Betsy Blair
Acting • Born 1923-12-11 – Died 2009-03-13
Biography
Betsy Blair -December 11, 1923 – March 13, 2009) was an American actress of film and stage, long based in London. Blair pursued a career in entertainment from the age of eight, and as a child worked as an amateur dancer, performed on radio, and worked as a model, before joining the chorus of Billy Rose's Diamond Horseshoe in 1940. There she met Gene Kelly. They were married the following year, when she was seventeen years old. The couple divorced sixteen years later, in 1957. After work in the theatre, Blair began her film career playing supporting roles in films such as A Double Life (1947) and Another Part of the Forest (1948). Her interest in Marxism led to an investigation by the House Un-American Activities Committee and Blair was blacklisted for some time, but resumed her career with a critically acclaimed performance in Marty (1955), winning a BAFTA Award and a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She continued her career with regular theatre, film and television work until the mid 1990s.
Filmography
34 credits
Betrayed
Movie • 1988
Gladys Simmons
The Halliday Brand
Movie • 1957
Martha Halliday
Il Grido
Movie • 1957
Elvia
A Double Life
Movie • 1947
Girl in Wig Shop
All Night Long
Movie • 1962
Emily
The Snake Pit
Movie • 1948
Hester (uncredited)
Marty
Movie • 1955
Clara Snyder
The Guilt of Janet Ames
Movie • 1947
Katie
A Delicate Balance
Movie • 1973
Edna
Mystery Street
Movie • 1950
Jackie Elcott
Descent Into Hell
Movie • 1986
Mrs. Burns
Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There
Movie • 2003
Self
Main Street
Movie • 1956
Isabel
Lies My Father Told Me
Movie • 1960
Mother
Kind Lady
Movie • 1951
Ada Elcott
Careless
Movie • 1962
Amalia Brentani
The Dolphins
Movie • 1960
Contessa Rita Cherè
Marcus Welby, M.D.: A Holiday Affair
Movie • 1988
Grace Simpson
No Way Out
Movie • 1950
Telephone Operator (uncredited)
Marry Me! Marry Me!
Movie • 1968
Second English Teacher
Flight of the Spruce Goose
Movie • 1986
Helen
Gene Kelly: Anatomy of a Dancer
Movie • 2002
Self
Meeting in Paris
Movie • 1956
Nancy Blanding
Another Part of the Forest
Movie • 1948
Birdie Bagtry
Suspicion
Movie • 1987
Lady McLaidlaw
De Bom (of het wanhoopskomitee)
Movie • 1969
Vrouw van garagist
thirtysomething
TV • 1987
Tales of the Unexpected
TV • 1979
Mrs Wilbur
The Philco Television Playhouse
TV • 1948
Great Performances
TV • 1971
Self
BBC Play of the Month
TV • 1965
Linda
BBC Play of the Month
TV • 1965
Mrs. Winemiller
BBC Play of the Month
TV • 1965
Susan Stringham
Scarlett
TV • 1994
Sister of Mercy