Poise, Legacy, And Hollywood Craft: The Story Of Joanne Cervelli

Basic Information

From Brushes to Books: A Career Built on Craft

Joanne Cervelli stepped into Hollywood with a makeup artist’s kit and a precise eye. She learned the rhythms of a film set—early calls, fast turnarounds, the choreography of camera, actor, and crew—long before many saw her name in print. Her artistry wasn’t about spotlight but support. It was the invisible finish that makes a scene believable: the dust on a cowboy’s cheek, the fatigue beneath a soldier’s eyes, the glow in a leading lady’s close-up.

Across the 1980s and 1990s, she crafted a niche reputation in a business that rewards reliability and discretion. Specific credits remain sparse in public databases, but colleagues and fans alike describe her as a “noted makeup artist.” Later, she shifted toward authorship and curatorship, transforming decades of proximity to Hollywood into writing and archival projects that honor the body of work—and the inner life—of her late husband, actor and stuntman William Smith.

A Marriage Measured in Work and Warmth

Joanne’s life is most widely recognized through her 32-year marriage to William Emmett Smith Jr., the powerhouse performer whose career spanned more than 300 roles—from the TV series Laredo to the gritted antagonists of Any Which Way You Can and Red Dawn. They met in the late 1980s, a moment that folded industry circles and personal destiny together. They married in 1989, beginning a partnership that weathered the relentless scheduling of film and television, fan gatherings, and the quieter work of building a home.

William often credited Joanne for the care behind the camera: keeping his career archives organized, championing his poetry, and providing the calm center a bustling Hollywood life requires. When William died on July 5, 2021, at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital, she became the public voice of their private world—confirming his passing with grace, then turning her energies toward the preservation of his legacy.

Family Ties and a Careful Privacy

Joanne and William’s family unit was small, close-knit, and intentionally private. Their daughter, Sherri Anne Cervelli, born in the late 1980s or early 1990s, has chosen a life away from the entertainment spotlight. Joanne’s stepson, William E. Smith III—born during William’s first marriage to Michele Marie Oliva—remains similarly low-profile. The family is a blended tapestry stitched together by mutual respect, holiday rituals, and shared memories of sets, screenings, and Western-heritage gatherings. Joanne’s public mentions of both children are warm but sparing, a blend of modern connectivity and old-school privacy.

Guarding the Archive: Poetry, Memory, and Digital Footprints

Some widows inherit photo albums; Joanne inherited a cinematic universe. She embraced the role of archivist, lifting William’s softer corners—his poetry, his private readings—into the light. In August 2021, she began uploading his poetry readings to her YouTube channel (@mrsfalconetti), presenting the actor-stuntman not as the brawler audiences loved but as a man who wrestled with words: spare, reflective, often elegiac.

She extended that work into podcast appearances—most notably in September 2023—where she contextualized William’s performances within the wider arc of film history, particularly the cult classics and genre films that blossomed into fan favorites decades later. The throughline is devotion: a determination to keep a complex legacy intact, accessible, and human.

Community and Quiet Appearances

Joanne’s ties to the Motion Picture & Television Fund reflect a deep connection to the industry’s communal heart, the place where generations of film workers have supported one another through triumphs and infirmity. Her public appearances in recent years have tended toward remembrance and community—Western-heritage celebrations, fan reminiscences, and charity gatherings tied to Hollywood’s golden threads.

Across 2024 and 2025, her social media presence remained modest. In July 2025, she shared a simple selfie on Instagram with an account totaling under a thousand followers. Birthday greetings appeared on X in November 2024, tucked among film-history accounts that still trade in anniversaries and old posters. On August 3, 2025, a Facebook memory on William’s page recalled a first meeting at a 2000 celebrity rodeo—dust, sun, and serendipity. For someone who spent decades at Hollywood’s edge, Joanne’s public life now moves at a quieter tempo.

Home, Finances, and the Everyday

Joanne lives in Woodland Hills, California, a community long interlaced with the Motion Picture & Television Fund and the working life of Hollywood. Financially, public estimates suggest that her position is modest and linked to William’s estate—residuals, literary rights, and real estate—valued in the low seven figures, with her personal net worth described as under $500,000. Royalties continue to trickle in like recurring credits after a film’s final scene. It’s enough to keep the lights warm and the archive humming: the practical footing required for a guardian of memory.

Timeline Highlights

The Person Behind the Name

What stands out about Joanne is balance. She is poised yet approachable, private yet present. She moves between past and present like an editor in a dim suite, cutting memory into sequence: a rodeo afternoon, a set lunch break, a poetry reading captured on a phone. Unlike the flashier profiles that cling to Hollywood spouses, her story is one of stewardship—of keeping the best parts of a brilliant, bruising business alive without letting it swallow the intimate truths.

Her estimated height—5 feet 6 inches—seems fitting for someone who always stood tall just outside the spotlight. She carries herself with a professional calm honed by decades of call sheets and last looks, now transmuted into the deliberate cadence of an author curating a life. The legacy she tends is twofold: William’s public oeuvre and a private lattice of family, ritual, and remembrance.

FAQ

Who is Joanne Cervelli?

She is an American author and makeup artist best known as the widow of actor and stuntman William Smith.

How old is she?

Her exact birth year isn’t public, but she’s approximately 65 as of September 2025.

Where does she live?

She resides in Woodland Hills, California.

What is she known for besides her marriage?

She built a career in makeup artistry and now focuses on writing and preserving William Smith’s archives, including poetry recordings.

Did she and William Smith have children?

Yes, their daughter is Sherri Anne Cervelli; Joanne is also stepmother to William E. Smith III.

When did William Smith pass away?

He died on July 5, 2021, at age 88 at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital.

Does she use social media?

Yes, with modest activity on Instagram (@joannecervellismith) and a YouTube channel (@mrsfalconetti) for archival content.

What is her estimated height?

Approximately 5 feet 6 inches (168 cm).

Is her exact birth year known?

No, only her November 16 birthday is public, with the year undisclosed.

What is known about her finances?

Public estimates suggest modest personal means tied to William Smith’s estate, with continuing royalties.