| Code | DS/UK/455 |
| Person Name | Cuff; Joy; Artist |
| Dates and Places | 1944: Born in Liverpool
1964: Graduates from Kingston School of Art and begins first job on Thunderbirds
1966-1967: Works on 2001: A Space Odyssey
1967-1970: Employed at Abacus Productions
1969: Marries Paul Cuff |
| History | Joy Cuff was born Joy Seddon in Liverpool in 1944. Growing up with a love of art, she attended the Kingston School of Art and developed an interest in set design and gained experience as a painter and sculptor. Upon graduation in 1964, she took her first job as a sculptor for AP Films, modeling the puppet heads used on the television series Thunderbirds.
Cuff modelled a medallion for film She in 1964, her next project. Then, Cuff received a large career break working as the Special Effects Department Assistant for Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey from 1966 to 1967. She created the moonscape models and collaborated with matte artist Bob Cuff. Cuff would continue to work with Cuff as his assistant while under employment with Abacus Productions (1967-1970). Her work in this period included working as a sculptor and builder for Vengeance of She (1967) and artist for the film Mackenna's Gold in 1969.
In the 1970s and 80s, Cuff started to work on various films and designed the layout and design of title sequences for the films Family Life, Like Other People, Elizabethans Image, and The Rumanian Brancusi. She also created artwork for various features, advertisements, and the theatre. In 1988 and 1989, Cuff produced the matte paintings for The Adventures of Baron Munchausen and Erik the Viking.
Currently, Cuff continues to paint commissions to the present day and remains active in art societies around the United Kingdom. She has been married to Paul Cuff, son of Bob Cuff, since 1969. |
| Activity | TV:
Thunderbirds (1964)
Film:
She (1965)
Fahrenheit 451 (1966)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
The Vengeance of She (1968)
Dance of Death (1969)
Mackenna’s Gold (1969)
The Body (1969)
Family Life (1971)
Like Other People
Elizabethans Image
The Rumanian Brancusi
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988)
Erik the Viking (1989) |
| Relationships | Stanley Kubrick, director of 2001: A Space Odyssey, 1966-1967 |
| Bob Cuff, art director and frequent collaborator |
| Paul Cuff, spouse |
| Source | The British Entertainment History Project. "Clip: Joy Cuff on Meeting Stanley Kubrick." YouTube video, 3:15. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-v1z9LBTRPA. |
| Hammond, Mike. “The British Entertainment History Project | The Stanley Kubrick Archives.” The British Entertainment History Project, February 11, 2016. http://historyproject.org.uk/blogs/stanley-kubrick-archives. |
| “Record: Joy Cuff.” University of the Arts London. Accessed July 26, 2026. https://archives.arts.ac.uk/Calmview/aboutcatalogue.aspx. |
| Joy Cuff, interivew by Mike Dick, 8 June 2010, interview 606, transcript, The British Entertainment History Project, https://historyproject.org.uk/interview/joy-cuff. |
| “Joy Cuff Archive - Archives Hub.” Joy Cuff Archive. Accessed July 26, 2026. https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/search/archives/536dc977-9992-3b1f-9710-3a5de8e979e4. |
| UAL Archives Centre (@ual_archives), photographs of ape costume from 2001: A Space Odyssey, Instagram photo, 26 November 2021, https://www.instagram.com/p/CWvQENSKmZk/?img_index=2. |
| Higgins, Stuart. “Teddington Couple Fight to Save Their Threatened Allotment.” Teddington Town, December 13, 2025. https://teddingtontown.co.uk/2026/03/30/local-residents-lose-their-fight-to-save-allotments-from-teddington-cemetery/. |