David Mandel-Bloch & The Other Bewitched Actors Who Are Still Alive

Summary

• Bewitched was a magical sitcom from 1964 that broke stereotypes with its strong female characters and smart writing.
• The main cast members like Elizabeth Montgomery and Dick York have passed away, but their legacy lives on in TV history.
• Adam Stephens actor David Mandel-Bloch, one of the few surviving cast members, co-owns a restaurant with his twin brother Greg.

David Mandel-Bloch is one of only three actors from the main Bewitched cast who’s still alive. The 1964 Bewitched series kicked off a magical franchise, leading to spin-offs, an animated adaptation, and a theatrical Bewitched movie remake starring Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell. The fantasy sitcom follows a witch named Samantha who marries an ordinary man, Darrin, and tries to lead a normal suburban life. Samantha’s family is not a fan of the marriage and frequently interferes with their lives, usually with Darrin the hapless victim of their many spells gone wrong.

Bewitched garnered 22 Emmy nominations over its eight seasons and has been celebrated for its portrayal of women, who were often stereotyped as simplistic and insecure in TV shows of the era. Samantha and her family, particularly the women, are capable, independent, and generally get one over on the men. Beyond its more modern sensibilities, Bewitched is beloved for its snappy dialogue, performed by a well-rounded cast who all impressive resumes that extend past the sitcom. Most of the cast have passed on, but they leave a legacy of impressive performances.

David & Greg Mandel-Bloch (AKA David & Greg Lawrence)

As Adam Stephens

David Mandel-Bloch, credited as David Lawrence, first appeared in Bewitched season 6 as Adam Stephens, the second child born to Samantha and Darrin. David and his uncredited twin brother Gregappeared in 17 episodes of the show collectively. Neither brother pursued acting after the series in any significant way and they now co-own a restaurant (via SlashFilm).

The pair were originally selected for the show due to the similarity of their eyebrows to Samantha actress Elizabeth Montgomery. Neither brother recalls much from those early shooting days, but they have mentioned they have a fond memory of an episode that required the actors to be hooked up to a harness and flung across the screen.

Erin Murphy

As Tabitha Stephens

Aside from David & Greg Mandel-Bloch, Erin Murphy is the only other living cast member from the original Bewitched series. Murphy plays Tabitha, Samantha and Darrin’s daughter in the show, starting in season 3. At first, Murphy split playing Tabitha with her uncredited fraternal twin sister, Diane, but as the girls grew up and began to look different, Erin took over the role alone. Murphy went on to appear in an episode of Lassie before taking a long break from the industry, which was expected considering her young age.

She’s only appeared in a few roles since her Bewitched days, on TV playing a fictionalzed version of herself in The Comeback Kids and reprising her role as Tabitha in the series TV Therapy where fictional characters are given a psychological exam. More notably, Murphy has worked as a host and correspondent for TVLand, Fox Reality Channel, TVGasm.com, and E! She has also appeared in the reality series I Know My Kid’s a Star, Groomer Has It, and Drag U.

Bewitched Actors Who Have Passed Away

Most Of The Cast, Including Elizabeth Montgomery, Are Gone

Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha Stephens: Samantha Stephens, the witch at the center of Bewitched, was played by the late Elizabeth Montgomery, who passed away on May 18, 1995, at the age of 65. Montgomery earned four Golden Globe nominations and five Emmy nominations for her Bewitched performance. She was crucial to rounding out the character of Samantha and even hardcore fans may not know that Montgomery invented the famous nose twitch in Bewitched.

Montgomery’s career did not stop with Bewitched, and she earned three more Emmy nominations for her roles in the TV shows The Awakening Land as Sayward Luckett Wheeler, A Case of Rape as Ellen Harrod, and The Legend of Lizzie Borden​​​​​ as Lizzie Borden.

Dick York as Darrin Stephens (Seasons 1-5): Dick York appeared in the first five seasons of Bewitched as Darrin Stephens before he had to leave the show due to declining physical health, and he would not act much more before passing away on February 20, 1992, at the age of 63. York earned an Emmy nomination for his performance on Bewitched as the overreactive and frustrated Darrin.

Before the sitcom, York has a successful TV career playing Tom Colwell in Going My Way, multiple characters in Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and smaller roles in series like Rawhide and The Twilight Zone​​​​​​. York’s film career includes performances in Inherit the Wind as Bertram Cates, They Came to Cordura as Private Renziehausen where he suffered the back injury that would take him out of Bewitched, and The Last Blitzkrieg as Sergeant Ludwig.

Dick Sargent as Darrin Stephens (Seasons 6-8): After York’s physical condition prevented him from participating in Bewitched any longer, Dick Sargent stepped in for season 6 on. Sargent passed away on July 8, 1994, at the age of 64, but was a prolific TV and movie actor up till that point. On television, Sargent notably co-starred in Down to Earth as Richard Preston, Broadside as Lt. Maxwell Trotter, and One Happy Family as Dick Cooper. Sargent’s film career includes roles in Teen Witch as Frank Miller, The Clonus Horror as Dr. Jameson, and Hardcore as Wes DeJong.

Agnes Moorehead as Endora: Agnes Moorehead, who passed away on April 30, 1974, at the age of 73, played Endora in the show, Samantha’s meddling mother who disproves of mortals, and plays tricks on Darrin for the fun of it. Moorehead earned six Emmy nominations for her role in Bewitched but her only win at the ceremony came in 1967 with her performance in The Wild Wild West as Emma Valentine.

Moorehead was also nominated for four Academy Awards, all in the Best Supporting Actress category for her roles in The Magnificent Ambersons as Fanny Minafer, Mrs. Parkington as Baroness Aspasia Conti, Johnny Belinda as Aggie MacDonald, and Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte as Velma Cruther. She also appeared in the notorious John Wayne movie The Conqueror as Hunlun.

David White as Larry Tate: Larry Tate is Darrin’s boss and friend who is constantly on the lookout for a way to turn a profit on his and Darrin’s business. David White, who plays Larry, passed away on November 27, 1990, at the age of 74. White had many one-episode roles on famed shows like The A-Team as Rudy, The Incredible Hulk as Archer Hewitt, Mary Tyler Moore Show as Mr. Cobb, and Bonanza as Mr. Pendleton. His film career is not quite as notable, but he did appear in the main cast of Brewster’s Millions as George Granville.

Irene Vernon as Louise Tate (Seasons 1-2): Irene Vernon plays Louise Tate, Larry’s wife and Samantha’s closest friend, in the first two seasons of Bewitched. The reason for her departing is not agreed upon, but there’s reason to believe Vernon was pressured to exit the series by Elizabeth Montgomery and Montgomery’s husband, director William Asher, as told in Twitch Upon a Star, Montgomery’s biography.

Vernon went uncredited in many of the movies she performed in, but does have a bigger role in The Sound of Fury as Helen Stanton. Her television roles were generally of the guest variety. She appeared in Fireside Theatre as Mary Ryan, Dennis the Menace as Mrs. Fleming, and The Lone Ranger as Amy Darbie. Vernon passed away on April 21, 1998, at the age of 76.

Kasey Rogers as Louise Tate (Seasons 3-8): From seasons 3 through 8, Kasey Rogers took over the role of Louise Tate. Rogers appeared in close to 100 TV shows and movies in her career, and her most notable television performances include Julie Anderson in Peyton Place, Irma Knudsen in Wide Country, and Mary Mason in The Lone Ranger. Her memorable movie roles include Elena in Deadline for Murder and Miriam Joyce Haines in Strangers on a Train. Rogers died on July 6, 2006, at the age of 80.

Alice Pearce as Gladys Kravitz (Seasons 1-2): Alice Pearce portrayed Gladys Kravitz for two seasons before she passed away due to complications from cancer on March 3, 1966, at the age of 48. Gladys is the Stephens’ nosy neighbor who is suspicious of the witches next door but is unable to prove anything fantastical is ever going on.

Pearce won an Emmyfor Actress in a Supporting Role for this performance. Her other memorable TV credits include Lucy Tarbell in two episodes of Dennis the Menace and Annie Moakum in Jamie. Pearce’s film roles include Mrs. Mulligan in Kiss Me, Stupid and Olga in The Opposite Sex​​​​​​.

Sandra Gould as Gladys Kravitz (Seasons 3-8): Sandra Gould stepped in to replace Pearce after she passed and played Gladys as a much more antagonistic and mean-spirited character, set on uncovering the Stephens’ magical abilities. Before Gould passed away on July 20, 1999, she appeared in a number of uncredited roles. Some of her notable TV performances include multiple characters in I Married Joan, Winnie in The Bill Dana Show, and Mrs. Yurtzoff in Punky Brewster. In film, Gould played Mrs. Sloan in Dear Heart and Mrs. G in Deep Cover​​​​​​.

George Tobias as Abner Kravitz: Abner is Gladys’ husband in Bewitched, played by George Tobias, who passed away on February 27, 1980, at the age of 78. Abner has little patience for his wife or the wild stories she tells about the “magical” next-door neighbors. Tobias is best known for playing “Pusher” Ross in Sergeant York, Maxie Twardofsky in This Is the Army, and Vassili Markovitch in Silk Stockings.

Watch on Amazon Prime Video