Betsy Blair
Actor
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
Il Grido
as Elvia 1957
Main Street
as Isabel 1956
Betrayed
as Gladys Simmons 1988
The Snake Pit
as Hester 1948
No Way Out
as Telephone Operator (uncredited) 1950
A Double Life
as Girl in Wig Shop 1947
Mystery Street
as Jackie Elcott 1950
Descent Into Hell
as Mrs. Burns 1986
All Night Long
as Emily 1962
The Guilt of Janet Ames
as Katie 1947
A Delicate Balance
as Edna 1973
The Dolphins
as Contessa Rita Cherè 1960
Another Part of the Forest
as Birdie Bagtry 1948
Kind Lady
as Ada Elcott 1951
Careless
as Amalia Brentani 1962
The Halliday Brand
as Martha Halliday 1957