Vivian Vance (
July 26 1909 –
August 17 1979)
was an
American Emmy Award-winning
television actress,
theater actress and
singer. Often referred to as “TV’s most beloved
second banana,” she is best known for her role as
sidekick "Ethel Mertz" on the landmark American television
sitcom I Love Lucy.
Biography
Early life
Born
Vivian Roberta Jones in
Cherryvale, Kansas, Vivian was the second of six children born to Robert Jones and Euphemia Ragan.
When she was six years old her family moved to
Independence, Kansas, where she eventually began her dramatic studies under the tutelage of Anna Ingleman and
William Inge. Her love of acting clashed with her mother's strict
religious beliefs, and it wasn't too long before Vivian,
nicknamed "Viv" by friends, became very rebellious, often sneaking out of her bedroom and staying out after
curfew. She soon changed her
surname to Vance (after
folklorist Vance Randolph) and moved to
Tulsa, Oklahoma, to find work as an actress.
