Vivian Vance facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Vivian Vance
Vance in 1963
Born	Vivian Roberta Jones (1909-07-26)July 26, 1909 Cherryvale, Kansas, U.S.
Died	August 17, 1979(1979-08-17) (aged 70) Belvedere, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress, singer
Years active	1926–1978
Spouse(s)	Joseph Shearer Danneck, Jr. ​ ​ (m. 1928; div. 1931)​ George Koch ​ ​ (m. 1934; div. 1940)​ Philip Ober ​ ​ (m. 1941; div. 1959)​ John Dodds ​ (m. 1961)​

Vivian Vance (born Vivian Roberta Jones; July 26, 1909 – August 17, 1979) was an American actress and singer. She is best known for playing Ethel Mertz on the TV show I Love Lucy from 1951 to 1957. For this role, she won an Emmy Award. She also starred with Lucille Ball in The Lucy Show from 1962 to 1965. In 1991, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Many people remember her as Lucille Ball's funny partner for many years.

Early Life and Acting Dreams

Vivian Vance was born in Cherryvale, Kansas. She was the second of six children. When she was six, her family moved to Independence, Kansas. There, she started studying acting at Independence High School. Her love for acting was sometimes different from her mother's views. Vivian soon changed her last name to Vance. She moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to find acting jobs. She performed in the first show at the Albuquerque Little Theatre in 1930. She was in many other plays there. The local theater community helped her move to New York City to study acting.

Career Highlights

Television Success

I Love Lucy and Emmy Win

Cast of I Love Lucy: William Frawley, Desi Arnaz; Vivian Vance, Lucille Ball

In 1951, Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball were looking for actors for their new TV show, I Love Lucy. The show's director, Marc Daniels, suggested Vivian Vance for the role of Ethel Mertz. Lucille Ball had wanted other actresses, but Vance got the part. She was 42 years old when the show started on October 15, 1951.

Vivian Vance played Ethel Mertz, the landlady of an apartment in New York City. Her TV husband, Fred Mertz, was played by William Frawley. He was 22 years older than her. Even though they were great together on screen, Vance and Frawley did not get along well in real life. They often had disagreements.

In 1953, Vance won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress. She was the first actress to win this award. She was nominated three more times for her role in I Love Lucy.

After I Love Lucy ended in 1957, Vance continued as Ethel Mertz in special hour-long shows. These were called The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show. Desi Arnaz offered Vance and Frawley their own show about Fred and Ethel. Frawley was very interested, but Vance said no. She did not want to work alone with Frawley because they had a difficult relationship. She also felt the characters would not be successful without the Ricardos. This decision made their disagreements even worse.

The Lucy Show and Later Roles

Season-one cast of The Lucy Show: Candy Moore (in back); front, L-R: Jimmy Garrett, Lucille Ball, Vance, and Ralph Hart (1962)

In 1962, Lucille Ball planned a new TV series called The Lucy Show. Vance agreed to be her co-star, but she had conditions. She wanted to wear more stylish clothes. She also wanted her character to be named "Vivian." She was tired of people calling her "Ethel" in real life.

She played Vivian Bagley on The Lucy Show from 1962 to 1965. Her character was a divorced mother who shared a house with Lucy Carmichael. This was one of the first times a divorced character was regularly seen on American TV. Vance started to get tired of traveling between her home on the East Coast and Los Angeles every week. Her working relationship with Ball also became difficult. Vance asked for more control and better pay if she continued. The show's producers did not agree to her requests. Vance left the series after the third season. Ball later wished she had given Vance what she asked for. Vance made three more guest appearances on The Lucy Show after they settled their differences.

Vance with Allen Case on TV's The Deputy (1959)

After leaving The Lucy Show, Vance sometimes appeared with Lucille Ball on special shows. She also made guest appearances on Ball's third show, Here's Lucy (1968–1974). Vance also appeared in commercials for Maxwell House coffee. She was in several TV movies in the 1970s. Her last appearance with Lucille Ball was in the 1977 TV special Lucy Calls the President.

Film Appearances

Vivian Vance moved to California to find more acting work in theater and films. She appeared in two films: The Secret Fury (1950) and The Blue Veil (1951). She received good reviews for her acting. After leaving The Lucy Show, Vance appeared in the film The Great Race (1965). She hoped this would help her movie career, but it did not fully take off.

Broadway Stage Work

Vivian Vance started performing on Broadway in 1932. She was usually in the chorus at first. She later got bigger roles. Her most successful stage role was in the musical Let's Face It! (1941). She starred in this show with Danny Kaye and Eve Arden for over 500 performances.

Personal Life

Vivian Vance was married four times. Her first three marriages ended. She was married to her third husband, actor Philip Ober, for 18 years. On January 16, 1961, Vance married John Dodds. He was a literary agent and publisher. They lived in Stamford, Connecticut, and later moved to California in 1974. They stayed together until Vance's death.

Death and Lasting Impact

Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7030 Hollywood Boulevard.

Vivian Vance's last TV appearance with Lucille Ball was in the special Lucy Calls the President in November 1977. She had a stroke that year, which affected her health.

She passed away at age 70 on August 17, 1979. After her death, Desi Arnaz said it was hard to lose a great artist and a good friend.

Vivian Vance's family gave her Emmy Award to the Albuquerque Little Theatre. For her work in television, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 14, 1991. Her star is at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard.

Vivian Vance is remembered at the Lucille Ball–Desi Arnaz Center in Jamestown, New York. In 2012, Vance and William Frawley were added to the Television Academy Hall of Fame. A play called I Love Lucy: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Sitcom tells the story of how Vance was chosen to play Ethel Mertz.

Filmography

Vance in 1948, in costume for the play Springtime for Henry

Film

Television

Theatre

Awards and Nominations

Major Associations

Primetime Emmy Awards

• Outstanding Supporting Actress — I Love Lucy (Won; 1954)
• Outstanding Supporting Actress — I Love Lucy (Nominated; 1955)
• Outstanding Supporting Actress — I Love Lucy (Nominated; 1957)
• Outstanding Supporting Actress — I Love Lucy (Nominated; 1958)

Hollywood Walk of Fame

• Star (Posthumously honored; 1991)

Other Awards

TV Land Awards

• Favorite Cantankerous Couple — I Love Lucy (Nominated, shared with William Frawley; 2004)
• Favorite Second Banana — I Love Lucy (Nominated; 2004)

See also

In Spanish: Vivian Vance para niños