Betty Kean (December 15, 1914 - September 29, 1986) was an actress and part of the 1950s era comedy duo the Kean Sisters with her sister

Jane Kean Jane Kean (April 10, 1923 – November 26, 2013) was an American actress and singer whose career in show business spanned seven decades and included appearing in nightclubs, on recordings, and in radio, television, Broadway and films. Among her ...

. She married four times, including to actors such as her last husband comedian

Lew Parker Lew Parker (born Austin Lewis Jacobs, October 29, 1910 – October 27, 1972) was an American television, stage and musical theatre actor. His most notable role was as Lew Marie, the arrogant father of Marlo Thomas's character, Ann Marie, on the ...

. She died in 1986 of cancer in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

Biography

Kean was born in Hartford, Connecticut in 1914. She began her acting career in 1942, appearing in films like ''

Moonlight Masquerade ''Moonlight Masquerade'' is a 1942 United States, American film starring Dennis O'Keefe and Jane Frazee. It is also known as ''Moonstruck'' and ''Tahiti Honey''. Plot Two business partners, John Bennett, Sr. and Robert Forrester, are starting t ...

'', ''

Gals, Incorporated ''Gals, Incorporated'' is a 1943 American comedy film directed by Leslie Goodwins and written by Edward Dein. The film stars Leon Errol, Harriet Nelson, Grace McDonald, David Bacon, Betty Kean, Maureen Cannon and Lillian Cornell. The film was r ...

'', ''

Sing a Jingle ''Sing a Jingle'' is a 1944 American musical film directed by Edward C. Lilley and starring Allan Jones, June Vincent and Samuel S. Hinds.Taylor & Jackson p.274 Plot Partial cast * Allan Jones as Ray King * June Vincent as Muriel Crane * ...

'' and ''

Hi, Good Lookin'! ''Hi, Good Lookin'!'' is a 1944 American comedy film directed by Edward C. Lilley and written by Paul Gerard Smith, Bradford Ropes and Eugene Conrad. The film stars Harriet Nelson, Eddie Quillan, Kirby Grant, Betty Kean, Roscoe Karns, Vivian ...

'', among others. During the 1950s she was part, along her sister Jane, of the comedy duo the Kean Sisters, which worked the nightclub circuit throughout the 1940s and 1950s and appeared on Broadway in the 1955 musical, ''

Ankles Aweigh ''Ankles Aweigh'' is a musical theatre, musical with a book by Guy Bolton and Eddie Davis, lyrics by Dan Shapiro, and music by Sammy Fain. The plot involves Hollywood starlet Wynne, who secretly marries a Navy pilot while filming a movie in Sicily ...

''. On television, Kean portrayed Amy Tucker on ''

Leave It to Larry ''Leave It to Larry'' is an American television situation comedy that was broadcast on CBS from October 14, 1952, until December 23, 1952, for a total of 11 episodes. Premise Larry Tucker (portrayed by Eddie Albert in his first TV series) was ...

''. Other TV shows on which she appeared included '' Naked City'', ''

The Andy Griffith Show ''The Andy Griffith Show '' is an American situation comedy television series that aired on CBS from October 3, 1960, to April 1, 1968, with a total of 249 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons—159 in black and white and 90 in color. The ...

'', ''

My World and Welcome to It ''My World ... and Welcome to It'' is an American half-hour television sitcom based on the humor and cartoons of James Thurber.Tim Brooks & Earle Marsh, ''The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows 1946 - Present'', pages 430-431, Bal ...

'', and ''

The Love Boat ''The Love Boat'' is an American romantic comedy/drama television series that aired on ABC from 1977 to 1986; in addition, four three-hour specials aired in 1986, 1987, and 1990. The series was set on the luxury passenger cruise ship MS ''Pac ...

''. One of her last television appearances was in the February 22, 1986, episode of '' The Facts of Life,'' “The Lady Who Came to Dinner” as a traveling vaudevillian performer whom Tootie hires for the entertainment during Blair’s 21st birthday. Her final film credit was ''Dreamscape'' in 1984.

Personal life

Kean was married four times; to Roy Sedley from 1934 to 1936, to Frank Fay from 1937 to 1939, with whom she had one daughter, Cathy Jane Fay, to Jim Backus from 1939 to 1942 and lastly to Lew Parker from 1956 to 1972 with whom she had another daughter, Deirdre.

Death

Kean died of cancer in Los Angeles on September 29, 1986.

Selected filmography

Film

* ''

'' (1942) - Mikki Marquette * ''

'' (1943) - Bets Moran * ''

'' (1944) - Myrtle * ''

'' (1944) - Peggy * ''

Slightly Terrific ''Slightly Terrific'' is a 1944 American comedy film directed by Edward F. Cline and written by Edward Dein and Stanley Davis. The film stars Leon Errol, Anne Rooney, Eddie Quillan, Richard Lane, Betty Kean, Ray Malone, Lillian Cornell, Donald ...

'' (1944) - Marie Mason * '' Murder in the Blue Room'' (1944) - Betty * ''

My Gal Loves Music ''My Gal Loves Music'' is a 1944 American comedy film directed by Edward C. Lilley and written by Eugene Conrad and Edward Dein. The film stars Bob Crosby, Grace McDonald, Alan Mowbray, Betty Kean, Walter Catlett and Freddie Mercer. The film w ...

'' (1944) - Peggy Quinn * ''

The Fifth Floor ''The Fifth Floor'' is a 1978 American film about a sane woman who gets sent to an asylum. It stars Dianne Hull, Bo Hopkins and Mel Ferrer. Plot The film focuses on Kelly McIntyre, a disco dancer played by Dianne Hull who through no fault of her ...

'' (1978) - Sophy * '' The Seduction'' (1982) - Mrs. Caluso * '' Dreamscape'' (1984) - Grandma

Television

Fireside Theatre ''Fireside Theatre'' (also known as ''Jane Wyman Presents'') is an American anthology drama series that ran on NBC from 1949 to 1958, and was the first successful filmed series on American television. Productions were low-budget and often based ...

- Meet My Sister (1949) TV Episode * Naked City - Make It Fifty Dollars and Add Love to Nona (1962) TV Episode .... Mrs. Kelvin *

- A Visit to Barney Fife (1967) TV Episode .... Ma Parker *

- Seal in the Bedroom (1969) TV Episode .... Mrs. Monroe *

That Girl ''That Girl'' is an American sitcom that ran on ABC from September 8, 1966 to March 19, 1971. It starred Marlo Thomas as the title character Ann Marie, an aspiring (but only sporadically employed) actress, who moves from her hometown of Brewster ...

- That Girl's Daddy (1970) TV Episode .... Mrs. McCarty *

Happy Days ''Happy Days'' is an American television sitcom that aired first-run on the ABC network from January 15, 1974, to July 19, 1984, with a total of 255 half-hour episodes spanning 11 seasons. Created by Garry Marshall, it was one of the most succ ...

- Fonzie the Father (1976) TV Episode .... Millie * Police Woman - Night of the Full Moon (1976) TV Episode .... Charlene's Landlady *

The Bob Newhart Show ''The Bob Newhart Show'' is an American sitcom television series produced by MTM Enterprises that aired on CBS from September 16, 1972, to April 1, 1978, with a total of 142 half-hour episodes over six seasons. Comedian Bob Newhart portrays a psy ...

- Of Mice and Men (1977) TV Episode .... Flo *

- Ex Plus Y/Golden Agers/Graham and Kelly (1977) TV Episode .... Mrs. Svenson *

Diff'rent Strokes ''Diff'rent Strokes'' is an American television sitcom, which aired on NBC from November 3, 1978, to May 4, 1985, and on ABC from September 27, 1985, to March 7, 1986. The series stars Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges as Arnold and Willis Jackson, r ...

- Sam's Missing (1985) TV Episode .... Sally Winkle * The Facts of Life - The Lady Who Came to Dinner (1986) TV Episode .... Louise Le Beau

References

External links

* * American women comedians 1914 births 1986 deaths American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Deaths from cancer in California Actresses from Connecticut 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American people {{US-comedian-stub