‘Brady Bunch’ Actress Ann B. Davis Dies At 88

Comic actress Ann B. Davis, who played the devoted housekeeper Alice on the television sitcom “The Brady Bunch” and won two Emmy awards as the forever-single secretary Schultzy on “The Bob Cummings Show,” died on Sunday at age 88.

Episcopal Bishop William C. Frey, a close friend of Davis, said she hit her head and suffered a subdural hematoma during a rough fall in a bathroom on Saturday and never woke up. Davis had been living with Frey and his wife, Barbara, since 1976. The 88-year-old was reportedly healthy and even walked downstairs to say goodnight before going to bed.

Her path as an actress took charge after a performance of “Oklahoma” featuring her brother, Evan, changed her ambitions to acting while attending University of Michigan as a pre-med student. She graduated in 1948 with a B.A. in Theatre.

Prior to playing Alice on The Brady Bunch from 1969 to 1974, Davis won two Emmys for her portrayal of secretary Charmaine Schultz on “The Bob Cummings Show” in the late 1950s. But it was the indefatigable Alice who made Davis an unforgettable TV luminary.

Though her character’s job description was housekeeper, Alice was a rock in the blended family’s whirlwind of preadolescent drama, serving as an adviser, fixer, comic relief and shoulder to cry on. Her asides gave the audience a relatable point of view amid the absurdity, and yet she had her own life, too, most notably with her on-again, off-again romance with Sam the Butcher.

She continued to act on rare occasions even when the Brady Bunch ended in 1974 and appeared in several reunions for the show. The next chapter of her life brought Davis back to her Episcopalian roots and on the road with Frey and his religious community, up until her death.