Denise Nickerson – July 10

Denise Nickerson began acting at two years of age, but it was when she was cast on the gothic soap opera Dark Shadows at age 11 in 1968 that she rose to prominence, even appearing on the pages of teen magazines. At 13, she played gum-chewing Violet Beauregarde in the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (pictured above in blue costume). Denise quit acting at age 21. After suffering a severe stroke at age 61 in 2018, she was cared for by family, but died on July 10, 2019 after a massive seizure. She was 62.