Vivian VanceVance (center) with Charles Laughton and Jane Wyman in The Blue Veil, 1951Vivian Vance (July 26, 1909-August 17, 1979) was an American actress, born in Cherryvale, Kansas as Vivian Roberta Jones. During the early years of her career she played small roles in a few films, but worked primarily as a stage actress, appearing in a total of thirty-eight productions throughout her career. When casting his new sitcom I Love Lucy, starring himself and wife Lucille Ball, Ball's first choice for the role of landlady Ethel Mertz was Bea Benadaret. Benadaret was unavailable due to a previous commitment so Arnaz went looking for another actress. He found her at the La Jolla Playhouse's production of The Voice of the Turtle. Upon seeing Vance, Arnaz knew he had found the perfect Ethel. Lucille Ball was less than sure; she had envisioned Ethel Mertz as much older and less attractive than Vance. Vivian Vance as Ethel Mertz with TV hubby Fred, portrayed by William Frawley, in a scene from I Love LucyA somewhat youthful looking and attractive woman, Vance was required to wear frumpy clothes that were actually a size smaller than Vance usually wore in order to make her appear overweight. Vance's character was the less than prosperous resident of a New York City brownstone owned by her and her husband Fred (William Frawley). She and Frawley were a perfect match as the bickering Mertzes, since they detested each other in real life. (Vance's then real-life husband, Phil Ober, frequently played small supporting roles on the series, most notably as producer Dore Scharey in one of the Hollywood episodes.) Vance paired once again with Ball for The Lucy Show, her first post-Arnaz series, and this time was permitted to look more glamorous as Vivian Bagley, a divorced mother of one son. She remained with the show for three of its six years before retiring to Connecticut. Over the next several years, Vance appeared occasionally alongside Ball on reunion shows and for guest appearances on Here's Lucy. During the mid-1970s she took small roles on sitcoms such as Rhoda. Her final television appearance was on the last CBS Lucy production, Lucy Calls the President, which aired November 21, 1977, and featured many of the cast members from The Lucy Show. She was diagnosed with cancer in 1977 and died in 1979. Vivan Vance played a significant part in the history of television She defined the role of second banana, paving the way for future female sidekicks. She was also the first person to win the Best Supporting Actress Emmy. ReferenceThe Other Side of Ethel Mertz: The Life Story of Vivian Vance by Frank Castelluccio & Alvin Walker, published by Knowledge, Ideas & Trends, Inc. (1998) This page about Vivian Vance includes information from a Wikipedia article. Additional articles about Vivian Vance News stories about Vivian Vance External links for Vivian Vance Videos for Vivian Vance Wikis about Vivian Vance Discussion Groups about Vivian Vance Blogs about Vivian Vance Images of Vivian Vance |
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(1998). Records: The More I See You (1999), a duet with Mike Reid, reached #44 in the UK Charts. The Other Side of Ethel Mertz: The Life Story of Vivian Vance by Frank Castelluccio & Alvin Walker, published by Knowledge, Ideas & Trends, Inc. During her first marriage, she had an affair with Sid James, and her biography states the details after 1973. She was also the first person to win the Best Supporting Actress Emmy. She was also married to Stephen Hollings (1986-1995), and more recently to Scott Mitchell (2000-). Vivan Vance played a significant part in the history of television She defined the role of second banana, paving the way for future female sidekicks. She was awarded an MBE in 1999 by the British Government and won the first Rear of the year title in 1976. She was diagnosed with cancer in 1977 and died in 1979. It was later announced that she would make a one off appearance in Eastenders late in 2003. Her final television appearance was on the last CBS Lucy production, Lucy Calls the President, which aired November 21, 1977, and featured many of the cast members from The Lucy Show. After a debilitating case of the Epstein-Barr virus saw her take a year long absence from the screen in 2003, she is due back in the spring of 2004. During the mid-1970s she took small roles on sitcoms such as Rhoda. However in 1994 she was offered the plum role of Peggy Mitchell in the popular BBC drama series EastEnders, this saw her regain past glories and come to be seen as something of a 'British Institution'. Over the next several years, Vance appeared occasionally alongside Ball on reunion shows and for guest appearances on Here's Lucy. After a gradual fall from the top, which also saw her husband, Ronnie Knight (married 1964-1985), flee to Spain on Bank robbery charges, she considered quitting acting. She remained with the show for three of its six years before retiring to Connecticut. She also starred on Broadway in the play Oh, What a Lovely War and received a 1968 Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. Vance paired once again with Ball for The Lucy Show, her first post-Arnaz series, and this time was permitted to look more glamorous as Vivian Bagley, a divorced mother of one son. She then went on to become a star with her saucy portrayals of a good time girl in some 9 Carry On films and several TV specials, between 1964 and 1978. (Vance's then real-life husband, Phil Ober, frequently played small supporting roles on the series, most notably as producer Dore Scharey in one of the Hollywood episodes.). Trinian's (1954), and then later came to prominence in the British film Sparrows Can't Sing (1963) garnering a Bafta nomination for Best British Film Actress. She and Frawley were a perfect match as the bickering Mertzes, since they detested each other in real life. Her first film appearance was in The Belles of St. Vance's character was the less than prosperous resident of a New York City brownstone owned by her and her husband Fred (William Frawley). Barbara Windsor, (born August 6, 1937) is a British actress, born Barbara-Ann Deeks in London. A somewhat youthful looking and attractive woman, Vance was required to wear frumpy clothes that were actually a size smaller than Vance usually wore in order to make her appear overweight. Lucille Ball was less than sure; she had envisioned Ethel Mertz as much older and less attractive than Vance. Upon seeing Vance, Arnaz knew he had found the perfect Ethel. He found her at the La Jolla Playhouse's production of The Voice of the Turtle. Benadaret was unavailable due to a previous commitment so Arnaz went looking for another actress. When casting his new sitcom I Love Lucy, starring himself and wife Lucille Ball, Ball's first choice for the role of landlady Ethel Mertz was Bea Benadaret. During the early years of her career she played small roles in a few films, but worked primarily as a stage actress, appearing in a total of thirty-eight productions throughout her career.
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