Sandra Gould was a popular American actress, best known for her role as Gladys Kravitz on the sitcom Bewitched. She was the second actress to portray the nosy neighbor of the witch Samantha, after Alice Pearce died of ovarian cancer in 1966. Gould appeared in over 100 episodes of Bewitched, and became a fan favorite with her over-the-top performance and shrill voice. But how did Sandra Gould die, and was she a victim of the rumored Bewitched curse?
Early Life and Career
Sandra Gould was born on July 23, 1916 in Brooklyn, New York. She began acting in films with an uncredited role in T-Men (1947), and was the phone operator in Romance on the High Seas (1948), Doris Day’s debut film. She appeared in several uncredited roles for the remainder of the decade, and received her first screen credit with The Story of Molly X (1949).
During the same decade, Gould enjoyed a four-year run as Miss Duffy, the man-hungry daughter of the forever-unheard owner of radio’s Duffy’s Tavern. She also guest starred in many television shows, such as I Love Lucy, I Married Joan, December Bride, Maverick, The Flintstones, The Twilight Zone, The Lucy Show, Burke’s Law, I Dream of Jeannie, Love, American Style, Gilligan’s Island, The Brady Bunch and Mister Ed. She played a prominent supporting role in the film The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966).
In 1963, Gould released a comedy single record entitled Hello Melvin (This Is Mama) as an answer to Allan Sherman’s hit Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh. She also wrote a book called Always Say Maybe, “a modern girl’s guide to almost everything—but mostly men”, published by Golden Press in 1961.
Bewitched and Beyond
In September 1966, Gould replaced her friend Alice Pearce as Gladys Kravitz on Bewitched. Pearce had been battling ovarian cancer during the second season of the show, and died in March 1966. The producers were undecided about what to do with the character of Gladys, so at first they had actress Mary Grace Canfield brought in to play Harriet Kravitz, Abner’s sister, who was visiting him while his wife was visiting her mother. Soon after, Sandra Gould got the role of Mrs. Kravitz when actress-comedian Alice Ghostley turned down the role.
Gould made the character her own with her exaggerated expressions and reactions to Samantha’s witchcraft. She often tried to convince her husband Abner that something strange was going on next door, but he never believed her. Gould remained with the series through its seventh season. The Kravitzes were referenced once in the final/eighth season but the characters did not appear.
After Bewitched was cancelled in 1972, Gould reprised the role of Gladys five years later in a spin-off of the series, Tabitha. She also made appearances on Columbo, The Brady Bunch, Adam-12, Punky Brewster, Friends and Veronica’s Closet.
Death and Legacy
Gould died on July 20, 1999 in Burbank, California of a stroke following heart surgery1, three days before her 83rd birthday. She was survived by her daughter Tracy Brooks Swope1, whom she adopted with her first husband Larry Berns. Her second husband Hollingsworth Morse had died in 1988.
Gould was one of many cast members of Bewitched who died prematurely or under tragic circumstances. This led some fans to speculate that the show was cursed. Some of the other deaths include:
Dick York (Darrin Stephens): Died of emphysema at age 63 in 1992.
Dick Sargent (Darrin Stephens): Died of prostate cancer at age 64 in 1994.
Elizabeth Montgomery (Samantha Stephens): Died of colorectal cancer at age 62 in 1995.
Agnes Moorehead (Endora): Died of uterine cancer at age 73 in 1974.
David White (Larry Tate): Died of a heart attack at age 74 in 19904. His son Jonathan White was killed in the Lockerbie bombing in 1988.
Marion Lorne (Aunt Clara): Died of a heart attack at age 84 in 1968.
Paul Lynde (Uncle Arthur): Died of a heart attack at age 55 in 1982.
Alice Pearce (Gladys Kravitz): Died of ovarian cancer at age 48 in 1966.
Sandra Gould was a talented and versatile actress who brought laughter and joy to millions of viewers. She will always be remembered as the hilarious and lovable Gladys Kravitz, who never gave up on trying to expose the truth about her bewitching neighbors.
