whisperer
• Judging Amy
• Law & Order

Name	June Louise Squibb
Born	6 November 1929
From	Vandalia, Illinois
Trained	Cleveland Play House
Role	Joe Broadway