Beverly Wills

Beverly Wills

Wills and Tom Peters on the set of I Married Joan, 1954.
Born Beverly Josephine Williams
(1933-06-07)June 7, 1933
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Died October 24, 1963(1963-10-24) (aged 30)
Palm Springs, California, U.S.
Cause of death House fire
Occupation Actress
Spouse(s) Lee Bamber (1952–1953)
Alan Grossman (1954–1958)
Martin Colbert (1960–1963)

Beverly Wills (June 7, 1933 – October 24, 1963) was an American television and film actress.

Biography

She was born in 1933 as Beverly Josephine Williams in Los Angeles to actress/comedian Joan Davis and actor/writer Si Wills. Wills made her film debut in George White's Scandals (1945) when she was 11 years old.[1] Mickey (1948) followed three years later.

In 1952, at the age of 18, Wills appeared with her mother and Jim Backus in the TV comedy, I Married Joan (1952–55). She played the younger sister to her real-life mother.[2] After the series ended its run, Wills appeared in only four more films including Some Like It Hot (1959) and Son of Flubber (1963).

Wills' first marriage was to Lee Bamber, a Pasadena fireman, in 1952. Bamber and Wills eloped to Carson City, Nevada. The couple divorced in 1953. She was later married to Alan Grossman on July 12, 1954; the couple had two sons. Wills and Grossman divorced and she was remarried to Martin Colbert.[3][4][5]

On October 24, 1963, Wills died in a house fire with her grandmother, Nina Davis, and two sons, Guy and Larry Grossman. She was 30 years old.[3][6][7] Her mother, Joan, had previously died from a heart attack in 1961.[8]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1938 Anaesthesia Little girl Uncredited
1945 George White's Scandals Joan as a child
1948 Raw Deal Girl Uncredited
Mickey Cathy Williams
1952 Skirts Ahoy! Boots Uncredited
1953 Small Town Girl Deidre
The Life of Riley 2 episodes
1953 to 1954 I Married Joan Beverly Grossman 5 episodes
1954 The Student Prince Flirt Uncredited
1956 The Millionaire Barbara Episode: "The Louise Williams Story"
The People's Choice Mandy's girlfriend Episode: "Sock and the Mayor's Election"
1957 Matinee Theater Episode: "Out of the Frying Pan"
Tales of Wells Fargo Sissy Stillwell Episode: "Man in the Box"
1958 Date with the Angels Episode: "Wheeler at the Cabin"
Buckskin Cassie Episode: "Lament for Durango"
1959 Some Like It Hot Dolores
1961 The Ladies Man Miss Hypochondriac
1962 The Tall Man Episode: "The Impatient Brides"
1963 Son of Flubber Mother in commercial
Vacation Playhouse Clara Boone Episode: "Hooray for Love"
Petticoat Junction Mrs. Norton Episode: "Uncle Joe's Replacement"
1964 Mister Ed Judy Price Episode: "Ed the Shish Kebab"

References

  1. ↑ "Beverly Wills' Stage Goal: Be Herself". The Milwaukee Sentinel. 4 July 1948. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  2. ↑ Bloom, Ken; Vlastnik, Frank; Lithgow, John (2007). Sitcoms: The 101 Greatest TV Comedies of All Time. Black Dog Publishing. p. 177. ISBN 1-57912-752-5.
  3. 1 2 "Fire Kills Joan Davis' Relatives". The Evening Independent. 24 October 1963. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  4. ↑ "Joan Davis' Daughter Elopes". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 27 June 1952. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  5. ↑ "Beverly Wills, Actress, Weds". Herald-Journal. 12 July 1954. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  6. ↑ "Fire Kills 4 Members Of Joan Davis Family". St Petersburg Times. 25 October 1963. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  7. ↑ "Fire Kills Joan Davis' Kin". The Milwaukee Journal. 24 October 1963. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  8. ↑ Tucker, David C. (2007). The Women Who Made Television Funny: Ten Stars of 1950s Sitcoms. McFarland. p. 91. ISBN 0-7864-2900-3.

External links

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