Betty Lou Keim (September 27, 1938 – January 27, 2010) was an American stage, film, and television actress.

Early life and career

Keim was born in

Malden, Massachusetts Malden is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the time of the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 66,263 people. History Malden, a hilly woodland area north of the Mystic River, was settled by Puritans in 1640 on la ...

, as the daughter of a choreographer and a dancer, and she grew up in New York from the age of five. She started getting dance lessons from her father at the age of six and later took voice lessons. Her stage debut followed at age seven under the direction of

José Ferrer José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón (January 8, 1912 – January 26, 1992) was a Puerto Rican actor and director of stage, film and television. He was one of the most celebrated and esteemed Hispanic American actors during his lifetime, w ...

in ''Strange Fruit''. After several stage parts, she debuted on Broadway, and she became most remembered for playing a mean-spirited girl in the play ''A Roomful of Roses'' in 1956. Her other work on Broadway included ''The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker'' (1953), ''Texas, Li'l Darlin (1949), and ''Crime and Punishment'' (1947). Keim also acted on television, guest starring in numerous TV series. In 1953, she landed a co-starring role in the short-lived sitcom ''

My Son Jeep ''My Son Jeep'' is an American situation comedy originally broadcast on the NBC Radio and Television networks in 1953 (radio: January 25-June 14; television: July 4-September 22, with a "sneak preview" on June 3). Set in Grove Fall, USA, the pro ...

''. Three years later, she made her film debut with a role alongside

Barbara Stanwyck Barbara Stanwyck (; born Ruby Catherine Stevens; July 16, 1907 – January 20, 1990) was an American actress, model and dancer. A stage, film, and television star, during her 60-year professional career she was known for her strong, realistic sc ...

and James Cagney in ''

These Wilder Years ''These Wilder Years'' is a 1956 American drama film directed by Roy Rowland and starring James Cagney and Barbara Stanwyck. It is the story of a businessman who tries to find the illegitimate son he gave up to an orphanage many years ago. The f ...

''. The same year, she repeated her ''A Roomful of Roses'' role in its movie adaptation ''

Teenage Rebel ''Teenage Rebel'' is a 1956 American drama film directed by Edmund Goulding and starring Ginger Rogers and Michael Rennie. It was nominated for two Academy Awards; Best Costume Design and Best Art Direction ( Lyle R. Wheeler, Jack Martin Smith ...

'' as

Ginger Rogers Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starri ...

' daughter. In 1957, she had a supporting role in

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

's ''

The Wayward Bus ''The Wayward Bus'' is a novel by American author John Steinbeck, published in 1947. The novel's epigraph is a passage from 15th-century English play ''Everyman (15th-century play), Everyman'', with its archaic English intact; the quotation refe ...

''. The following year, she appeared in ''

Some Came Running ''Some Came Running'' is a novel by James Jones, published in 1958. It was Jones's second published novel, following his award-winning debut '' From Here to Eternity''. It is the story of a war veteran with literary aspirations who returns in ...

''. When not acting, Keim attended the Lodge Tutoring School. Her final acting experience was on ''

The Deputy ''The Deputy, a Christian tragedy'' (German: ''Der Stellvertreter. Ein christliches Trauerspiel''), also published in English as ''The Representative '', is a controversial 1963 play by Rolf Hochhuth which portrayed Pope Pius XII as having failed ...

'', in which she starred as Fran McCord from 1959 to 1960.

Personal life

Keim retired from acting in 1960 after marrying actor

Warren Berlinger Warren Berlinger (August 31, 1937 – December 2, 2020) was an American character actor, with Broadway runs, movie and television credits, and much work in commercials. Early life Warren Berlinger was born in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, o ...

, with whom she had four children. She died at her home in Chatsworth, California, aged 71, from lung cancer. She was interred at

Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery is the largest Jewish cemetery organization in California. History Mount Sinai Memorial Parks and Mortuaries, owned by Sinai Temple of Los Angeles, refers to two Jewish cemeteries in the Los Angeles metropo ...

.Betty Berlinger
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Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Keim, Betty Lou 1938 births 2010 deaths Actresses from Boston American television actresses Deaths from lung cancer in California People from Malden, Massachusetts American child actresses American film actresses American stage actresses Western (genre) television actors 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American women Burials at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery