Alice Pearce was born on October 16, 1917, in New York City, and she was the only child of Margaret Clark and Robert E. Pearce, a foreign banking specialist. Her family moved to Europe when she was 18 months old, and she spent her early years in Brussels, Antwerp, Rome, and Paris.

At age nine, she fell off a swing and landed on her chin, which left her with an undeveloped chin. She returned to the United States as a teenager and attended the Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, New York. She graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1940 with a degree in drama.

Alice Pearce began her career working in nightclubs as a comedienne and was cast in the original Broadway production of "On the Town" (1944-1946). Gene Kelly was so impressed by her performance that she was the only cast member included in the film version in 1949. Her comedic talent was well received by critics and the public alike.

She was given her own television variety show, "The Alice Pearce Show," and continued to work in both film and television.

In 1964, she was cast as the nosy neighbor Gladys Kravitz in the television sitcom "Bewitched." Her hysterical accusations against Samantha, played by Elizabeth Montgomery, and the disbelief of her husband Abner, played by George Tobias, provided a common thread through many of the series' early episodes.

Her scenes were almost entirely reactions to the witchcraft she had witnessed at the house across the street. She played the role until her death in 1966 and was replaced by Sandra Gould.

Alice Pearce was married twice, first to John Rox in 1948, who passed away in 1957, and later to director Paul Davis in 1964. She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and passed away on March 3, 1966, at the age of 48.

She was posthumously awarded a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role in "Bewitched." Her husband, Paul Davis, accepted the award on her behalf.