What is Alice Ghostley birthday?

Alice Ghostley was born at 1923-08-14

When was Alice Ghostley died?

Alice Ghostley was died at 2007-09-21

Which age was Alice Ghostley died?

Alice Ghostley was died at age 84

Where is Alice Ghostley's birth place?

Alice Ghostley was born in Eve, Missouri, United States

What is Alice Ghostley nationalities?

Alice Ghostley's nationalities is American

Who is Alice Ghostley spouses?

Alice Ghostley's spouses is Felice Orlandi (m. 1953–2003)

Who is Alice Ghostley's father?

Alice Ghostley's father is Francis Ghostley

Who is Alice Ghostley's mother?

Alice Ghostley's mother is Edna Muriel, Harry

How famous is Alice Ghostley?

Alice Ghostley is famouse as Actress

Alice Ghostley - Film & Theater Personalities, Birthday and Childhood

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Overview
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California Missouri American Film & Theater Personalities Actresses Leo Celebrities

Alice Ghostley's Personal Details

Alice Ghostley was an American actress and singer best known for her role of a shy witch in the popular sitcom ‘Bewitched’

Information	Detail
Birthday	August 14, 1923
Died on	September 21, 2007
Nationality	American
Famous	Film & Theater Personalities, Actresses
City/State	California, Missouri
Spouses	Felice Orlandi (m. 1953–2003)
Birth Place	Eve, Missouri, United States
Gender	Female
Father	Francis Ghostley
Mother	Edna Muriel, Harry
Sun Sign	Leo
Born in	Eve, Missouri, United States
Famous as	Actress
Died at Age	84

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Who is Alice Ghostley?

Alice Ghostley is an American actress and singer best known for her role of a shy witch in the popular sitcom ‘Bewitched’. Starting off early, Ghostley dreamt of becoming an actress since her childhood. She was firm about her aspirations and worked her way to realize her childhood dream. She even gave up on formal education to make a career in acting. Ghostley’s debut came with a role in a Broadway production. By the early 1960s, she forayed into all spheres of entertainment – theatre, television and films. While she donned supporting roles in films during that decade, television saw her play prominent characters. She was featured in several situation comedies that brought her to limelight. However, her road to stardom came with the super duper hit television series ‘Bewitched’. In it, she started off with a small role as Naomi but soon bagged the painfully shy yet loveable character of Esmeralda. Her forte lay in her inherent talent to extract the loudest of laughter from the most basic of characters and situations. So whether it was portraying a glum withering wallflower, or a drab and dowdy housewife, a klutzy maid or a cynical gossip-eccentric character, she could make her audience laugh incessantly just with a simple fret or whine. And this was what made Ghostley an inevitable add-on to any television sitcom, theatrical production or film.

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Childhood & Early Life

Alice Ghostley was born on August 14, 1923 in Eve, Vernon County, Missouri, to Harry Francis Ghostley and Edna Muriel (née Rooney). Her father worked as a telegraph operator. She had a sister named Gladys.

Alice spent much of her growing up years in Arkansas, Oklahoma. She began performing when she was hardly five; she used to recite poems, sing songs and do tap-dancing.

Upon completing her preliminary education, Alice enrolled for a degree in drama at the University of Oklahoma. However, she dropped out of the same to pursue a career in theatre in New York, along with her sister Gladys.

Career

Alice Ghostley’s struggle period was nothing close to being glamorous. She started off by teaming along with her sister Gladys for an act called ‘The Ghostley Sisters’ but soon developed her own cabaret show as a singer and comedienne.

She took up odd jobs for survival, working as a secretary to a music teacher in exchange for singing lessons, as a theatre usherette in order to see free stage shows, as a waitress, in a detective agency, and even as a patch tester for a detergent company.

Her big break in acting came with the Leonard Sillman’s Broadway show, ‘New Faces of 1952’. It starred upcoming stars, such as Eartha Kitt, Carol Lawrence, Robert Clary and Paul Lynde. Two years later, she starred in the film version as well.

Alongside theatre, her television career also started during the early 1950s. She appeared as one of the ugly step-sisters Joy in the 1957 musical television production ‘Cinderella’.

In 1960, she appeared in the revue ‘A Thurber Carnival’. Two years later, she featured in ‘The Beauty Part’, playing multiple prominent roles in the theatrical production. She also performed in several musical comedies, including ‘Shangri-La’, ‘Trouble in Tahiti’ and ‘Sandhog’. In 1965, she was seen as Mavis in the comedy play ‘The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window’.

Other than theatrical productions, she guest starred in several NBC comedies including ‘Car 54’ and ‘Where Are You?’ She also played several recurring characters including as an inept maid Naomi in ‘Bewitched’. Her role lasted for 15 episodes beginning with ‘Maid to Order’ that stretched between 1969 and 1972.

In 1965, Alice Ghostley was offered the role of Gladys Kravitz, a nosy neighbour in ‘Bewitched’. Initially played by Alice Pearce, the role remained vacant after Pearce’s death. However, Alice refused the offer. She then refused the role of Aunt Clara as well before finally signing up as a shy witch Esmeralda who served as a maid and baby sitter.

While playing her character in ‘Bewitched’, Alice simultaneously joined the cast of ‘Mayberry R.F.D.’, playing Cousin Alice. She appeared in 14 episodes.

In February 1969, she bagged the guest role of Aggie on ‘The Ghost & Mrs Muir’ for the episode ‘Make Me A Match’. Next year, she reappeared on the show for the episode ‘Curious Cousin’, in which she played nosey cousin Harriet who interfered with Mrs Muir's private life.

After a phenomenal eight years of run time, ‘Bewitched’ was finally closed down in the spring of 1972. Following this, she was signed as a semi-regular for the ABC-TV variety series, ‘The Julie Andrews Hour’. In the show, both Andrews and Alice Ghostley were featured in a recurring segment as roommates sharing a small apartment. The Julie Andrews Hour was cancelled by ABC in 1973 after 24 episodes.

Alice spent the better part of the 1970s and 1980s appearing in episodes of situation comedies such as ‘Hogan's Heroes’, ‘Good Times’, ‘Maude’, ‘One Day at a Time’, ‘The Odd Couple’, and ‘What's Happening!!’. Her last Broadway outing came for the 1978 musical ‘Annie’, in which she succeeded as Dorothy Loudon, who had created the role of Miss Hannigan.

In 1986, she went slightly offbeat from the usual course of her career to portray the role of Bernice Clifton, the slightly off-kilter, eccentric friend of Julia and Suzanne Sugarbaker's mother, Perky, on ‘Designing Women’. The show lasted until 1993. Meanwhile, she did a number of guest roles including as Irna Wallingsford in ‘Evening Shade’ and Ida Mae Brindle in ‘Small Wonder’.

Alice’s other guest roles include playing a crazy mother ‘The Golden Girls’. She even made a one-time appearance as Great-Grandma in ‘Sabrina the Teenage Witch’. Her other guest appearances include playing ghost of Matilda Matthews in ‘Passions’ in 2000.

Film Career

Alongside her career in television, Alice Ghostley’s film career also took off at a steady pace. She made her film debut in 1962 with the movie ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’. Her other film appearances of the 1960s include ‘My Six Loves’, ‘The Flim Flam Man’, ‘The Graduate’, ‘With Six You Get Eggroll’ and ‘Viva Max’.

During the 1970s, she appeared in supporting roles in a couple of films including ‘Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies’ as Sister Lite, ‘Gator’ as Emmeline Cavanaugh, ‘Blue Sunshine’ as O'Malley's Neighbor and ‘Rabbit Test’ as Nurse Tumm. She also appeared in the film version of ‘Grease’ as shop teacher Mrs. Murdock.

In 1985, she played a supporting role in the Nancy Allen comedy ‘Not for Publication’. Alice played Grandmama in the direct-to-video movie ‘Addams Family Reunion’, in 1998. Her last outing for big screen was for the film ‘Mothers and Daughters’ in 2006.

Major Works

The magnum opus of Alice Ghostley’s career came in when she bagged the role of Esmeralda in the popular television sitcom ‘Bewitched’. Though the series was already a hit, her character which was introduced in 1969 was highly praised. Critics loved the way she brought genuineness to her character of a timidly shy, dematerializing and accident-prone witch nanny Esmeralda.

Awards & Achievements

Alice Ghostley earned a Tony nomination in the late 1960s for the different roles she essayed for the Broadway comedy ‘The Beauty Part’.

She was awarded a Tony award for Best Featured Actress for her role in ‘The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window’.

She received an Emmy nomination for her role in ‘Designing Women’.

Personal Life & Legacy

Alice Ghostley married Felice Orlandi, an Italian-American actor, in 1953. The two remained married until Orlandi’s death in 2003. The couple had no children.

Alice suffered from colon cancer during the latter part of her life. She also suffered from a series of strokes. Finally, on September 21, 2007, she breathed her last at her home in Studio City, California thus ending her long battle with ill health.

On August 20, 2009, her ashes were taken to Oak Hill Cemetery in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, where she was buried along with her sister, Gladys who died on June 21, 2009. The two sisters are interred next to their parents.

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Alice Ghostley biography timelines

// 14th Aug 1923
Alice Ghostley was born on August 14, 1923 in Eve, Vernon County, Missouri, to Harry Francis Ghostley and Edna Muriel (née Rooney). Her father worked as a telegraph operator. She had a sister named Gladys.
// 1952
Her big break in acting came with the Leonard Sillman’s Broadway show, ‘New Faces of 1952’. It starred upcoming stars, such as Eartha Kitt, Carol Lawrence, Robert Clary and Paul Lynde. Two years later, she starred in the film version as well.
// 1953 To 2003
Alice Ghostley married Felice Orlandi, an Italian-American actor, in 1953. The two remained married until Orlandi’s death in 2003. The couple had no children.
// 1957
Alongside theatre, her television career also started during the early 1950s. She appeared as one of the ugly step-sisters Joy in the 1957 musical television production ‘Cinderella’.
// 1960 To 1965
In 1960, she appeared in the revue ‘A Thurber Carnival’. Two years later, she featured in ‘The Beauty Part’, playing multiple prominent roles in the theatrical production. She also performed in several musical comedies, including ‘Shangri-La’, ‘Trouble in Tahiti’ and ‘Sandhog’. In 1965, she was seen as Mavis in the comedy play ‘The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window’.
// 1962
Alongside her career in television, Alice Ghostley’s film career also took off at a steady pace. She made her film debut in 1962 with the movie ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’. Her other film appearances of the 1960s include ‘My Six Loves’, ‘The Flim Flam Man’, ‘The Graduate’, ‘With Six You Get Eggroll’ and ‘Viva Max’.
// 1965
In 1965, Alice Ghostley was offered the role of Gladys Kravitz, a nosy neighbour in ‘Bewitched’. Initially played by Alice Pearce, the role remained vacant after Pearce’s death. However, Alice refused the offer. She then refused the role of Aunt Clara as well before finally signing up as a shy witch Esmeralda who served as a maid and baby sitter.
// 1969 To 1972
Other than theatrical productions, she guest starred in several NBC comedies including ‘Car 54’ and ‘Where Are You?’ She also played several recurring characters including as an inept maid Naomi in ‘Bewitched’. Her role lasted for 15 episodes beginning with ‘Maid to Order’ that stretched between 1969 and 1972.
// 1969
The magnum opus of Alice Ghostley’s career came in when she bagged the role of Esmeralda in the popular television sitcom ‘Bewitched’. Though the series was already a hit, her character which was introduced in 1969 was highly praised. Critics loved the way she brought genuineness to her character of a timidly shy, dematerializing and accident-prone witch nanny Esmeralda.
// Feb 1969
In February 1969, she bagged the guest role of Aggie on ‘The Ghost & Mrs Muir’ for the episode ‘Make Me A Match’. Next year, she reappeared on the show for the episode ‘Curious Cousin’, in which she played nosey cousin Harriet who interfered with Mrs Muir's private life.
// 1972 To 1973
After a phenomenal eight years of run time, ‘Bewitched’ was finally closed down in the spring of 1972. Following this, she was signed as a semi-regular for the ABC-TV variety series, ‘The Julie Andrews Hour’. In the show, both Andrews and Alice Ghostley were featured in a recurring segment as roommates sharing a small apartment. The Julie Andrews Hour was cancelled by ABC in 1973 after 24 episodes.
// 1978
Alice spent the better part of the 1970s and 1980s appearing in episodes of situation comedies such as ‘Hogan's Heroes’, ‘Good Times’, ‘Maude’, ‘One Day at a Time’, ‘The Odd Couple’, and ‘What's Happening!!’. Her last Broadway outing came for the 1978 musical ‘Annie’, in which she succeeded as Dorothy Loudon, who had created the role of Miss Hannigan.
// 1986 To 1993
In 1986, she went slightly offbeat from the usual course of her career to portray the role of Bernice Clifton, the slightly off-kilter, eccentric friend of Julia and Suzanne Sugarbaker's mother, Perky, on ‘Designing Women’. The show lasted until 1993. Meanwhile, she did a number of guest roles including as Irna Wallingsford in ‘Evening Shade’ and Ida Mae Brindle in ‘Small Wonder’.
// 2000
Alice’s other guest roles include playing a crazy mother ‘The Golden Girls’. She even made a one-time appearance as Great-Grandma in ‘Sabrina the Teenage Witch’. Her other guest appearances include playing ghost of Matilda Matthews in ‘Passions’ in 2000.
// 21st Sep 2007
Alice suffered from colon cancer during the latter part of her life. She also suffered from a series of strokes. Finally, on September 21, 2007, she breathed her last at her home in Studio City, California thus ending her long battle with ill health.
// 21st Jun 2009
On August 20, 2009, her ashes were taken to Oak Hill Cemetery in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, where she was buried along with her sister, Gladys who died on June 21, 2009. The two sisters are interred next to their parents.

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Alice Ghostley's FAQ

What is Alice Ghostley birthday?
Alice Ghostley was born at 1923-08-14
When was Alice Ghostley died?
Alice Ghostley was died at 2007-09-21
Which age was Alice Ghostley died?
Alice Ghostley was died at age 84
Where is Alice Ghostley's birth place?
Alice Ghostley was born in Eve, Missouri, United States
What is Alice Ghostley nationalities?
Alice Ghostley's nationalities is American
Who is Alice Ghostley spouses?
Alice Ghostley's spouses is Felice Orlandi (m. 1953–2003)
Who is Alice Ghostley's father?
Alice Ghostley's father is Francis Ghostley
Who is Alice Ghostley's mother?
Alice Ghostley's mother is Edna Muriel, Harry
What is Alice Ghostley's sun sign?
Alice Ghostley is Leo
How famous is Alice Ghostley?
Alice Ghostley is famouse as Actress