Barbara Allyne Bennet (1970 - 2016)

American Actress. During a career that spanned more than five decades, Bennet worked in front of and behind the camera. She graduated from Case Western Reserve University with a B.A. in theater, then moved to New York City, where she appeared in several Broadway plays before moving to Hollywood in the 1970s to pursue a […]

Valerie Benguigui (1965 - 2013)

Cesar Award-Winning Actress. A prolific star of the French big and small screens, she was honored with her country’s equivalent of the Oscar as Best Supporting Actress for 2012’s “Le Prenom”. Raised in Paris, she was drawn to show business early, studied at the Cours Flourent, and trained at the distinguished National Chaillot Theatre School […]

Norma Bengell (1935 - 2013)

Actress. An award-winning romantic lead of the Brazilian and Italian cinema, she is perhaps best remembered for the dubious distinction of being the first ‘big name’ actress to be depicted frontally nude on screen. Born Norma Aparecida Almeida da Pinto Guimaraes d’Aurea Bengell, she first earned notice as a magazine and runway model then began […]

Brenda Benet (1945 - 1982)

Actress. She is best remembered for her role as the scheming villainess ‘Lee Dumonde’ on the daytime serial “Days of our Lives,” which she played from 1979 until her death in 1982. A classic example of a modern-day Hollywood tragedy, her acting career spanned just over 16 years with a wide range of guest appearances […]

Bea Benaderet (1906 - 1968)

Actress. Born in New York City and raised in San Francisco, California, she had a remarkable career in radio and television. She launched her network radio career in 1936, appearing as a regular on The Campbell Playhouse”, “The Jack Benny Show”, “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet”, “The Great Gildersleeve” and “Fibber McGee and Molly”. […]

Nelly Beltrán (1925 - 2007)

Actress. Considered one of the most beloved Argentinian performers. Beltrán debuted on stage in the late 1940s, playing in “Las Lágrimas También Se Secan.” She then made her 1955 screen debut in “Para Vestir Santos.”  During her lengthy career Beltrán played both comedic and dramatic roles and became one of the most popular faces of […]

Alma Leonor Martinez Beltran (1919 - 2007)

Actress. She appeared in over 90 television and motion picture roles, spanning a career of nearly 60 years in the entertainment industry. She began her acting career in the 1945 motion picture “Pan-Americana,” playing the uncredited role of Miss Guatemala. Over the next several years she would appear in several more non credited acting roles […]

Eleanor Robson Belmont (1879 - 1979)

Actress, Writer. She was the author of the play, “In The Next Room” (1930), and the book, “The Case Of The Black Parrot” (1941). Born in England on December 13, 1879, she acted on stage for 10 years, but gave it up to marry, August Belmont Jr., on February 26, 1910, who she stayed married […]

Diana Alice Bellamy (1943 - 2001)

Actress. She was a character actress in theaters, television and on stage. She graduated with a master’s degree in Fine Arts from Southern Methodist University in 1970. Her acting career began in a puppet theater in Los Angeles. She was popular in regional theaters and she also appeared on television and in such movies as […]

Alma Bella (1910 - 2012)

Actress. A Filipina starlet who got her start in silent films, she was perhaps her country’s leading movie sex kitten for a generation. Born to a family of wealth and position, she was drawn to the stage after attending a London performance of “Hamlet” at 17. Alma made her silver screen debut in the 1932 […]

Mary Hayley Bell (1911 - 2005)

Actress, Playwright and Novelist. Widow of actor Sir John Mills. Mother of Juliet, Jonathon, and Hayley Mills. Best known for her 1958 Novel “Whistle Down the Wind,” which would later become a stage production and a film starring her daughter Hayley. Mary Hayley Bell was born in Shanghai, China where her father was a customs […]

Adele Belgrade (1866 - 1938)

Stage and Motion Picture Actress. She appeared on stage and in silent films, among them the 1917 comedy/drama production of “Happiness.” Married to actor Fred J. Butler, mother of prolific director/actor David Butler. (bio by: A.J. Marik)  Family links:  Spouses:  Fred Joline Butler (1867 – 1929)*  Fred J. Butler (1867 – 1929)* *Calculated relationship

Doris Belack (1926 - 2011)

Actress. She is best known for her roles as ‘Anna Wolek’ on the television soap opera “One Life to Live” and Judge Margaret Barry on television crime and court drama “Law and Order”. She also appeared in the 1982 motion picture comedy “Tootsie” and a number of television situational comedies, such as “Barney Miller” and […]

Barbara Bel Geddes (1922 - 2005)

Actress. Born to theatrical set designer and producer Norman Bel Geddes and Helen Belle Sneider in New York City. Her father recreated the family name as Bel Geddes incorporating his wife’s name into their surname. Bel Geddes made her theatrical debut at 18 in 1940 in a summer-stock production of “The School for Scandal.” She […]

Rita Bekes (1925 - 1978)

Actress. Born in Debrecen, Hungary, she studied at the Academy of Theatre and Film Art in Budapest and made her stage debut in 1949. From 1956 to 1962 she was a member of the Attila Jozsef Theatre company, where she was praised for her performances of Shakespeare and Chekhov.  Bekes appeared in four films by […]

Ena Begovic (1960 - 2000)

Actress. She won a dozen Best Actress awards and prizes over her 17 years in theater, films, and television. She appeared in 45 plays, mostly with the Croatian National Theater, in roles ranging from Desdemona in “Othello,” Gertrude in “Hamlet,” and Goneril in “King Lear,” to Antigone and Medea in “Antigone” and “Medea,” and to […]

Laurie Hope Beechman (1953 - 1998)

Actress. A Broadway actress and singer, she played in the longest run ofd of the character ‘Grizabella’ in the popular musical “Cats”. She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1989, but she kept her career up during periods of remission. During her life she recorded the albums “Listen to My Heart” (1990), “Time Between the […]

Louise Beavers (1902 - 1962)

Actress.  A plump,  mournful-eyed character player in Hollywood films,  she was almost always cast as a maid,  mammy,  or housekeeper,  a shameful waste of her talent.  Beavers is best remembered for her wrenching performance in “Imitation of Life” (1934),  as an Aunt Jemima-like pancake maker whose light-skinned daughter abandons her to pass for white in […]

Bertee Beaumont (1970 - 1934)

Entertainer.  Born in Memphis,  Tennessee,  she was discovered at a local music hall by veteran performer  Otis Harlan,  who invited her to join his vaudeville act.  She later formed a popular song-and-dance duet with her husband,  Jack Arnold.  An excellent dancer and skilled comedienne,  the sleek,  sultry Beaumont went on to play vamps and sophisticated […]

Jeanette Beaudine (1920 - 2003)

Actress. Beaudine was a long-time stand-in for actress Helen Hayes and a member of the Screen Actors Guild. Before turning to acting, she owned a celebrity-populated vacation resort, bar and restaturant on Harsen’s Island, Michigan. In 1957 on the advice of friend and producer, Jack Rose, her and husband Al moved to Los Angeles, California, […]

Ethel Beard (1918 - 2003)

Actress. Beard appeared on radio in the 1940s with the likes of Hume Cronyn, Jonathan Winters, and Sid Caesar, as part of the Experimental Radio Theater, also known as, Experimental Playhouse of the Air. From 1960 to 1962, Beard was a hostess on Merv Griffin’s television game show, “Play Your Hunch.”  Family links:  Spouse:  William […]

Mary Bear (1910 - 1972)

Actress. Born Mary Baer in Los Angeles, California, she was regular performer in films of the 1940s to 1950s. Her credits included “The Lady In Ermine” (1948), “Johnny Allegro” (1949), “The Life of Riley” (1949), “Stella” (1950), “Mother Didn’t Tell Me” (1950), “Singing Guns” (1950) and I‘ll Cry Tomorrow” (1955). (bio by: John “J-Cat” Griffith)

Mary Egan Beal (1970 - 1929)

Early silent screen actress. Married to actor Frank Beal. (bio by: TLS)  Family links:  Spouse:  Frank Beal (1862 – 1934)Cause of death: Pneumonia

Brigid Bazlen (1944 - 1989)

Actress. She was discovered at the age of seven when an NBC executive saw her waiting for a school bus in front of her home. For two years she played the role of the daughter on an early television soap opera called Hawkins Falls which was produced in Chicago. In 1958, she played the self […]

Beverly Bayne (1893 - 1982)

Motion picture and stage Actress. Born Pearl Von Name, she appeared in silent Hollywood romances such as: “White Roses” “The Old Wedding Dress,” “Romeo and Juliet”  and “One Wonderful Night.” In 1918 she secretly married Francis X. Bushman, but eventually the two were publicly divorced a few years later. As a result her career as […]

Paule Bayard (1931 - 1975)

Actress. Bayard appeared in the films, “Bingo” (1974), and “Tiens-Toi Bien Apres Les Oreilles A Papa” (1971). She also appeared on the television shows, “Pepinot Et Capucine” from 1952 to 1954, and “Le Courrier Du Roy” from 1958 to 1961. Also a talented voice actress she did the voice of the puppet character, ‘Bobinette’ on […]

Frances Bay (1919 - 2011)

Actress.  Petite, soft spoken, and kindly elderly character actress.  Best remembered for her role as Adam Sandler’s grandmother in the 1996 film “Happy Gilmore,” and for her guest appearance as ‘Mabel Choate’ the woman  from whom Jerry Seinfeld stole a loaf of marble rye bread on “Seinfeld.”  Born in Canada, she acted locally for many […]

May Baxter (1970 - 1934)

Actress. She appeared in the films, “Penrod” (1922), and “The Sins Of St. Anthony” (1920).  Family links:  Spouse:  Leeds Lincoln Baxter (1883 – 1933)* *Calculated relationship

Barbara Angie Rose Baxley (1923 - 1990)

Actress. Born in Porterville, California, she had many television and film roles, being best remembered for portraying Sally Field’s mother in “Norma Rae” (1979). She began her career on Broadway in 1948 and made her film debut in “East of Eden” (1955). Her other films included “The Savage Eye” (1959), “Nashville” (1975), “All That Glitters” […]

Frances Elizabeth Bavier (1902 - 1989)

Actress, most noted for her performance as “Aunt Bee” on the Andy Griffith Show TV series. She appeared in 10 films and 4 television series. Born in New York City, she began her acting career in April 1925, on Broadway, in the play “The Poor Nut.” During World War II, she travelled with the USO […]