Alice Ghostley
- Known For
- Acting
- Born
- August 14, 1923 in Eve, Missouri, USA
- Died
- September 21, 2007
- Active Years
- 1951–2023 (73 Years)
- Total Credits
- 112 credits in database
Biography
Subject: Alice Ghostley (Acting).
Goal: Factual identity profile.
Constraints:
Use ONLY provided sources.
No invented details (titles, names, dates, etc.).
Write original, neutral, encyclopedic prose.
Plain text only (no markdown, no asterisks, no headings, no bullet points).
Word count: 90-130 words.
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Name: Alice Margaret Ghostley (also Alice M. Gh).
Profession: American actress and singer on stage, film, and television.
Birth: August 14, 1923, in Eve, Missouri, USA.
Death: September 21, 2007 (age 84).
Known roles:
Esmeralda (bumbling witch/bungling insecure) on Bewitched (1969–72).
Cousin Alice on Mayberry R.F.D. (1970–71).
Bernice Clifton on Designing Women (1986–93).
Awards: Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actress (for Designing Women).
Other credits: To Kill a Mockingbird.
Character types: Glum wallflower, drab housewife, klutzy maid, cynical gossip, eccentric character comedienne.
Total known credits: 106.
Alice Margaret Ghostley was an American actress and singer who performed on stage, film, and television. Born on August 14, 1923, in Eve, Missouri, she died on September 21, 2007, at the age of 84. Ghostley was an eccentric character comedienne known for roles such as the bumbling witch Esmeralda on Bewitched from 1969 to 1972, Cousin Alice on Mayberry R.F.D. from 1970 to 1971, and Bernice Clifton on Designing Women from 1986 to 1993. Her work on Designing Women
Career overview
Role: Meticulous television and film archivist.
Task: Write a 180-260 word career overview of Alice Ghostley (Acting).
Constraints:
Use ONLY verifiable facts from provided sources.
No invented titles, names, dates, etc.
Original, neutral, encyclopedic prose.
Plain text only (no markdown, asterisks, headings, bullet points).
Length: 180-260 words.
Structure: 2-3 short paragraphs.
No preamble or JSON.
Name: Alice Margaret Ghostley (also Alice M. Gh).
Born: August 14, 1923, in Eve, Missouri, USA.
Died: September 21, 2007 (84 years old).
Profession: American actress and singer on stage, film, and television.
Known roles:
Esmeralda (bumbling witch/bungling insecure) on Bewitched (1969–72).
Cousin Alice on Mayberry R.F.D. (1970–71).
Bernice Clifton on Designing Women (1986–93).
Awards: Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actress for Designing Women [Source 5].
Other credits/styles: To Kill a Mockingbird; character comedienne (glum wallflower, drab housewife, klutzy maid, cynical gossip).
Total known credits: 106 (TMDB).
Alice Margaret Ghostley was an American actress and singer who worked in stage, film, and television. Born on August 14, 1923, in Eve, Missouri, she was known for her work as an eccentric character comedienne. Her ability to draw laughs from various character types included portraying a glum, withering wallflower, a drab and dowdy housewife, a klutzy maid, or a cynical gossip. She also appeared in To Kill a Mockingbird.
Ghostley is best recognized for several television roles. She played the bumbling witch Esmeralda on Bewitched from 1969 to 1972. She also portrayed Cousin Alice on Mayberry R.F.D. between 1970 and 1971. From 1986 to 1993, she played Bernice Clifton on Designing Women, a role for which she received an Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Throughout her career, she earned 106 known credits. Ghostley passed away on September 21, 2007, at the age of 84.
Paragraph 1: Alice Margaret Ghostley was an American actress and singer who performed on stage, film, and television. Known as an eccentric character comedienne, she possessed the ability to draw laughs from various character types, including a glum, withering wallflower, a drab and dowdy housewife, a klutzy maid, or a cynical gossip. Her acting credits include a role in To Kill a Mockingbird.
Paragraph 2: Ghostley is best known for her television work. She portrayed the bumbling witch Esmeralda on Bewitched from 1969 to 1972. She also appeared as Cousin Alice on Mayberry R.F.D. from 1970 to 1971. Between 1986 and 1993, she played Bernice Clifton on Designing Women, a performance that earned her an Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
Paragraph 3: Born on August 14, 1923, in Eve, Missouri, Ghostley had 106 known credits. She died on September 21, 2007, at the age of 84.
Word Count Check:
P1: ~55 words.
P2: ~65 words.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full Filmography
112 titles- Elizabeth Montgomery: A Bewitched Life (2023) as Self/Esmerelda (archive footage)
- The Grease Story (2017) as Mrs. Murdock (archive footage)
- The Designing Women Reunion (2003)
- Whispers: An Elephant's Tale (2000) as Tuskless (voice)
- Hercules: Zero to Hero (1999) as Miss Cassiopeia (voice) (archive sound)
- Palmer's Pick-Up (1999) as Eleanor Palmer
- Hercules (1998) as Miss Cassiopeia (voice)
- Addams Family Reunion (1998) as Granny
- The Odd Couple II (1998) as Esther
- Hard Time (1998) as Apartment Manager
- Dharma & Greg (1997) as Mrs. Binns
- 101 Dalmatians Series (1997)
- Channel Umptee-3 (1997) as Pandora Rickets (voice)
- Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (1996) as Great-Grandma
- E! True Hollywood Story (1996)
- Cybill (1995)
- The Client (1995) as Aunt Mabel
- Izzy's Quest For Olympic Gold (1995) as Coriba (voice)
- Touched by an Angel (1994) as Mrs. DeWinter
- Diagnosis: Murder (1993) as Mrs. Groviak
- Daddy Dearest (1993)
- Cobra (1993)
- Rugrats (1991)
- Evening Shade (1990)
- Perry Mason: The Case of the Silenced Singer (1990) as Sarah McDevitt
- B.L. Stryker (1989)
- Second Chance (1987) as Agnes Wilton
- Designing Women (1986) as Bernice Clifton
- The Golden Girls (1985) as Mrs. Zbornak
- Small Wonder (1985) as Ida Mae
- What's Happening Now!! (1985)
- Stir Crazy (1985)
- Tales from the Darkside (1984) as Elinor Colander
- Highway to Heaven (1984)
- Punky Brewster (1984) as Mrs. Winston
- Mama Malone (1984)
- Not for Publication (1984) as Doris Denver
- The Hoboken Chicken Emergency (1984) as Narrator - Mrs. Gluckschen
- Madame's Place (1982) as Self
- Simon & Simon (1981)
- Gimme a Break! (1981)
- Madame in Manhattan (1981) as Herself
- Trapper John, M.D. (1979)
- Friends (1979)
- Grease (1978) as Mrs. Murdock
- America 2-Night (1978)
- Rabbit Test (1978) as Nurse Tumm
- Record City (1978) as Worried Wife
- CHiPs (1977) as Mamie
- Blue Sunshine (1977) as O'Malley's Neighbor
- 'Twas the Night Before Christmas (1977)
- Family (1976)
- What's Happening!! (1976) as Mrs. Turner
- All's Fair (1976)
- Monster Squad (1976) as Queen Bee
- Gator (1976) as Emmeline Cavanaugh
- The Nancy Walker Show (1976)
- One Day at a Time (1975)
- Big Eddie (1975)
- Police Woman (1974)
- Good Times (1974)
- Chico and the Man (1974)
- Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974) as Dr. Agnes Temple
- Here We Go Again (1973) as Mrs. Nicholson
- Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies (1973) as Sister Lite
- Maude (1972)
- Ghost Story (1972) as Betty Carter
- Temperatures Rising (1972) as Mrs. Lindsey
- Temperatures Rising (1972) as Edwina Moffitt
- The Julie Andrews Hour (1972) as Self
- The Flim Flam Man (1972) as Mrs. Packard
- Great Performances (1971) as Mrs.Taylor
- Nichols (1971) as Bertha
- Two on a Bench (1971) as Mrs. Kramer
- The Odd Couple (1970) as Mimi
- Love, American Style (1969) as Mom
- Love, American Style (1969) as Mrs. Billingley
- Love, American Style (1969) as Gladys
- Viva Max! (1969) as Hattie
- It Takes a Thief (1968) as Miss Prillo
- Mayberry R.F.D. (1968) as Alice Cooper
- The Ghost & Mrs. Muir (1968)
- With Six You Get Eggroll (1968) as Molly
- The Graduate (1967) as Mrs. Singleman
- He & She (1967) as Norma Nugent
- Captain Nice (1967) as Mrs. Nash
- The Flim-Flam Man (1967) as Mrs. Packard
- Hogan's Heroes (1965) as Gertrude Linkmeyer
- Get Smart (1965) as Naomi Farkas
- Please Don't Eat the Daisies (1965)
- The Trials of O'Brien (1965)
- Bewitched (1964)
- Bewitched (1964) as Naomi Hogan
- Bewitched (1964) as Esmeralda
- The Farmer's Daughter (1963)
- My Six Loves (1963) as Selena Johnson
- The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962) as Self
- Jackie Gleason and His American Scene Magazine (1962) as Agnes
- To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) as Aunt Stephanie Crawford
- The Dow Hour of Great Mysteries (1960) as Charlotte
- The Tom Ewell Show (1960)
- Play of the Week (1959)
- Naked City (1958) as Clara
- Twelfth Night (1957) as Maria
- Cinderella (1957) as Stepsister Joy
- Playwrights '56 (1955)
- The Best of Broadway (1954)
- New Faces (1954) as Alice Ghostley
- The United States Steel Hour (1953)
- General Electric Theater (1953)
- Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951) as Maria
- Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951) as Miss Brinklow
Frequently Asked Questions
What movies or TV shows is Alice Ghostley best known for?
Alice Ghostley is widely recognized for notable roles and projects including Elizabeth Montgomery: A Bewitched Life (2023), Hercules: Zero to Hero (1999), Palmer's Pick-Up (1999), The Aviator (2004).
When and where was Alice Ghostley born?
Alice Ghostley was born on August 14, 1923 in Eve, Missouri, USA. They passed away on September 21, 2007.
How many credits does Alice Ghostley have?
Alice Ghostley has accumulated over 112 film and television credits across a career spanning from 1951 to 2023.
What is Alice Ghostley's background in cinema and television?
Subject: Alice Ghostley (Acting). Goal: Factual identity profile. Constraints: Use ONLY provided sources. No invented details (titles, names, dates, etc.). Write original, neutral, encyclopedic prose. Plain text only (no markdown, no asterisks, no headings, no bullet points). Word count: 90-130 words. No preamble, no J...
Alice Ghostley by the numbers
Age in their best-rated roles
- Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951) as Maria — aged about 27
- Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951) as Miss Brinklow — aged about 27
- America 2-Night (1978) — aged about 54
- Good Times (1974) — aged about 50
- To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) as Aunt Stephanie Crawford — aged about 38
- Madame's Place (1982) as Self — aged about 58
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