Alice Pearce

Alice Pearce
Born	Alicia Pearce (1917-10-16)October 16, 1917 New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	March 3, 1966(1966-03-03) (aged 48) Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Ovarian cancer
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1943–1966
Spouse(s)	John Rox (1948–1957) Paul Davis (1964–1966)
Awards	Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Alicia “Alice” Pearce (October 16, 1917 – March 3, 1966) was an American actress. 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 Gladys Kravitz in 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

Born in New York City, Pearce was educated in Europe and returned to the United States as an adult. She began working in nightclubs as a comedian 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. Her comedic performance was well received by critics and public alike, and she was given her own television variety show. 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.

Frank Sinatra, Pearce, Jules Munshin, Gene Kelly, Betty Garrett and Ann Miller in the film version of On the Town (1949)

In 1964 she joined the cast of the television series Bewitched. As the nagging and nosy neighbor, Gladys Kravitz, Pearce's scenes were almost entirely reactions to acts of 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. Pearce was posthumously awarded an Emmy Award for this role, which was, according to her, her favorite role.

Personal life

Pearce was married twice; in 1948, she married composer John Rox. In 1957, Rox died of a heart attack. In 1964, she married stage manager Paul Davis. Pearce had no children.

Pearce was also a good friend of actor and photographer Cris Alexander. When Alexander was working on the illustrations for Patrick Dennis's bestseller Little Me he asked Pearce to appear in the work as Winnie, the reform school friend of Belle Poitrine, the biography's subject. She also appeared as several characters in Dennis' and Alexander's later project, First Lady: My Thirty Days at the White House.

Death

Pearce was diagnosed with terminal cancer before Bewitched began. Pearce kept her illness a secret but died from ovarian cancer during the second season of the series at age 48. Pearce was cremated and her ashes were scattered at sea.

After Pearce's death, the role of Gladys Kravitz was played by Sandra Gould.

Selected filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1949	On the Town	Lucy Shmeeler
1949	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"
1953–1954	Jamie	Annie Moakum	3 episodes
1955	How to Be Very, Very Popular	Miss "Syl" Sylvester
1955	Alice in Wonderland	Dormouse	Television movie
1956	The Opposite Sex	Olga
1961	The Twilight Zone	Mrs. Nielsen	Episode: "Static"
1962	Lad: A Dog	Hilda, the Nurse
1963	My Six Loves	Bus Driver
1963	Tammy and the Doctor	Millie Baxter, Nurse
1963	The Thrill of It All	Irving's wife
1963	The Donna Reed Show	Adele Collins	Episode: " A Touch of Glamour"
1964	Dear Heart	Miss Moore
1964	The Disorderly Orderly	Miss Fuzzibee, Talkative Patient
1964	Kiss Me, Stupid	Mrs. Mulligan
1964–1966	Bewitched	Gladys Kravitz	27 episodes
1965	Dear Brigitte	Unemployment Office Clerk
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

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	Bewitched	Won

External links

• Alice Pearce at the Internet Broadway Database
• Alice Pearce at the Internet Movie Database
• "Alice Pearce". Find a Grave. Retrieved September 14, 2010.