Frances Bergen (born Frances Westerman; 14 September 1922 – 2 October 2006) 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.
Bergen was born in Birmingham, Alabama, the daughter of Lillie Mabel (née Howell) and William Westerman. In 1932, her father died of tuberculosis, when Frances was ten years old. Shortly after, her mother mov...
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Frances Bergen (born Frances Westerman; 14 September 1922 – 2 October 2006) 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.
Bergen was born in Birmingham, Alabama, the daughter of Lillie Mabel (née Howell) and William Westerman. 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.
While in New York City, she became a successful John Robert Powers 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....
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