Alice Pearce
Alice Pearce | |
|---|---|
Hollywood, California, U.S. | |
| Alma mater | Sarah Lawrence College |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1943–1966 |
| Spouses | John Rox
(m. 1948; died 1957)Paul Davis (m. 1964) |
| Awards | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series |
Alice Pearce (October 16, 1917 – March 3, 1966) was an American actress. She was brought to Hollywood by Gene Kelly to reprise her Broadway performance in the film version of On the Town (1949). Pearce played comedic supporting roles in several films before being cast as nosy neighbor Gladys Kravitz in the television sitcom Bewitched in 1964. She won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series posthumously after the second season of the series. She died from ovarian cancer in 1966.
Early life and career
Pearce was born in New York City, the only child of Margaret Clark and Robert E. Pearce.[1] Her father was a foreign banking specialist, and her family moved to Europe when she was 18 months old.[2] They lived in Brussels, Antwerp, Rome, and Paris.[3] At age nine, she fell off a swing after losing her grip and landed on her chin. This left her with an undeveloped chin. She returned to the United States as a teenager and boarded at the Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, New York.[4] She graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1940 with a degree in drama.[1][5]
She began working in
During the 1953–1954 television season, Pearce was seen regularly on ABC's
Personal life
Pearce was married twice. Her 1948 marriage to composer John Rox lasted until his death in 1957.[4] In 1964, she married stage manager Paul Davis, with whom she remained until her death.[3]
Death
Pearce was diagnosed with terminal cancer before Bewitched began. She kept her illness a secret,[10] although her rapid weight loss was quite evident during the second season of the sitcom. She died from ovarian cancer toward the end of the second year of Bewitched at the age of 48. The last episode Pearce appeared in was titled "Prodigy." It was completed many months before Pearce died, but it aired after her death as the last episode of Season 2. Pearce was cremated and her ashes were scattered at sea.[11]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | On the Town | Lucy Schmeeler | |
| The Alice Pearce Show | Host | Unknown episodes | |
| 1951 | Lux Video Theatre | Nina | Episode: "Dames Are Poison" |
| 1952 | The Belle of New York | Elsie Wilkins | |
| 1953 | The Motorola Television Hour | Hagga | Episode: "The Thirteen Clocks" |
| Broadway Television Theater | Miss Dale Ogden Lady Emily Lyons |
Episode: The Bat by Mary Roberts Rinehart and Avery Hopwood Episode: The Bishop Misbehaves by Frederick J. Jackson | |
| 1953–1954 | Jamie | Annie Moakum | 3 episodes |
| Take It from Me | Neighbor | Also known as The Jean Carroll Show[12] | |
| 1955 | How to Be Very, Very Popular | Miss "Syl" Sylvester | |
| Alice in Wonderland | Dormouse
|
TV movie | |
| 1956 | The Opposite Sex | Olga | |
| 1959 | The Real McCoys | Emmy | Episode: "Work No More, My Lady" |
| 1961 | The Twilight Zone | Mrs. Nielsen | Episode: "Static" |
| The Ann Sothern Show | Lahona St. Cyr | Episode: "The Beginning" | |
| 1962 | Lad: A Dog | Hilda, the Nurse | |
| Dennis the Menace | Lucy Tarbell[7] | 2 episodes | |
| 1963 | My Six Loves | Bus Driver | |
| Tammy and the Doctor | Millie Baxter, Nurse | ||
| The Thrill of It All | Irving's wife | ||
| The Donna Reed Show | Adele Collins | Episode: "A Touch of Glamour" | |
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
|
Haila French | Episode: "Good-Bye George" | |
| 1964 | Hazel | Miss Elsie | Episode: "Hot Potato a la Hazel" |
| Dear Heart | Miss Moore | ||
| The Disorderly Orderly | Mrs. Fuzzibee, Talkative Patient | ||
| Kiss Me, Stupid | Mrs. Mulligan | ||
| 1964–1966 | Bewitched | Gladys Kravitz | 27 episodes |
| 1965 | Dear Brigitte | Unemployment Office Clerk | |
| Bus Riley's Back in Town | Woman Customer / Housewife | ||
| 1966 | The Glass Bottom Boat | Mabel Fenimore | Alternative title: The Spy in Lace Panties |
| 1967 | Vacation Playhouse | Music Teacher | Episode: "My Boy Googie" Aired posthumously (final appearance) |
Awards
| Year | Award | Category | Title of work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Emmy Award
|
Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Comedy
|
Bewitched | Won |
| 2003 | TV Land Awards
|
Nosiest Neighbor |
References
- ^ a b "Alice Pearce". TV Land. Archived from the original on November 12, 2013. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
- ^ Newspapers.com.
- ^ ISSN 0039-8543.
- ^ a b Shearer, Lloyd (October 11, 1964). "Alice Pearce: The Chinless Wonder". Reading Eagle. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
- Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Associated Press. March 4, 1966. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
- ISBN 978-0-634-00765-1. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7864-8641-0. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
- ^ "Sandra Gould Played Gladys Kravitz". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. July 28, 1999. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
- Nashua Telegraph. Associated Press. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
- ^ "Terminal Illness". The Gettysburg Times. March 19, 1966. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
- ^ Manners, Dorothy (March 9, 1966). "Alice Pearce Chose Happiness". The Indianapolis Star. p. 23. Retrieved June 21, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ISBN 978-0-7864-9305-0. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
External links
- Alice Pearce at the Internet Broadway Database
- Alice Pearce at Turner Classic Movies
- Alice Pearce at IMDb
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