Background
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.
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.
She graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1940, with a degree in drama.
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 died from ovarian cancer in 1966.
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 in Dobbs Ferry, New New York 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.
Her comedic performance was well received by critics and public alike, and she was given her own television variety show, The Alice Pearce Show. During the 1953–1954 television season, Pearce was seen regularly on American Broadcasting Company"s Jamie, which starred Brandon deWilde. In 1964, Pearce was originally approached to play the part of Grandmama in the American Broadcasting Company television comedy series The Addams Family.
She turned down the part, which went to veteran actress Blossom Rock.
In 1964, Pearce joined the cast of Bewitched as the nagging and nosy neighbor Gladys Kravitz. She played the role until her death in 1966, and was replaced by Sandra Gould.
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 toward the end of the second year of Bewitched at the age of 48.
Pearce was cremated and her ashes were scattered at sea.