His father was Frantisek Schaurek, a Czech banker who had stolen money from the Živnostenská Bank in Trieste where he worked and committed suicide in 1926.

[3][4] After his father's death, his mother returned to Ireland with Joyce and his two elder sisters, Nora and Bozena.

[1][5] Joyce appeared in nearly 90 film and television productions, and played Tommy Deakin on the British soap opera Coronation Street (1968–74).

[6] In the 1960s his television roles began to become more and more frequent with appearances in shows including The Adventures of Robin Hood, No Hiding Place and The Revenue Men.

In the 1980s he appeared in television shows including Minder, Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and The Bill, before being landed in the role of John Royle on EastEnders.