Bertha Mann (1893 - 1967)

American motion picture actress. Married to actor Raymond Griffith. They are buried side-by-side. (bio by: A.J. Marik)  Family links:  Spouse:  Raymond Griffith (1895 – 1957)* *Calculated relationship

Bertha Wrenham Wilson (1923 - 2007)

Jurist.  The first female Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada. Born in Kirkcaldy, Scotland, she followed her two older brothers to the University of Aberdeen. She attained an M.A. in philosophy in 1944 and then obtained a teaching diploma. She married a Presbyterian minister, the Reverend John Wilson in 1945. They emigrated to Canada […]

Bertil Ohlin (1899 - 1979)

Having received his B.A. from Lund University 1917 and his MSc. from Stockholm School of Economics in 1919. He obtained an M.A. from Harvard University in 1923 and his doctorate from Stockholm University in 1924. In 1925 he became a professor at the University of Copenhagen. In 1929 he debated with John Maynard Keynes, contradicting […]

Bertolt Brecht (1898 - 1956)

Playwright.  Family links:  Parents:  Berthold Friedrich Brecht (1869 – 1939)  Sophie Brezing Brecht (1871 – 1920)  Spouses:  Helene Weigel-Brecht (1900 – 1971)  Marianne Zoff (1893 – 1984)*  Children:  Hanne Brecht Hiob (1923 – 2009)* *Calculated relationship

Berton Churchill (1876 - 1940)

Born in Toronto, Ontario, as a young man interested in the theater, Berton Churchill appeared in stock companies as early as 1903 and later headed to New York City, where he worked as a newspaper pressman, eventually becoming a foreman and leader of his union. He began an acting career that saw him perform in 30 […]

Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue (1869 - 1924)

Architect. He designed the West Point Chapel, Los Angeles Public Library, National Academy of Sciences Building and the Nebraska State Capitol among many others. (bio by: Mark Mitchell)

Bertram Harold “Bert” McInenly (1906 - 1993)

Professional Hockey Player. A native of Montreal, Quebec, McInenly was 5’07”, and played the position of Defense for teams in the CPHL, IHL, NHL, CAHL, IAHL, and the AHL Hockey Leagues. He played for the Detroit Olympics from 1928 to 1930, Detroit Falcons from 1930 to 1932, New York Americans from 1931 to 1932, Ottawa […]

Bertram Mills (1970 - 1938)

Businessman. Internationally acclaimed British circus impresario and pioneer. Halford Mills, Bertam’s father, was the owner of a coachbuilding works in Paddington, London and was also the owner of two farms, where he sent his horses to rest. It was on these farms that Bertram Mills spent most of his childhood and where he was taught […]

Berugo Carambula (1945 - 2015)

Uruguayan Actor. Carambula, born Heber Hugo Carambula, was a well-known comedian who was very familiar to audiences mostly on television, but also in film and stage. He started in show business with the jazz band “Crazy Clown Jazz Band” and then went into television on the comedy program “Telecataplum” where he honed his skills as […]

Beryl Cooke (1906 - 2001)

British Actress. She was born and died in London, England. Film and television credits include “Fortunes of War,” “Oliver Twist,” “Emmerdale Farm,” “Mr. Digby Darling,” “Waiting for God,” “Love Hurts,” “Casualty,” “Fresh Fields,” “Only Fools and Horses,” “The Onedin Line,” “Z Cars,” and “Bless This House.” (bio by: Genet) Cause of death: Natural causes

Beryl Margaret Bainbridge (1934 - 2010)

Author. She produced 18 novels of the ‘dark comedic thriller’ and historic fiction genre. Raised in Liverpool under unpleasant familial circumstances that appeared frequently in her books, she was expelled from the Merchant Taylor’s School at 14 over the explicit sexual content of some poetry she had written. After finishing her education at a different […]

Beryl Mercer (1882 - 1939)

Actress.  She is best known for playing gentle,  long-suffering mothers in Hollywood films.  Born to British parents in Seville,  Spain,  she appeared on the London stage from childhood and moved to the United States in 1916.  She settled in Hollywood in 1929,  after a decade of Broadway experience.  The small,  sad-eyed Mercer was immediately pegged […]

Beryl Reid (1919 - 1996)

Born in Hereford, England in 1919, Reid was the daughter of Scottish parents, and grew up in Manchester, where she attended Withington and Levenshulme High Schools. Leaving school at 16, she made her debut in 1936 as a music hall performer at the Floral Hall, Bridlington. Before and during World War II, she took part in […]

Beryl Wallace (1916 - 1948)

Entertainer.  Real name Beryl Heischuber.  Born in Brooklyn to Austrian-Jewish immigrants,  she made her Broadway debut in 1928 as a chorus girl in the “Vanities” musical revue.  There she caught the roving eye of producer  Earl Carroll,  who made her his mistress and gave her increasingly prominent roles in his shows.  She later accompanied him […]

Bess Flowers (1898 - 1984)

Bess Flowers (November 23, 1898 – July 28, 1984) was an American actress. By some counts considered the most prolific actress in the history of Hollywood, she was known as “The Queen of the Hollywood Extras,” appearing in over 700 movies in her 41 year career. Born in Sherman, Texas, Flowers’s film debut came in 1923, […]

Bess Houdini (1876 - 1943)

Wilhelmina Beatrice Rahner (January 23, 1876 – February 11, 1943), better known as Bess Houdini, was the stage assistant and wife of Harry Houdini. Wilhelmina Beatrice Rahner was born in Brooklyn, New York, U.S. in 1876 to German immigrants Gebhard Rahner (a cabinet maker) and Balbina Rahner (née Bugel). Bess Houdini was working at Coney Island in […]

Bess Streeter Aldrich (1881 - 1954)

Author, Novelist. Bess Aldrich’s writing career spanned over forth years, during which she published of around 200 short stories and articles, 13 novels, and two books of short stories. Born Geneva Streeter, she was the youngest of eight children. A writer since early childhood, she won a writing contest at age 14 and another at […]

Bess Streeter Aldrich (1881 - 1954)

Author, Novelist. Her writing career spanned over forth years, during which she published of around 200 short stories and articles, 13 novels, and two books of short stories. Born Geneva Streeter, she was the youngest of eight children. A writer since early childhood, she won a writing contest at age 14 and another at age […]

Bess Truman (1885 - 1982)

Bess Truman was born Elizabeth Virginia Wallace on February 13, 1885, to David Willock Wallace (1860–1903) and his wife, the former Margaret Elizabeth Gates (1862–1952), in Independence, Missouri, and was known as Bessie during her childhood. She was the eldest of four; three brothers: Frank Gates Wallace, (4 March 1887 – 12 August 1960), George […]

Bessie Barriscale (1884 - 1965)

Silent movie actress. Cousin of actresses Edith Taliaferro and Mabel Taliaferro, Barriscale was a major star for producer Thomas Ince in the 1910s. She co-starred with her actor/director husband Howard Hickman in several productions, and was still a star in the 1920s. In the 1930s she was usually playing somebody’s mother or maid. Mary Pickford […]

Bessie Eyton (1890 - 1965)

Actress. Eyton appeared in some 85 movies. Among her most relevant roles, ‘Helen Chester’ in “The Spoilers” (1914), ‘Moya Dalton’ in “The Man from Texas” (1915), and ‘Virginia Carvel’ in “The Crisis” (1916). (bio by: MC) Cause of death: Congestive Heart Failure

Bessie Love (1898 - 1986)

On actor Tom Mix’s recommendation that she “get into pictures”, BessieLove’s mother sent her to Biograph Studios, where she met pioneering film director D.W. Griffith. Griffith, who introduced Bessie Love to films, also gave the actress her screen name. He gave her a small role in his film Intolerance (1916). Love dropped out of Los […]

Bessie Smith (1894 - 1937)

Bessie Smith Smith was the most popular female blues singer of the 1920s and 1930s. She is often regarded as one of the greatest singers of her era and, along with Louis Armstrong, a major influence on other jazz vocalists. On September 26, 1937, Smith was critically injured in a car accident while traveling along […]

Beth Howland (1941 - 2015)

Beth Howland  Beth Howland will best be remembered for her role as Vera Louise Gorman on the CBS sitcom ‘Alice’ during the 1970s and ’80s. As a child she studied dance and after graduating from high school at 16, she headed to New York where she landed roles on stage in such Broadway productions as […]

Beth Lockerbie (1970 - 1968)

Actress. Lockerbie is best remembered for her voice over work on the Canadian television series, “Maggie Muggins” from 1955 to 1962. Lockerbie also played ‘Mary Malone’ on “Cannonball” in 1963, ‘Mrs. Hodge’ on “The Mystery Maker” in 1967, and ‘Neil MacKenzie’ in the film, “The Incredible Journey” in 1963. (bio by: K)

Beth Rogan (1931 - 2015)

Beth Rogan was born Jenifer Puckle on 19 July 1931 in Walmer, Kent. She was always known as Jeni to friends and family. Her father was Kenneth Puckle, a major in the Royal Marines and a veteran of the Gallipoli campaign and her mother was Enid Puckle (née Gray). She had a sister, Priscilla, who […]

Betsey Whitney (1908 - 1998)

Betsey Whitney was the middle daughter of prominent neurosurgeon Dr. Harvey Williams Cushing and Katharine Stone Crowell, who hailed from a socially prominent Cleveland family. Dr. Cushing was descended from Matthew Cushing, an early settler of Hingham, Massachusetts. Dr. Cushing served as professor of surgery at Johns Hopkins, Harvard and Yale Universities, and the family […]

Betsy Blair (1923 - 2009)

Actress. She won a British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Award, and received an Oscar nomination, for the 1955 film “Marty”. Born Elizabeth Winifred Boger, she was raised in northern New Jersey and had decided on a show business career by age eight. At 12, she was a professional model; graduating from high […]

Betsy Drake (1923 - 2015)

Betsy Drake began looking for work as an actress in New York City, supporting herself by working as a Conover model. She met the playwright Horton Foote, who offered her a job as an understudy in his play Only the Heart, which enabled her to join the Actors’ Equity Association and thus become a professional […]

Betsy Friday David (1970 - 2002)

Theatrical Producer, Actress.