Alice Ghostley

Prolific TV actress-comedienne who appeared in over a dozen sitcoms and variety series of the 1960s and 70s. Ghostley first received attention onstage in such revues as "New Faces of 1952"; two years later she reprised her role in the film adaptation, committing her hilarious rendition of "The Boston Beguine" to celluloid. By the time of her Tony-winning performance in "The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window" (1965), though, Ghostley had largely transferred her energies to the small screen.

One of the most accomplished scene-stealers in the history of TV comedy, Ghostley perfected a dithering manner and a flustered, hesitant style of line delivery. A regular on "The Jonathan Winters Show", "The Julie Andrews Hour" and "The Golddiggers", she played recurring or supporting roles on such comedies as "Mayberry R.F.D.", "Car 54, Where Are You?" and, perhaps most memorably, "Bewitched", where her incompetent babysitting witch Esmeralda constantly conjured up one sitcom disaster after another. Ghostley busied herself in feature films during the late 70s and later made a triumphant return to TV comedy in the 80s as Bernice, the human non sequitur, on "Designing Women".

• Also Credited As:
  Alice Margaret Ghostley
• Born:
  August 14, 1926 in Eve, Missouri
• Job Titles:
  Actor, Comedian

Family

• Father: Harry Francis Ghostley.
• Mother: Edna Muriel Ghostley.

Education

• University of Oklahoma

Milestones

• 1953 Appeared as a regular on the TV game show, "Freedom Rings"
• 1954 Made film debut in the recreation of the stage revue "New Faces of 1952" entitled "New Faces"; performed "The Boston Beguine"
• 1957 Acted on TV in such Hallmark Hall of Fame Presentations as "Twelfth Night" and "Lost Horizon"
• 1962 Returned to feature films to play a supporting role in Robert Mulligan's film adaptation of "To Kill a Mockingbird"
• 1967 Played Mrs. Nash, the hero's mother, on the sitcom, "Captain Nice"
• 1998 Returned to features after more than a decade in "The Odd Couple II"
• Acted in a number of feature films during the late 70s, including "Grease" and "Rabbit Test" (both 1978)
• Played Aunt Alice on the TV sitcom, "Mayberry R.F.D."
• Played Edwina Mercy on the TV sitcom, "The New Temperatures Rising Show"
• Played the recurring role of Bernice on the popular CBS sitcom "Designing Women" (dates approximate)
• Played the recurring role of Bonnie Calsheim, girlfried to Officer Francis Muldoon (Fred Gwynne) on the situation comedy, "Car 54, Where Are You?"
• Played the recurring role of Esmeralda on the popular TV sitcom, "Bewitched", during its last few seasons
• Played the role of Bertha, saloon proprietor, on the Western drama series, "Nichols"/"James Garner as Nichols"
• Was a regular on the TV comedy-variety series, "Jackie Gleason and His American Scene Magazine/"The Jackie Gleason Show"
• Was a regular on the comedy-variety series, "The Jonathan Winters Show"
• Was a regular on the musical variety series, "The Julie Andrews Hour"
• Was a regular on the syndicated variety show, "The Golddigers"