She was born Vivian Roberta Jones, with a brother and four sisters. After the family moved from Cherryvale to Independence, Kansas, she studied drama under Anna Ingleman and William Inge. Their next move, to Albequerque NM brought her to the Albuquerque Little Theatre, which provided her the money she needed to study under Eva Le Gallienne in New York. After arriving in 1932 she had trouble finding work until she began a two-year stint in Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein's "Music in the Air." She next understudied Ethel Merman in "Anything Goes." Her first starring role was as Kay Thompson's last minute replacement in "Hooray for What!" starring Ed Wynn. Other Broadway costars included Danny Kaye, Eve Arden and Nanette Fabray. In 1945 while starring in a touring company of "Voice of the Turtle" she had a nervous breakdown. After undergoing psychotherapy and limited movie work, she returned to "Voice of the Turtle" at the La Jolla Playhouse, where she was seen by Desi Arnaz who decided she was perfect for the role of Ethel Mertz in the "I Love Lucy" television series. At first she didn't want the part (too frumpy), and she always hated being cast as the wife of William Frawley (she was 39, he was 64; the two never got along). After Lucy ended she divorced her third husband, married again, and moved to Stamford Connecticut. In 1962 she began work on a new Lucy show, but the pressures of long-distance comuting didn't suit her, so after three years she limited her performances to guest appearances. In 1974 she and her husband moved to Belvedere (just north of Francisco Bay) so she could be near her sister. Five years later she died there, of cancer.



"I Love Lucy" (1951): $280/week (first season)

First person to win an Emmy Award for 'Best Supporting Actress' [1954] Battled ill-health throughout much of the 1970s, beginning with a series of strokes in 1973. She died of bone cancer. Vance's "I Love Lucy" (1951) co-star, William Frawley, reportedly received a unique deal for early television. His contract called for residuals from "I Love Lucy" (1951) for years after the series ended production in 1957. Unfortunately, Vance did not have a similar clause in her contract. Legend has it that a clause in her television contract required her to stay 10 pounds heavier than costar/producer Lucille Ball. Actually, this contract never existed, at least not in legal, binding form. It was a mock contract given to Vance by Ball as a gag gift sparking the legend it was a real contract. A founding member of the Albuquerque Little Theater, where she played a vamp in "This Thing Called Love" and a nun in "The Cradle Song," the local theater community helped pay her way to New York. The theater in later years was eventually nicknamed The Vivian Vance Playhouse. Best remembered as Lucy's best friend and land lady, Ethel in "I Love Lucy" (1951). Godmother to John Sebastian. She was best friend's with his mother, Jane Sebastian, and mentioned her name in many "I Love Lucy" (1951) episodes. She returned to Broadway in the late 1960s, early 1970s, and usually commanded a $2,500/week salary. When she would return to her hometown of Albequerque, New Mexico, she would only accept a maximum of $250/week for little theater performances. She left "The Lucy Show" (1962) as a regular in 1965, because the weekly commutes between Connecticut and Los Angeles put a strain on her marriage to publishing executive John Dodds. She asked the show for a $500,000 advance, more creative and directorial control,and a raise in weekly pay. These demands were in part to convince Lucille Ball not to try and talk her out of retirement. She would go on to guest star with Lucy in future projects. Appears on a 44¢ USA commemorative postage stamp in the Early Television Memories issue with Lucille Ball, as Lucy Ricardo and Ethel Mertz in a scene from "I Love Lucy: Job Switching (#2.1)" (1952). The stamp was issued 11 August 2009.