Frances Bergen
Encyclopedia
Frances Bergen was an American actress and fashion model. She was the wife of ventriloquist Edgar Bergen
and the mother of actress Candice
and film & television editor Kris Bergen.
, the daughter of Lillie Mabel (née Howell) and William Westerman. Her paternal grandfather Frank Westerman was German
. In 1932, her father died of tuberculosis, when Frances was ten years old. Shortly after, her mother moved the family to Los Angeles. In 1936, she suffered a skull fracture in an auto accident, at age 14. While recuperating, she was given a Charlie McCarthy doll to cheer her up.
model. She was "the Chesterfield
Girl" and "the Ipana
Girl" in magazines and on billboards. She was thereafter professionally known as Frances Westcott.
As an actress, Bergen had supporting or minor roles in a number of films. She made her debut in Titanic
(1953), after which she appeared in Robert Z. Leonard
's Her Twelve Men
(1954), and Douglas Sirk
's Interlude (1957). During the 1958-1959 television season, Frances became the recurring love interest on the cult western show Yancy Derringer
as Madame Francine, the strong willed but beautiful owner of a members-only gambling house in New Orleans set in 1868.
Frances also made numerous other appearances on television, with guest starring roles on The Millionaire, The Dick Powell Show
, Barnaby Jones
, MacGyver
, and Murder, She Wrote
.
She returned to films in the 1980s, with small roles in American Gigolo
, The Sting II
, The Muppets Take Manhattan
, The Morning After, and Made in America
, among others. She had a major part in Henry Jaglom
's independently made film Eating (1990). She also appeared on two episodes of Murphy Brown
, her daughter's hit show, including Part One of the series finale
in 1998.
after a radio program when he was 38 and she was only 19. Westerman, who graduated from Los Angeles High School the year before, was in the audience of Edgar Bergen's radio program as the guest of a member of his staff. Sitting in the front row, the young fashion model's long legs caught the attention of Bergen, who asked to meet her. The two were married in Mexico, after years of a long distance courtship, on June 28, 1945, and remained happily married until Edgar's death in 1978 at age 75.
She dated actor Craig Stevens
after the death of his wife of many years, Alexis Smith
.
in Los Angeles of undisclosed causes on October 2, 2006, aged 84. She was laid to rest beside her husband Edgar Bergen in Inglewood Park Cemetery, Inglewood, California
. She was survived by her daughter Candice, her son Kris, and her granddaughter Chloé Malle (b. 1985).
Edgar Bergen
Edgar John Bergen was an American actor and radio performer, best known as a ventriloquist.-Early life:...
and the mother of actress Candice
Candice Bergen
Candice Patricia Bergen is an American actress and former fashion model.She is known for starring in two TV series, as the title character on the situation comedy Murphy Brown , for which she won five Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards; and as Shirley Schmidt on the comedy-drama Boston Legal...
and film & television editor Kris Bergen.
Early life
Bergen was born in Birmingham, AlabamaBirmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
, the daughter of Lillie Mabel (née Howell) and William Westerman. Her paternal grandfather Frank Westerman was German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
. In 1932, her father died of tuberculosis, when Frances was ten years old. Shortly after, her mother moved the family to Los Angeles. In 1936, she suffered a skull fracture in an auto accident, at age 14. While recuperating, she was given a Charlie McCarthy doll to cheer her up.
Career
While in New York City, she became a successful John Robert PowersJohn Robert Powers
John Robert Powers was an American actor and founder of a prominent New York City modeling agency.In 1923, John Robert Powers founded a modeling agency. The John Robert Powers Agency represented many models who went on to success in the Hollywood film industry, and even Betty Bloomer who became...
model. She was "the Chesterfield
Chesterfield (cigarette)
Chesterfield is a brand of cigarette made by Altria. It was one of the most recognized brands of the early 20th century, but sales have declined steadily over the years. It was named for Chesterfield County, Virginia. Chesterfield is still being made today; it is still popular in Europe, but has...
Girl" and "the Ipana
Ipana
Ipana was a very popular toothpaste in the 20th century with its famous Disney-created mascot named Bucky Beaver joining the Ipana marketing efforts in the 1950s....
Girl" in magazines and on billboards. She was thereafter professionally known as Frances Westcott.
As an actress, Bergen had supporting or minor roles in a number of films. She made her debut in Titanic
Titanic (1953 film)
Titanic is a 1953 American drama film directed by Jean Negulesco. Its plot centers on an estranged couple sailing on the maiden voyage of the , which took place in April 1912.-Plot:...
(1953), after which she appeared in Robert Z. Leonard
Robert Z. Leonard
Robert Zigler Leonard was an American film director, actor, producer and screenwriter.He was born in Chicago, Illinois...
's Her Twelve Men
Her Twelve Men
Her Twelve Men is a 1954 comedy drama film made by MGM. It was directed by Robert Z. Leonard, and written by William Roberts and Laura Z. Hobson, based on story by Louise Baker.-Cast:*Greer Garson as Jan Stewart*Robert Ryan as Joe Hargrave...
(1954), and Douglas Sirk
Douglas Sirk
Douglas Sirk was a Danish-German film director best known for his work in Hollywood melodramas in the 1950s.-Life and work:...
's Interlude (1957). During the 1958-1959 television season, Frances became the recurring love interest on the cult western show Yancy Derringer
Yancy Derringer
Yancy Derringer is an American Western series that ran on CBS from 1958 to 1959, with Jock Mahoney in the title role. It was produced by Derringer Productions and filmed in Hollywood by Desilu Productions...
as Madame Francine, the strong willed but beautiful owner of a members-only gambling house in New Orleans set in 1868.
Frances also made numerous other appearances on television, with guest starring roles on The Millionaire, The Dick Powell Show
The Dick Powell Show
The Dick Powell Show is an American anthology series that ran on NBC from 1961- 1963, primarily sponsored by the Reynolds Metals Company. It was hosted by longtime film star Dick Powell until his death from lymphatic cancer on January 2, 1963, then by a series of guest hosts until the series ended...
, Barnaby Jones
Barnaby Jones
Barnaby Jones is a television detective series starring Buddy Ebsen and Lee Meriwether as father- and daughter-in-law who run a private detective firm in Los Angeles. A spin-off from Cannon, the show ran on CBS from January 28, 1973 to April 3, 1980, beginning as a midseason replacement...
, MacGyver
MacGyver
MacGyver is an American action-adventure television series created by Lee David Zlotoff. Henry Winkler and John Rich were the executive producers. The show ran for seven seasons on ABC in the United States and various other networks abroad from 1985 to 1992. The series was filmed in Los Angeles...
, and Murder, She Wrote
Murder, She Wrote
Murder, She Wrote is an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network, with 264 episodes transmitted. It was followed by four TV films and a spin-off series,...
.
She returned to films in the 1980s, with small roles in American Gigolo
American Gigolo
American Gigolo is a 1980 crime drama film, written and directed by Paul Schrader. It is informally considered the second installment in his "lonely man" trilogy, following the Martin Scorsese directed Taxi Driver and preceding Light Sleeper .-Plot:Julian Kaye is a male prostitute in Los Angeles...
, The Sting II
The Sting
The Sting is a 1973 American caper film set in September 1936 that involves a complicated plot by two professional grifters to con a mob boss . The film was directed by George Roy Hill, who previously directed Newman and Redford in the western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.Created by...
, The Muppets Take Manhattan
The Muppets Take Manhattan
The Muppets Take Manhattan is the third of a series of live-action musical feature films starring Jim Henson's Muppets, and also the final film before Henson's death. This film was produced by Henson Associates and TriStar Pictures, and was filmed on location in New York City during the summer of...
, The Morning After, and Made in America
Made in America (film)
Made in America is a 1993 comedy film released on May 28, 1993 by Warner Bros. starring Whoopi Goldberg and Ted Danson, and featuring Nia Long, Jennifer Tilly and Will Smith.-Plot:...
, among others. She had a major part in Henry Jaglom
Henry Jaglom
- Life and career :Born January 26, 1941 in London, England to Simon and Marie Jaglom, Henry Jaglom trained with Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio in New York, where he acted, wrote and directed off-Broadway theater and cabaret before settling in Hollywood in the late 1960s...
's independently made film Eating (1990). She also appeared on two episodes of Murphy Brown
Murphy Brown
Murphy Brown is an American situation comedy which aired on CBS from November 14, 1988, to May 18, 1998, for a total of 247 episodes. The program starred Candice Bergen as the eponymous Murphy Brown, a famous investigative journalist and news anchor for FYI, a fictional CBS television...
, her daughter's hit show, including Part One of the series finale
Series finale
A series finale refers to the last installment of a series with a narrative presented through mediums such as television, film and literature. In many Commonwealth countries, the term final episode is commonly used in regards to a television series...
in 1998.
Personal life & death
In 1941, Westerman met Edgar BergenEdgar Bergen
Edgar John Bergen was an American actor and radio performer, best known as a ventriloquist.-Early life:...
after a radio program when he was 38 and she was only 19. Westerman, who graduated from Los Angeles High School the year before, was in the audience of Edgar Bergen's radio program as the guest of a member of his staff. Sitting in the front row, the young fashion model's long legs caught the attention of Bergen, who asked to meet her. The two were married in Mexico, after years of a long distance courtship, on June 28, 1945, and remained happily married until Edgar's death in 1978 at age 75.
She dated actor Craig Stevens
Craig Stevens (actor)
Craig Stevens was an American motion picture and television actor.-Early and personal life:Born Gail Shikles, Jr., in Liberty, Missouri, his father was a high school teacher....
after the death of his wife of many years, Alexis Smith
Alexis Smith
Alexis Smith was a Canadian-born stage, film, and television actress. She appeared in several major Hollywood movies in the 1940s and had a notable career on Broadway in the 1970s, winning a Tony Award in 1972.-Life and career:...
.
Death
Bergen died at Cedars-Sinai Medical CenterCedars-Sinai Medical Center
Originally established as Kaspare Cohn Hospital in 1902, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a non-profit, tertiary 958-bed hospital and multi-specialty academic health science centre located in Los Angeles, California, US. Part of the Cedars-Sinai Health System, the hospital employs a staff of over...
in Los Angeles of undisclosed causes on October 2, 2006, aged 84. She was laid to rest beside her husband Edgar Bergen in Inglewood Park Cemetery, Inglewood, California
Inglewood, California
Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, southwest of downtown Los Angeles. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. Its population stood at 109,673 as of the 2010 Census...
. She was survived by her daughter Candice, her son Kris, and her granddaughter Chloé Malle (b. 1985).
External links
- Frances Bergen, 84, Actress and Model, Dies BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS on October 8, 2006