Frances Bergen Biography

Frances Bergen was an actress and model. She was also wife to actor and ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and mother to actress Candice Bergen who would go on to star in the television comedy series, "Murphy Brown". Frances Bergen was born Frances Westerman on September 14, 1922 in Birmingham, Alabama to William and Lillie Mae Westerman. In 1932, Bergen's father passed away from tuberculosis. Shortly after, Bergen and her mother moved out west to Los Angeles, California. In 1936, Bergen fractured her skull in an automobile accident. While in California, Bergen attended Los Angeles High School. After she graduated, Bergen moved to New York City where she worked for John Robert Powers as a fashion model and her last name was changed to Westcott.

Bergen soon got modeling gigs as "the Ipana Girl" as well as "the Chesterfield Cigarette Girl". In 1941, she attended Edgar Bergen's radio show. The star of the show asked to meet the young model and soon after the couple began dating. On June 28, 1945, they married in Mexico. The marriage would endure until her husband's death in 1978. The union produced two children, future actress Candice of "Murphy Brown" fame and son Kris who would become a TV and film editor.

In 1953, Bergen made her film debut in, "Titanic" with Clifton Webb, Barbara Stanwyck and Robert Wagner. The film was nominated for two Academy Awards with one win. The following year, Bergen starred in the comedy drama, "Her Twelve Men" with Greer Garson and Robert Ryan. Three years later brought the romantic film drama entitled, "Interlude" with June Allyson. Bergen also found time for television by starring in, "Four Star Playhouse" (1956), "Jane Wyman Presents The Fireside Theatre" (1958), "Yancy Derringer" (1959), "The Millionaire" (1960), "Shirley Temple's Storybook" (1960), "The Dick Powell Show" (1962) and "Barnaby Jones" (1977).

In 1980, Bergen appeared in the crime film drama, "American Gigolo" with Richard Gere, Lauren Hutton and Hector Elizondo. The picture was nominated for two Golden Globes. The following year, Bergen starred in the film drama, "Rich and Famous" with her daughter Candice, Jacqueline Bisset, Meg Ryan and Nicole Eggert. In 1983, she appeared in the crime thriller entitled, "The Star Chamber" with Michael Douglas, Hal Holbrook and Sharon Gless. In later years, Bergen starred on "Murder, She Wrote" and on her daughter's show, "Murphy Brown" in 1998 which was her last acting role. On October 2, 2006, Bergen passed away at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. She was 84 years old. Bergen is currently buried at Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California next to her husband, Edgar.