Betty Garrett

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

44

Gender

Female

Birthday

1919-05-23

Day of death

2011-02-12 (91 years old)

Place of Birth

Saint Joseph, Missouri, USA

Betty Garrett

Biography

Betty Garrett (May 23, 1919 - February 12, 2011) was an American actress, comedian, singer and dancer, who starred in several Hollywood musicals and stage roles. She was at the top of her game when the Communist scare in the 1950s brought her career to a screeching, ugly halt. She and her husband Larry Parks, an Oscar-nominated actor, were summoned by the House UnAmerican Activities Committee and questioned about their involvement. As the drama played out, a very pregnant Garrett was never called to testify, but her husband was. With his admission of Communist Party membership from 1941-1945 and refusal to name names, he made it to the Hollywood Blacklist. After the incident, Garrett and Parks worked up nightclub singing/comedy acts along with appearing in legit plays. Although Parks never quite shook off the blacklist incident, he did win a role in John Huston's film, Freud (1962). Garrett went on to appear in roles in many television series.

Known For

  • Grey's Anatomy

    Grey's Anatomy

  • The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

    The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

  • Murder, She Wrote

    Murder, She Wrote

  • Murder, She Wrote

    Murder, She Wrote

  • The Love Boat

    The Love Boat

  • The Fugitive

    The Fugitive

  • Great Performances

    Great Performances

  • The Golden Girls

    The Golden Girls

  • Becker

    Becker

  • Laverne & Shirley

    Laverne & Shirley

  • Dinah!

    Dinah!

  • Boston Public

    Boston Public

  • All in the Family

    All in the Family

  • The Colgate Comedy Hour

    The Colgate Comedy Hour

  • Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There

    Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There

  • The Dinah Shore Chevy Show

    The Dinah Shore Chevy Show

  • Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1920s: The Dawn of the Hollywood Musical

    Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1920s: The Dawn of the Hollywood Musical

  • Troupers

    Troupers

  • Big City

    Big City

  • Blacke's Magic

    Blacke's Magic

  • Union Square

    Union Square

  • Townies

    Townies

  • Take Me Out to the Ball Game

    Take Me Out to the Ball Game

  • On the Town

    On the Town

  • Words and Music

    Words and Music

  • The Long Way Home

    The Long Way Home

  • The Shadow on the Window

    The Shadow on the Window

  • Frank Sinatra Memorial

    Frank Sinatra Memorial

  • The Good Life

    The Good Life

  • That's Dancing!

    That's Dancing!

  • Gene Kelly: Anatomy of a Dancer

    Gene Kelly: Anatomy of a Dancer

  • My Sister Eileen

    My Sister Eileen

  • Mr. Merlin

    Mr. Merlin

  • Jack Lemmon: America's Everyman

    Jack Lemmon: America's Everyman

  • All the Way Home

    All the Way Home

  • That's Entertainment!

    That's Entertainment!

  • Hollywood: The Dream Factory

    Hollywood: The Dream Factory

  • Neptune's Daughter

    Neptune's Daughter

  • That's Entertainment! III

    That's Entertainment! III

  • Dark and Stormy Night

    Dark and Stormy Night

  • The Costume Designer

    The Costume Designer

  • Carol Channing: Larger Than Life

    Carol Channing: Larger Than Life

  • Trail of the Screaming Forehead

    Trail of the Screaming Forehead

  • Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1940s: Stars, Stripes and Singing

    Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1940s: Stars, Stripes and Singing