Betty Ann Bruno ( Cain; October 1, 1931 – July 30, 2023) was an American child actress and journalist. She started her journalist career as a political

talk show A talk show (or chat show in British English) is a television programming or radio programming genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show ...

television producer and host and was an investigative reporter who worked for KTVU-Channel 2 in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

for over 20 years, retiring in 1992.

Early life and education

Betty Ann Cain was born on October 1, 1931, in

Wahiawa, Hawaii Wahiawa ( haw, Wahiawā, ) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Honolulu County, Hawaii, United States, on the island of Oahu. It is in the Wahiawa District, on the plateau or "central valley" between the two volcanic mountains that comprise the ...

, but grew up in

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...

. She was the daughter of a Hawaiian–Chinese mother and a Dutch–Irish father. She was a

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

graduate.

Career

As a child, she appeared in the 1939 film '' The Wizard of Oz'' as one of the

Munchkins A Munchkin is a native of the fictional Munchkin Country in the Oz books by American author L. Frank Baum. They first appear in the classic children's novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900) where they welcome Dorothy Gale to their city in O ...

. Before that she had a bit role in

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and naval officer. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. He ...

's 1937 film '' The Hurricane''. Her work in television won her three

Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

. After retiring from television in 1992, she became a hula dance instructor. In 2020, she published her autobiography, ''The Munchkin Diary: My Personal Yellow Brick Road''. She appeared on television once again in an episode of '' To Tell the Truth'' which was broadcast in May 2022.

Personal life and death

Bruno lived in California, was married to Craig Scheiner, a former

KTVU KTVU (channel 2) is a television station licensed to Oakland, California, United States, serving as the San Francisco Bay Area's Fox network outlet. It is owned and operated by the network's Fox Television Stations division alongside San Jose� ...

photographer, and had three sons. She was reported in media as one of the few surviving cast members from ''The Wizard of Oz''. Bruno died from a heart attack on July 30, 2023, in

Sonoma, California Sonoma is a city in Sonoma County, California, United States, located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. Sonoma is one of the principal cities of California's Wine Country and the center of the Sonoma Valley AVA. Sonoma's p ...

, at the age of 91.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bruno, Betty Ann 1931 births 2023 deaths American child actresses American television hosts American television reporters and correspondents People from Sonoma, California People from Wahiawa, Hawaii Stanford University alumni