Betty Furness
Acting • Born 1916-01-03 – Died 1994-04-02
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Elizabeth Mary Furness (January 3, 1916 – April 2, 1994) was an American actress, consumer advocate, and current affairs commentator. She began her professional career as a model before being noticed by a talent scout and being signed to a film contract in 1932 by RKO Studios. Her first film role was as the "Thirteenth Woman" in the film Thirteen Women (1932) but her scenes were deleted before the film's release. Over the next few years, she appeared in several RKO films, and became a popular actress. Among her film successes were Magnificent Obsession (1935) and the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers film Swing Time (1936). By the end of the decade, she had appeared in over forty films, but during the 1940s, she found it difficult to secure acting roles. In 1948, Furness was performing in the television series Studio One, which was broadcast live. She filled in for an actor to promote Westinghouse products during the advertisement break, and impressed the company with her easy and professional manner. They offered her a contract to promote their products and she thus became closely associated with them.
Filmography
55 credits
Swing Time
Movie • 1936
Margaret Watson
The Rockingham Tea Set
Movie • 1950
Self - Commercial Spokeswoman
The Kill
Movie • 1952
Self - Commercial Spokeswoman
Flying Down to Rio
Movie • 1933
Belinha's Friend (uncredited)
The Play of the Nativity of the Child Jesus
Movie • 1952
Self
Magnificent Obsession
Movie • 1935
Joyce Hudson
Emergency Call
Movie • 1933
Alice Averill
The President's Mystery
Movie • 1936
Charlotte Brown
Beggars in Ermine
Movie • 1934
Joyce Dawson
Dangerous Corner
Movie • 1934
Mrs. Betty Whitehouse
Headline Shooter
Movie • 1933
Miss Saunders
Mama Steps Out
Movie • 1937
Leila Cuppy
The Keeper of the Bees
Movie • 1935
Molly
Mister Cinderella
Movie • 1936
Patricia 'Pat' Randolph
The Life of Vergie Winters
Movie • 1934
Joan Shadwell
A Wicked Woman
Movie • 1934
Yancey Stroud, aka Yancey Trice
Shadow of Doubt
Movie • 1935
Lisa
Ellis in Freedomland
Movie • 1952
Spokeswoman for Westinghouse
Here Comes Cookie
Movie • 1935
Phyllis Allen
Aggie Appleby, Maker of Men
Movie • 1933
Evangeline
Gridiron Flash
Movie • 1934
Jane Thurston
Let's Fall in Love
Movie • 1933
Linda
Scarlet River
Movie • 1933
Babe Jewel
The Defender (Studio One)
Movie • 1957
Self / Commercial Spokeswoman
Calm Yourself
Movie • 1935
Mary Elizabeth Allenby
They Wanted to Marry
Movie • 1937
Sheila Hunter
Lucky Devils
Movie • 1933
Ginger
The Great Jasper
Movie • 1933
Sylvia Bradfield
The Band Plays On
Movie • 1934
Kitty O'Brien
McFadden´s Flats
Movie • 1935
Molly McFadden
Ace of Aces
Movie • 1933
Card Playing Party Guest (uncredited)
Midshipman Jack
Movie • 1933
Ruth Rogers
Cross Fire
Movie • 1933
Pat "Mike" Plummer
The Good Old Soak
Movie • 1937
Lucy Hawley
All American Chump
Movie • 1936
Kitty Crane
North of Shanghai
Movie • 1939
Helen Warner
Renegades of the West
Movie • 1932
Mary Fawcett
Twelve Angry Men
Movie • 1954
Herself / Commercial Spokeswoman
The Three Wise Guys
Movie • 1936
Clarabelle Brooks
Fair Warning
Movie • 1937
Kate Farnham
It Can't Last Forever
Movie • 1937
Carol Wilson
Pontius Pilate
Movie • 1952
Sunkist Stars at Palm Springs
Movie • 1936
A Bolt of Lightning
Movie • 1951
Self - Commercial Spokeswoman
Westinghouse Total Electric Home
Movie • 1959
Narrator
Studio One: Wuthering Heights
Movie • 1950
Announcer
Climax!
TV • 1954
Beth Jaynes
Your Show of Shows
TV • 1950
Herself
Studio One
TV • 1948
Coral, Princess Livitski
The Philco Television Playhouse
TV • 1948
The Colgate Comedy Hour
TV • 1950
Maggie Watson
Climax!
TV • 1954
Ann Kilgore
What's My Line?
TV • 1950
Self
Studio One
TV • 1948
Self - Commercial Spokeswoman
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
TV • 1958
Self - Commercial Spokeswoman