Alice Pearce (October 16, 1917 – March 3, 1966) was an American actress. She was brought to Hollywood by
Gene Kelly
Eugene Curran Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American actor, dancer, singer, filmmaker, and choreographer. He was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style and sought to create a new form of American dance accessibl ...
to reprise her
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
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
This is a list of characters in '' Bewitched'', an American fantasy television sitcom which aired from 1964 to 1972.
Cast Main
Recurring
Cast notes:
Main characters Samantha Stephens
Samantha Stephens (Elizabeth Montgomery) is a witch an ...
in the television sitcom ''
Bewitched
''Bewitched'' is an American fantasy sitcom television series that originally aired for eight seasons on ABC from September 17, 1964, to March 25, 1972. It is about a witch who marries an ordinary mortal man and vows to lead the life of a typic ...
'' in 1964. She won the
posthumously after the second season of the series. She died from
ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer is a cancerous tumor of an ovary. It may originate from the ovary itself or more commonly from communicating nearby structures such as fallopian tubes or the inner lining of the abdomen. The ovary is made up of three different c ...
in 1966.
Early life and career
Pearce was born in New York City, the only child of Margaret Clark and Robert E. Pearce.
Her father was a foreign banking specialist, and her family moved to Europe when she was 18 months old.
[ ] They lived in Brussels, Antwerp, Rome, and Paris.
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
The Masters School (colloquially known as Masters), is a private, coeducational boarding school and day college preparatory school located in Dobbs Ferry, New York. Its campus is located north of New York City in the Hudson Valley in Westc ...
in
Dobbs Ferry, New York
Dobbs Ferry is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 10,875 according to the 2010 United States Census. In 2019, its population rose to an estimated 11,027. The village of Dobbs Ferry is located in, and is a p ...
.
She graduated from
Sarah Lawrence College
Sarah Lawrence College is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Yonkers, New York. The college models its approach to education after the Supervision system, Oxford/Cambridge system of one-on-one student-faculty tutorials. Sara ...
in 1940, with a degree in drama.
She began working in
nightclub
A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music.
Nightclubs gener ...
s as a
comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing
Amusement is the state of experiencing humorous and entertaining events or situations while the person or a ...
and was cast in the original
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
production of ''
On the Town'' (1944–1946).
Gene Kelly
Eugene Curran Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American actor, dancer, singer, filmmaker, and choreographer. He was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style and sought to create a new form of American dance accessibl ...
was so impressed by her that she became the only cast member to be included in the
film version
A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dia ...
in 1949.
Her comedic performance was well received by critics and public alike, and she was given her own television
variety show
Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical theatre, musical performances, sketch comedy, magic (illusion), magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is ...
, ''The Alice Pearce Show''.
More movie roles followed, and she made appearances on Broadway, where she met her husband,
director
Director may refer to:
Literature
* ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine
* ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker
* ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty
Music
* Director (band), an Irish rock band
* ''D ...
Paul Davis, during a production of ''
Bells Are Ringing''.
During the 1953–1954 television season, Pearce was seen regularly on ABC's ''
Jamie
Jamie is a unisex name. It is a diminutive form of James or, more rarely, other names. It is also given as a name in its own right.
People Female
* Jamie Anne Allman (born 1977), American actress
* Jamie Babbit (born 1970), American film and te ...
'', which starred
Brandon deWilde
Andre Brandon deWilde (April 9, 1942 – July 6, 1972) was an American theater, film, and television actor. Born into a theatrical family in Brooklyn, he debuted on Broadway at the age of seven and became a national phenomenon by the time he com ...
.
In 1964, Pearce was originally approached to play the part of Grandmama in the ABC television comedy series ''
The Addams Family
''The Addams Family'' is a fictional family created by American cartoonist Charles Addams. They originally appeared in a series of 150 unrelated single-panel cartoons, about half of which were originally published in ''The New Yorker'' over ...
''. She turned down the part, which went to veteran actress
Blossom Rock
Edith Marie Blossom MacDonald (August 21, 1895 – January 14, 1978), also known as Blossom Rock, was an American actress of vaudeville, stage, film and television. During her career she was also billed as Marie Blake or Blossom MacDonald. He ...
. In 1964, Pearce joined the cast of ''
Bewitched
''Bewitched'' is an American fantasy sitcom television series that originally aired for eight seasons on ABC from September 17, 1964, to March 25, 1972. It is about a witch who marries an ordinary mortal man and vows to lead the life of a typic ...
'' as the nagging and nosy neighbor
Gladys Kravitz
This is a list of characters in '' Bewitched'', an American fantasy television sitcom which aired from 1964 to 1972.
Cast Main
Recurring
Cast notes:
Main characters Samantha Stephens
Samantha Stephens (Elizabeth Montgomery) is a witch an ...
. Pearce's scenes were almost entirely reactions to the
witchcraft
Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...
she had witnessed at the house across the street. Her hysterical accusations against Samantha, played by
Elizabeth Montgomery
Elizabeth Victoria Montgomery (April 15, 1932 – May 18, 1995) was an American actress whose career spanned five decades in film, stage, and television. She is best remembered for her leading role as the witch Samantha Stephens on the televisi ...
, and the disbelief of her husband Abner (
George Tobias
George Tobias (July 14, 1901 – February 27, 1980) was an American theater, film and television actor. He had character parts and supporting roles in several major films of Hollywood's Golden Age. He is also known for his role as Abner K ...
), provided a common thread through many of the series' early episodes. She played the role until her death in 1966, and was replaced by
Sandra Gould
Sandra Gould (July 23, 1916 – July 20, 1999) was an American actress, perhaps best known for her role as Gladys Kravitz on the sitcom '' Bewitched''. Gould was the second actress to portray the role, debuting at the start of the third season.
L ...
. Pearce was posthumously awarded an
Emmy Award
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
for this role. Her husband accepted the award on her behalf.
Personal life
Pearce was married twice. Her 1948 marriage to
composer
A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music.
Etymology and Defi ...
John Rox lasted until his death in 1957.
In 1964, she married
stage manager
Stage management is a broad field that is generally defined as the practice of organization and coordination of an event or theatrical production. Stage management may encompass a variety of activities including the overseeing of the rehearsal p ...
Paul Davis, with whom she remained until her death.
Pearce had no children.
Death
Pearce was diagnosed with terminal cancer before ''Bewitched'' began. She kept her illness a secret, although her rapid weight loss was quite evident during the second season of the sitcom. She died from
ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer is a cancerous tumor of an ovary. It may originate from the ovary itself or more commonly from communicating nearby structures such as fallopian tubes or the inner lining of the abdomen. The ovary is made up of three different c ...
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.
[ ]
Filmography
Awards
References
External links
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pearce, Alice
1917 births
1966 deaths
20th-century American actresses
20th-century American singers
Actresses from New York City
American film actresses
American stage actresses
American television actresses
Deaths from cancer in California
Deaths from ovarian cancer
Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Primetime Emmy Award winners
People from Dobbs Ferry, New York
Sarah Lawrence College alumni
Singers from New York City
20th-century American women singers