Instagram/Joy Harmon Celebrity Remembering Joy Harmon, the actress whose iconic car wash scene in Cool Hand Luke made cinematic history. She has died at age 87. April 16, 2026 AceShowbiz - Joy Harmon, best remembered for her brief but unforgettable role in the 1967 classic Cool Hand Luke, has passed away at the age of 87. Her family announced that she died Tuesday at her home in Los Angeles. Joy Harmon became a cultural icon thanks to a small scene in Cool Hand Luke, where she provocatively washed a car in front of overheated chain gang prisoners.