Alice Pearce
As Gladys Kravitz in a 1966 publicity still for theBewitched 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
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 byGene Kelly to reprise herBroadway performance in the film version ofOn the Town (1949). Pearce played comedic supporting roles in several films before being cast as nosy neighborGladys Kravitz in the television sitcomBewitched in 1964. She won thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series posthumously after the second season of the series. She died fromovarian 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 incident left her with an underdeveloped chin.^[4] She returned to the United States as a teenager and boarded at theMasters School inDobbs Ferry, New York.^[4] She graduated fromSarah Lawrence College in 1940 with a degree in drama.^[1][5]

She began working innightclubs as a comedienne and was cast in the originalBroadway production ofOn the Town (1944–1946).Gene Kelly was so impressed by her that she became the only cast member to be included in thefilm 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 ofBells Are Ringing.^[2]

During the 1953–1954 television season, Pearce was seen regularly on ABC'sJamie, which starredBrandon deWilde.^[7] In 1964, Pearce was originally approached to play the part of Grandmama in the ABC television comedy seriesThe Addams Family. She turned down the part, which went to veteran actressBlossom Rock. Later that year, Pearce joined the cast ofBewitched as the nagging and nosy neighborGladys Kravitz. Pearce's scenes were almost entirely reactions to thewitchcraft she had witnessed at the house across the street. Her hysterical accusations against Samantha, played byElizabeth 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 bySandra Gould.^[8] Pearce was posthumously awarded anEmmy Award for this role. Her husband accepted the award on her behalf.^[9]

Pearce was married twice. Her 1948 marriage to composerJohn Rox lasted until his death in 1957.^[4] In September 1964, she marriedstage manager Paul Davis, with whom she remained until her death.^[4][3] They owned Pesha's Framing Shop, an art gallery and framing store, in West Hollywood.^[3][10] Davis died in February 1984.^[11]

Pearce was diagnosed with terminal cancer beforeBewitched 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 fromovarian cancer less than two months later on March 3, 1966, at age 48. She was cremated and her ashes were scattered at sea.^[12][13]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toAlice Pearce.

• Alice Pearce at theInternet Broadway Database
• Alice Pearce at theTCM Movie Database
• Alice Pearce atIMDb 

• 1917 births
• 1966 deaths
• 20th-century American actresses
• 20th-century American singers
• 20th-century American women singers
• Actresses from New York City
• American film actresses
• American stage actresses
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• Deaths from ovarian cancer in California
• The Masters School alumni
• 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

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