The Secrets of Isis lead actress JoAnna Cameron has passed away at the age of 70.
Cameron, who portrayed Andrea Thomas and her godly alter-ego, suffered a stroke last week and succumbed on October 22nd, confirmed by former Isis costar Joanna Pang Atkins.
On Sunday morning, Atkins offered this tweet:
The Secret of Isis – What Do We Know About it? And What Did JoAnna Do Afterwards?
The Secrets of Isis, although only lasting one season, was the first female-led superhero series predating both The Bionic Woman and Wonder Woman. The series joined fellow live-action series Shazam! after its first season. As part of The Shazam/Isis Hour, the show followed Andrea (Cameron), a science teacher who uncoverered the mystical necklace known as “The Tutmose Amulet” on an archaeological dig. Belonging to a pharoah known as Queen Hatshesput, the amulet bestowed the wearer and descendants “the powers of the animals and the elements.” Coincidentally a descendant of Hatshesput, Andrea would invoke these abilities and become the goddess Isis whenever she was needed. The show followed Andrea as she balanced her career as a high school teacher with also protecting her students and coworkers as Isis. Atkins portrayed one of her students, Cindy Lee. She would also have crossover adventures with Billy Batson, then known as Captain Marvel instead of Shazam.
The series ran for only one season with 22 episodes. After its end, Cameron would appear alongside Nicholas Hammond in two episodes of the live-action Spider-Man series on CBS. She later became the host of the TV series The Navy Network as well as produce and direct the documentary Blue Angels in Razor Sharp. Also during the mid-1970s, she was entered in the Guiness Book of World Records as having appeared in the most TV commercials at that time. Her final Hollywood credit was in the TV special Swan Song before retiring in 1980. She later became a nurse for ten years and followed that up with a career in marketing hotels. However, she would make occasional appearances at conventions and greet those who remember her as Isis.
RIP JoAnna
Official Source – Joanna Cameron, Star of DC’s The Secrets of Isis, Dies at 70 (comicbook.com)
