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Alice Pearce

Alice Pearce
As Gladys Kravitz in a 1966 publicity still for the Bewitched episode "Samantha, the Dressmaker"
Born	(1917-10-16)October 16, 1917 New York City, U.S.
Died	March 3, 1966(1966-03-03) (aged 48) 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.

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 SchoolinDobbs Ferry, New York.^[4] She graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1940 with a degree in drama.^[1][5]

She began working in nightclubs as a comedienne and was cast in the original Broadway production of On the Town (1944–1946). Gene Kelly was so impressed by her that she became the only cast member to be included in the film version in 1949.^[2][6] Her comedic performance was well received by critics and public alike. She was given her own television variety show, The Alice Pearce Show.^[7] More movie roles followed, and she made appearances on Broadway where she met her husband, director Paul Davis, during a production of Bells Are Ringing.^[2]

During the 1953–1954 television season, Pearce was seen regularly on ABC's Jamie, which starred Brandon deWilde.^[7] In 1964, Pearce was originally approached to play the part of Grandmama in the ABC television comedy series The Addams Family. She turned down the part, which went to veteran actress Blossom Rock. Later that year, Pearce joined the cast of Bewitched as the nagging and nosy neighbor Gladys Kravitz. Pearce's scenes were almost entirely reactions to the witchcraft she had witnessed at the house across the street. Her hysterical accusations against Samantha, played by Elizabeth Montgomery, and the disbelief of her husband Abner (George Tobias) 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.^[8] Pearce was posthumously awarded an Emmy Award for this role. Her husband accepted the award on her behalf.^[9]

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]

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]

1. ^ ^{a b} "Alice Pearce". TV Land. Archived from the original on November 12, 2013. Retrieved November 7, 2015.

^ ^{a b c} Misurell, Ed (May 29, 1965). "Her Life Is Filled with Sorcery". Daily American. p. 13. Retrieved July 6, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.

^ Manners, Dorothy (March 9, 1966). "Alice Pearce Chose Happiness". The Indianapolis Star. p. 23. Retrieved June 21, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alice Pearce.

• Alice Pearce at the Internet Broadway Database
• Alice Pearce at the TCM Movie Database
• Alice PearceatIMDb