Denise Nickerson - wikipedia Denise Nickerson This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources. ( August 2016 ) Denise Nickerson Nickerson at Wizard World Chicago in 2011 ( 1957 - 04 - 01 ) April 1, 1957 ( age 61 ) New York City, New York, U.S. Occupation Actress, singer Years active 1965 -- 1978 Known for Violet Beauregarde in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory Allison on The Electric Company Amy Jennings, Nora Collins on Dark Shadows Spouse ( s ) Rich Keller ( m. 1981 ; his death 1983 ) Mark Willard ( m. 1995 ; div. 1998 ) Children Denise Nickerson ( born April 1, 1957 ) is an American former child actress and former singer best known for her roles as the gum - chewing Violet Beauregarde in the 1971 movie Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Allison on The Electric Company and Amy Jennings and Nora Collins in the soap opera Dark Shadows. Contents 1 Career 2 Post-acting career 3 Personal life 4 Filmography 5 References 6 External links Career Born in New York City, Nickerson made appearances in the late 1960s on such shows as The Doctors, and opposite Bill Bixby in an unsold television pilot called Rome Sweet Rome. Nickerson 's big break came in 1968 when she joined the cast of ABC - TV 's Dark Shadows, appearing as recurring characters Amy Jennings and Nora Collins from 1968 -- 1970. Upon leaving Dark Shadows, she appeared in the 1971 television movie The Neon Ceiling. In 1971, Nickerson was cast as the nymphet Lolita in the 1971 ill - fated musical, Lolita, My Love during its run on Boston, which closed on the road. Also at this time, Nickerson landed her signature role as gum - chewing Violet Beauregarde in the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. From 1972 -- 73, Nickerson joined the cast of The Electric Company as `` Allison '', a member of the Short Circus music group. Producers saw the potential in the fresh - faced Nickerson and often had her singing lead on several songs, including `` The Sweet Sweet Sway. '' She also guest starred as Pamela ( one of two dates Peter Brady had on one night ) in one of the final The Brady Bunch episodes, `` Two Petes in a Pod ''. She also auditioned for the role of Regan MacNeil, a role that ultimately went to Linda Blair, in The Exorcist. Denise created the role of Liza Walton on the CBS soap, Search for Tomorrow. She remained with the series until they decided to age the character and make her one of the show 's romantic heroines. In 1973 Denise starred in the TV movie The Man Who Could Talk to Kids, opposite Peter Boyle and Scott Jacoby. In 1975 she appeared in the satiric, beauty - pageant inspired motion picture Smile, as Miss San Diego 's Shirley Tolstoy ( also starring a young Melanie Griffith and Annette O'Toole. ) Nickerson 's career was temporarily put on hold in November 1976 when she was struck by a car while crossing the street. The injury landed her in a full leg cast for eight months. Afterwards, she appeared in the 1978 films Zero to Sixty and TV film Child of Glass. Post-acting career Nickerson turned 21 in 1978, and opted to quit acting at that time. Since then, she has appeared on television sporadically, such as an episode of the 2000 -- 2002 John O'Hurley version of To Tell the Truth, as contestant number two. Personal life Nickerson has been married twice. Her first marriage was to Rick Keller in 1981 ; he died two years later of a brain aneurysm. Her second marriage was to Mark Willard in 1995 ; they had one son, Josh, before divorcing in 1998. Filmography Flipper ( 1965 ) - Tina Dark Shadows ( 1968 -- 1970 ) - Amy Jennings, Nora Collins, Amy Collins The Neon Ceiling ( 1971 ; TV Movie ) - Paula Miller Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory ( 1971 ) - Violet Beauregarde Search for Tomorrow ( 1971 -- 1972 ) - Liza Walton Kaslo Sentell Kendall Owen Marshall : Counselor at Law ( 1972 ) - Ardis Carpenter The Electric Company ( 1972 -- 1973 ) - Allison The Man Who Could Talk to Kids ( 1973 ; TV Movie ) - Dena Pingitore The Brady Bunch ( 1974 ) - Pamela Phillips If I Love You, Am I Trapped Forever ? ( 1974 ; TV Movie ) - Sophie Pennington Smile ( 1975 ) - Shirley The Dark Side of Innocence ( 1976 ; TV Movie ) - Gabriela Hancock Bert D'Angelo / Superstar ( 1976 ) Walt Disney 's Wonderful World of Color ( 1976 ) - Connie Sue Armsworth Zero to Sixty ( 1978 ) - ' Larry ' Wilde References ^ Jump up to : `` The Stars of Dark Shadows : Where Are They Now ? Denise Nickerson ''. www.darkshadowsonline.com. External links Denise Nickerson on IMDb Denise Nickerson at the Internet Broadway Database VIAF : 36145003657261340253 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Denise_Nickerson&oldid=825163749 '' Categories : 1957 births American child actresses American film actresses American soap opera actresses American television actresses 20th - century American actresses Actresses from New York City Living people Hidden categories : Articles needing additional references from August 2016 All articles needing additional references Articles with hCards Articles with IBDb links Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Français Italiano Simple English Edit links This page was last edited on 11 February 2018, at 21 : 18. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. 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Question: who is the girl in willy wonka that chews gum
Answer: Violet Beauregarde