Former child actress Denise Nickerson will forever be remembered by fans and the general public as the chewing-gum-chewing teenage brat named Violet Beauregarde, who graced our screen in the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. She is also famous for her portrayal of the role of Allison in The Electric Company (1972-1973) and of Amy Jennings, Amy Collins, and Nora Collins in the soap opera Dark Shadows (1968-1970). Read on to learn the details of their personal and professional lives.
Denise Nickerson – Biography
There is a lack of information about the details of her background and formative years, but according to the tidbits we have collected, her date of birth is April 1, 1957. She was born under the sign of Aries in New York City, New York, which means she has American citizenship, but her ethnicity is definitely white.
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5 Key Facts You Need To Know
- Career accomplishments
Denise Nickerson played her first major role at the age of 13 when she played the role of the chewing-gum-chewing brat named Violet Beauregarde in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory in 1971, but she burst into the limelight on the set of Dark Shadows. Her other films include Child of Glass, The Man Who Could Talk to Kids, Smile, and Zero to Sixty. The latter was her last role and she was 21 years old.
In addition to her starring role in Dark Shadows, Denise Nickerson has also played other roles on numerous television shows such as Search for Tomorrow, The Electric Company, and The Brady Bunch. She later moved to the medical billing department, where she worked for nearly 35 years and also worked in aerospace accounting, but had to retire in 2012 due to illness.
- Relationship history
Denise Nickerson has had her fair share of failed relationships in the past; she has two marriages and one divorce. Her first marriage was in 1981 when she exchanged vows with Rick Keller. Their marriage was just two years old when Rick died of a brain aneurysm in 1983.
The former actress had to wait almost 12 years before she decided to enter a second marriage with Mark Willard in 1995. Although the details of her married life are not publicly known, her marriage ended nearly three years later, in 1998, but not before the birth of her son Josh Willard.
- Health status and hospitalization
Denise’s first hospital stay was in 1976 when she had to put her career on hold temporarily after being injured in a traffic accident. She was hit by a vehicle while trying to cross the road and spent eight months in a full leg cast.
The ex-actress’s health began to deteriorate in mid-2018 when she survived a massive stroke, but she was in critical condition and had to spend long periods in the intensive care unit of an unnamed hospital. She was reportedly unable to speak or walk in her critical stage, and the entire right side of her body was numb. They had to put her through an emergency procedure to counteract the effects of the stroke on her body and brain. Eventually, the doctors had to put a pacemaker in her and began to feed her with the help of a tube.
Although she was discharged from the hospital in July, it was recommended that she be transferred to a rehabilitation home where she would receive appropriate care, but Denise Nickerson declined this recommendation and in August she returned home to recover under the love and care of her family.
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- Recovery
According to her son Jasmine’s wife, Denise Nickerson has long since left the hospital and is recovering at home. She seems to be in good spirits as she is among her loved ones.
Her recovery process is gradual as she can now walk a few steps, she is making every effort to walk from the bedroom to the bathroom and she is now able to use the toilet on her own. She has also shown an impressive improvement in her speech as she is now able to say a few words such as “Hello, I love you” and “Good morning”. Her writing ability has not yet returned, as she is unable to scribble anything, and this is largely due to the fact that her hands are still weak, but the best part of her recovery is that she seems to understand what is happening around her. Their only child Josh and his wife Jasmine set up a donation page on Facebook to help pay their medical bills.
- Net Worth
It is believed that Denise Nickerson’s net worth is being reviewed, but there are sources that have estimated it to be under one million dollars. There is no information about the details of her real estate assets and cars.
