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Alice Pearce
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{{Use American English|date=November 2024}} {{short description|American actress (1917β66)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=November 2024}} {{Infobox person | name = Alice Pearce | image = Alice Pearce Gladys Kravitz Bewitched 1966.jpg | caption = As Gladys Kravitz in a 1966 publicity still for the ''Bewitched'' episode "Samantha, the Dressmaker" | birth_date = {{Birth date|1917|10|16}} | birth_place = New York City, U.S. | death_date = {{Death date and age|1966|03|3|1917|10|16}} | death_place = Hollywood, California | occupation = Actress | spouse = {{plainlist| * {{marriage|John Rox|1948|1957|end=d.}} * {{marriage|Paul Davis|1964}} }} | years_active = 1943β1966 | awards = [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series]] | alma_mater = [[Sarah Lawrence College]] }} '''Alice Pearce''' (October 16, 1917 β March 3, 1966) was an American actress. She was brought to Hollywood by [[Gene Kelly]] to reprise her [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] performance in the film version of ''[[On the Town (film)|On the Town]]'' (1949). Pearce played comedic supporting roles in several films before being cast as nosy neighbor [[List of Bewitched characters#Gladys Kravitz|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.<ref name="TVLandBio">{{cite web|title=Alice Pearce|url=http://www.tvland.com/shows/bewitched/bios/alice-pearce|publisher=[[TV Land]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112092245/http://www.tvland.com/shows/bewitched/bios/alice-pearce|archive-date=November 12, 2013|access-date=November 7, 2015}}</ref> Her father was a foreign banking specialist, and her family moved to Europe when she was 18 months old.<ref name="Misurell">{{cite news|last1=Misurell|first1=Ed|title=Her Life Is Filled with Sorcery|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-american-alice-pearce-her-life/169661114/|access-date=July 6, 2017|work=[[Daily American (Pennsylvania newspaper)|Daily American]]|date=April 5, 2025|page=10|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}} {{free access}}</ref> They lived in Brussels, Antwerp, Rome, and Paris.<ref name="TV Guide">{{cite journal|title=Finally the Center of Attention|journal=[[TV Guide]]|date=December 25β31, 1965|volume=13|issue=52|pages=13β14|issn=0039-8543}}</ref> At age nine, she fell off a swing after losing her grip and landed on her chin; this incident left her with an underdeveloped chin.<ref name="Chinless Wonder">{{cite news|last1=Shearer|first1=Lloyd|author-link1=Lloyd Shearer|title=Alice Pearce: The Chinless Wonder|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1955&dat=19641011&id=PhkrAAAAIBAJ&pg=3156,5192532|access-date=September 27, 2014|work=[[Reading Eagle]]|date=October 11, 1964}}</ref> She returned to the United States as a teenager and boarded at the [[Masters School]] in [[Dobbs Ferry, New York]].<ref name="Chinless Wonder"/> She graduated from [[Sarah Lawrence College]] in 1940 with a degree in drama.<ref name="TVLandBio"/><ref>{{cite news|title=Alice Pearce|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1873&dat=19660304&id=Fm0eAAAAIBAJ&pg=2298,490703|access-date=September 27, 2014|work=[[Daytona Beach Morning Journal]]|agency=[[Associated Press]]|date=March 4, 1966}}</ref> She began working in [[nightclub]]s as a comedienne and was cast in the original [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] production of ''[[On the Town (musical)|On the Town]]'' (1944β1946). [[Gene Kelly]] was so impressed by her that she became the only cast member to be included in the [[On the Town (film)|film version]] in 1949.<ref name="Misurell"/><ref>{{cite book|last=Green|first=Stanley|author-link=Stanley Green (historian)|title=Hollywood Musicals Year by Year|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XD2xNKSN3E8C&pg=PA156|access-date=October 3, 2015|year=1999|publisher=[[Hal Leonard Corporation]]|isbn=978-0-634-00765-1|page=156}}</ref> Her comedic performance was well received by critics and public alike. She was given her own television variety show, ''The Alice Pearce Show''.<ref name="Terrace">{{cite book|last=Terrace|first=Vincent|title=Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YX_daEhlnbsC&pg=PA525|access-date=October 3, 2015|edition=2|date=November 6, 2008|publisher=[[McFarland & Company]]|isbn=978-0-7864-8641-0|pages=25, 252, 525}}</ref> 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 (musical)|Bells Are Ringing]]''.<ref name="Misurell"/> During the 1953β1954 television season, Pearce was seen regularly on ABC's ''[[Jamie (TV series)|Jamie]]'', which starred [[Brandon deWilde]].<ref name="Terrace"/> 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 [[List of Bewitched characters#Gladys Kravitz|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]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Sandra Gould Played Gladys Kravitz|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1683&dat=19990728&id=4P8cAAAAIBAJ&pg=2582,2635507|access-date=September 27, 2014|work=[[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]]|date=July 28, 1999}}</ref> Pearce was posthumously awarded an [[Emmy Award]] for this role. Her husband accepted the award on her behalf.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Handsaker|first1=Gene|title=Miss Stanwyck, Cosby Are Top Performers|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2209&dat=19660523&id=YawrAAAAIBAJ&pg=2736,2401294|access-date=September 28, 2014|work=[[Nashua Telegraph]]|agency=Associated Press|date=May 23, 1966}}</ref> ==Personal life== Pearce was married twice. Her 1948 marriage to composer [[John Rox]] lasted until his death in 1957.<ref name="Chinless Wonder"/> In September 1964, she married [[Stage management|stage manager]] Paul Davis, with whom she remained until her death.<ref name="Chinless Wonder" /><ref name="TV Guide"/> They owned Pesha's Framing Shop, an art gallery and framing store, in West Hollywood.<ref name="TV Guide"/><ref>{{cite news |title=Comic Dies of Cancer |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-arizona-republic-obituary-for-alice/65549200/ |access-date=April 5, 2025 |work=The Arizona Republic |agency=UPI |date=March 4, 1966 |page=38 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{free access}}</ref> Davis died in February 1984.<ref>{{cite news |title=Davis, Pesha Paul |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times-pesha-paul-davis-o/169660454/ |access-date=April 5, 2025 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=February 23, 1984 |pages=15 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{free access}}</ref> ==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 filmed her last episode, "Baby's First Paragraph," on January 21, 1966. Pearce died from [[ovarian cancer]] less than two months later on March 3, 1966, at age 48. She was cremated and her ashes were scattered at sea.<ref>{{cite news|title=Terminal Illness|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2202&dat=19660319&id=ijomAAAAIBAJ&pg=2135,3583774|access-date=September 28, 2014|work=[[The Gettysburg Times]]|date=March 19, 1966}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Manners|first1=Dorothy|title=Alice Pearce Chose Happiness|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21145484/the_indianapolis_star/|access-date=June 21, 2018|work=[[The Indianapolis Star]]|date=March 9, 1966|page=23|via=Newspapers.com}} {{free access}}</ref> ==Filmography== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | rowspan=2|1949 | ''[[On the Town (film)|On the Town]]'' | Lucy Schmeeler | |- | ''The Alice Pearce Show'' | Host | Unknown episodes |- | 1951 | ''[[Lux Video Theatre]]'' | Nina | Season 2 Episode 14: "Dames Are Poison" |- | 1952 | ''[[The Belle of New York (1952 film)|The Belle of New York]]'' | Elsie Wilkins | |- | rowspan=2|1953 | ''[[The Motorola Television Hour]]'' | Hagga | Season 1 Episode 5: "The Thirteen Clocks" |- | ''Broadway Television Theater'' | Miss Dale Ogden<br>Lady Emily Lyons | Episode: ''[[The Bat (play)|The Bat]]'' by [[Mary Roberts Rinehart]] and [[Avery Hopwood]]<br>Episode: ''[[The Bishop Misbehaves (play)|The Bishop Misbehaves]]'' by [[Frederick J. Jackson]] |- | rowspan=2|1953β1954 | ''[[Jamie (TV series)|Jamie]]'' | Annie Moakum | 6 episodes |- | ''[[Take It from Me (TV series)|Take It from Me]]'' | Neighbor | Also known as ''The Jean Carroll Show''<ref>{{cite book|last=Leszczak|first=Bob|title=Single Season Sitcoms, 1948β1979: A Complete Guide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LaUqwWnpHLwC&pg=PA179|access-date=October 3, 2015|date=November 2, 2012|publisher=McFarland & Company|isbn=978-0-7864-9305-0|page=179}}</ref> |- | rowspan=2|1955 | ''[[How to Be Very, Very Popular]]'' | Miss "Syl" Sylvester | |- | ''Alice in Wonderland'' | [[Dormouse (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland character)|Dormouse]] | TV movie |- | 1956 | ''[[The Opposite Sex]]'' | Olga | |- | 1959 | ''[[The Real McCoys]]'' | Emmy | Season 3 Episode 4: "Work No More, My Lady" |- | rowspan=3|1961 | ''[[The Twilight Zone]]'' | Mrs. Nielsen | Season 2 Episode 20: "[[Static (The Twilight Zone)|Static]]" |- | ''[[The Ann Sothern Show]]'' | Ethel | Season 3 Episode 14: "Operation Pudney" |- | ''[[The Ann Sothern Show]]'' | Lahona St. Cyr | Season 3 Episode 25: "The Beginning" |- | rowspan=3|1962 | ''Lad: A Dog'' | Hilda, the Nurse | |- |''[[Dennis the Menace (1959 TV series)|Dennis the Menace]]'' | Lucy Tarbell<ref name="Terrace"/> | Season 4 Episode 2: "You Go Your Way" |- |''[[Dennis the Menace (1959 TV series)|Dennis the Menace]]'' | Lucy Tarbell<ref name="Terrace"/> | Season 4 Episode 12: "Jane Butterfield Says" |- | rowspan=5|1963 | ''[[My Six Loves]]'' | Bus Driver | |- | ''[[Tammy and the Doctor]]'' | Millie Baxter, Nurse | |- | ''[[The Thrill of It All (film)|The Thrill of It All]]'' | Irving's wife | |- | ''[[The Donna Reed Show]]'' | Adele Collins | Season 6 Episode 12: "A Touch of Glamour" |- | ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]'' | Haila French | Season 2 Episode 10: "Good-Bye, George" |- | rowspan=4|1964 | ''[[Hazel (TV series)|Hazel]]'' | Miss Elsie | Season 3 Episode 17: "Hot Potato a la Hazel" |- | ''[[Dear Heart]]'' | Miss Moore | |- | ''[[The Disorderly Orderly]]'' | Mrs. Fuzzibee, Talkative Patient | |- | ''[[Kiss Me, Stupid]]'' | Mrs. Mulligan | |- | 1964β1966 | ''[[Bewitched]]'' | Gladys Kravitz | 27 episodes |- | rowspan=2|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''; released posthumously |- | 1967 | ''Vacation Playhouse'' | Music Teacher | Season 5 Episode 2: "My Boy Googie"<br/>Aired posthumously (final appearance) |} ==Awards== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Award ! Category ! Title of work ! Result |- | 1966 | [[Emmy Award]] | [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series|Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Comedy]] |rowspan=2|''Bewitched'' | rowspan=2 {{won}} |- | 2003 | [[TV Land Award]] | Nosiest Neighbor |} ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== {{Portal|Biography}} {{Commons}} * {{IBDB name}} * {{Tcmdb name}} * {{IMDb name}} {{EmmyAward ComedySupportingActress 1950-1975}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Pearce, Alice}} [[Category:1917 births]] [[Category:1966 deaths]] [[Category:20th-century American actresses]] [[Category:20th-century American singers]] [[Category:20th-century American women singers]] [[Category:Actresses from New York City]] [[Category:American film actresses]] [[Category:American stage actresses]] [[Category:American television actresses]] [[Category:Deaths from ovarian cancer in California]] [[Category:The Masters School alumni]] [[Category:Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Primetime Emmy Award winners]] [[Category:People from Dobbs Ferry, New York]] [[Category:Sarah Lawrence College alumni]] [[Category:Singers from New York City]]
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