Betty Buckley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Betty Buckley
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![]() Betty Buckley in December 2009
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Born | Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.
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July 3, 1947
Occupation | Actress, singer, music teacher |
Years active | 1964–present |
Spouse(s) |
Peter Flood
(m. 1972; div. 1979) |
Relatives | Norman Buckley (brother) |
Betty Buckley (born July 3, 1947) is a famous American actress and singer. She has won a special award called a Tony Award for her amazing work in musicals. She was also nominated for many other big awards, like two Daytime Emmy Awards, two Grammy Awards, and an Olivier Award. In 2012, she was honored by being added to the American Theater Hall of Fame.
Betty Buckley won her Tony Award in 1983. This was for her role as Grizabella in the original Broadway show Cats. Later, she played Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard from 1994 to 1996. She performed this role in both London and New York. For her London performance, she was nominated for an Olivier Award in 1995. She also received a Tony Award nomination in 1997 for Triumph of Love.
Some of her other Broadway shows include 1776 (1969), Pippin (1973), and The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1985). From 2018 to 2019, she toured the U.S. playing the main character in Hello, Dolly.
On TV, Betty Buckley starred in the show Eight Is Enough from 1977 to 1981. She also played the gym teacher, Miss Collins, in the 1976 movie Carrie. Later, she was in the short-lived Broadway musical version of Carrie in 1988. In this musical, she played Carrie White's mother, Margaret. Her other movie roles include Dixie Scott in Tender Mercies (1983) and Sondra Walker in Frantic (1988). She was also Kathy in Another Woman (1988) and Mrs. Jones in The Happening (2008). She was nominated for a Saturn Award for her role as Dr. Karen Fletcher in the 2016 movie Split. She also appeared in TV series like Oz (2001–03) and Preacher (2018).
Contents
Betty Buckley's Career Highlights
Acting in Movies and TV Shows
Betty Buckley grew up in Fort Worth, Texas. Many people know her from the TV show Eight Is Enough, which ran from 1977 to 1981. She joined the show in its second season. The first star, Diana Hyland, passed away, so Betty Buckley was cast as the new stepmother, Abby Abbott. Abby became the stepmom to the eight children the show was named after.
In 1976, Betty Buckley was in the first movie version of Carrie. She played Miss Collins, the gym teacher. In 1977, she sang a part in the movie Hair, though she wasn't credited.
She was nominated for two Daytime Emmy Awards for her work in children's TV shows. These were for NBC Special Treat - Bobby and Sarah (1984) and ABC Afterschool Special - Taking a Stand (1989).
In the 1980s, she appeared in several movies. She played a country music singer in Tender Mercies and sang the Oscar-nominated song "Over You." She was also in Woody Allen's movie Another Woman (1988) and Roman Polanski's Frantic (1988). She also appeared in Wyatt Earp (1994).
From 2001 to 2003, she played Suzanne Fitzgerald in the HBO series Oz. She has also been a guest star on many other TV shows. These include Without a Trace, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and Monk. In 2010, she played Marion Leckie in the HBO series The Pacific.
In 2008, Buckley played Mrs. Jones in M. Night Shyamalan's movie The Happening. In 2017, she was a star in M. Night Shyamalan's Split. This movie was number one at the box office for three weeks! Her other TV roles include being Meg's mother in The Leftovers in 2015. She also appeared in five episodes of Supergirl from 2017 to 2021. In 2018, she was cast in season three of Preacher.
Performing on Stage
Betty Buckley first performed on Broadway in 1969 in the musical 1776. New York magazine has even called her "The Voice of Broadway."
In 1982, Buckley starred as Grizabella in the first Broadway show of Cats. This musical features the famous song "Memory". She performed in Cats for 18 months. For this role, she won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.
Buckley also played Norma Desmond in the musical Sunset Boulevard. She performed this role in London (1994) and New York (1995). She was nominated for an Olivier Award for her performance in London.
In 1997, she starred in the Broadway musical Triumph of Love. For this role, she received a Tony Award nomination. In 2006, she sang "Memory" from Cats at the Kennedy Center Honors. This was part of a tribute to the composer Andrew Lloyd Webber.
On January 28, 2013, she was added to The American Theater Hall of Fame. From January to March 2013, she starred in the London premiere of Dear World. She received great reviews for this musical.
In 2018, it was announced that Betty Buckley would play the main role in the national tour of Hello, Dolly!. She started performing in October 2018. She finished her part of the tour in September 2019.
Her Music Career
Betty Buckley's 18th solo album, Hope, was released in 2018. She continues to perform concerts across the U.S. every year. She is also a composer, meaning she writes music. Her first recording mainly featured songs she wrote herself.
She is also on many Broadway music collections. You can hear her on the original cast recordings of 1776, Cats, Triumph of Love, and The Mystery of Edwin Drood.
In 2002, Buckley was nominated for a Grammy Award for her album Stars and the Moon: Live at the Donmar. This was her second Grammy nomination. She was first nominated in 2000 for The Diaries of Adam and Eve.
Her albums Quintessence and 1967 were released in 2008. Quintessence has jazz versions of classic songs. 1967 is a recording she made when she was only 19 years old. Her album Ghostlight was released in 2014.
Betty Buckley's Personal Life
Betty Buckley was married to Peter Flood in 1972, and they divorced in 1979. She does not have any children.
She has received two special honorary doctorates. These were for her important contributions to musical theater. She received them from The Boston Conservatory and Marymount Manhattan College.
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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1976 | Carrie | Miss Collins | |
1983 | Tender Mercies | Dixie | |
1987 | Wild Thing | Leah | |
1988 | Frantic | Sondra Walker | |
Another Woman | Kathy | ||
1992 | Rain Without Thunder | Beverly Goldring | |
1994 | Last Time Out | Maxine Black | |
Wyatt Earp | Virginia Earp | ||
1995 | Ride for Your Life | Short film | |
1998 | Of Love & Fantasy | Dr. Tania Brandt | Video |
1999 | Simply Irresistible | Aunt Stella | |
2002 | New World Order | Rose Kross | |
2004 | Mummy an' the Armadillo | Let | |
2008 | The Happening | Mrs. Jones | |
2011 | 5 Time Champion | Fran | |
2016 | Split | Dr. Karen Fletcher | |
2024 | Imaginary | Gloria | |
2025 | By Design | Post-production |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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1977 | Ryan's Hope | Divorced Lady | Episode: "1.405" |
1977 | The Rubber Gun Squad | Rosie | TV movie |
1977–1981 | Eight Is Enough | Sandra Sue 'Abby' Abbott Bradford | 102 episodes |
1981 | The Ordeal of Bill Carney | Barbara Slaner | TV movie |
1984 | Special Treat | Mrs. Lawson | Episode: "Bobby and Sarah" |
1984 | The Three Wishes of Billy Grier | Nancy Grier | TV movie |
1985 | Evergreen | Mrs. Bradford | TV miniseries |
1987 | Roses Are for the Rich | Ella | TV movie |
1987 | Cagney & Lacey | Marci Bruckman | Episode: "You've Come a Long Way, Baby" |
1989 | ABC Afterschool Specials | Lillian Robinson | Episode: "Taking a Stand" |
1989 | Babycakes | Wanda | TV movie |
1991 | L.A. Law | Elisa Chandler | 2 episodes: "Something Old, Something ..." "TV or Not TV" |
1992 | Mathnet | Sally Storm | Episode: "The Case of the Mystery Weekend" |
1992 | Bonnie & Clyde: The True Story | Mrs. Parker | TV movie |
1992 | Square One TV | Sally Storm | 3 episodes |
1993 | Tribeca | Ruth | Episode: "The Rainmaker" |
1994 | Betrayal of Trust | Dr. Jan Galanti | TV movie |
1996 | Critical Choices | Dr. Margaret Ludlow | TV movie |
1996 | Remember WENN | Gloria Redmond | Episode: "Christmas in the Airwaves" |
2001–2003 | Oz | Suzanne Fitzgerald | 18 episodes |
2003 | Monk | Mrs. Fleming | Episode: "Mr. Monk Goes to the Theater" |
2004 | The Jury | Carla Kohler | Episode: "Last Rites" |
2005 | Vinegar Hill | Mary Margaret Grier | TV movie |
2006 | Brothers & Sisters | Iva March | Episode: "Unaired Pilot" |
2006 | Without a Trace | Catherine Ryder | Episode: "Expectations" |
2006 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Attorney Walsh | 3 episodes: "Manipulated", "Clock", "Lunacy" |
2010 | Melrose Place | Bernadette Reese | Episode: "Sepulveda" |
2010 | The Pacific | Marion Leckie | Episode: "Home" |
2011 | The Chicago Code | Sister Paul | Episode: "Hog Butcher" |
2011 | Pretty Little Liars | Regina Marin | Episode: "I Must Confess" |
2013 | Episode: "She's Better Now" | ||
2014 | Getting On | Dottie Levy | Episode: "Is Soap A Hazardous Substance?" |
2015 | The Leftovers | Jane | Episode: "Ten Thirteen" |
2016 | Chicago Med | Olga Barlow | Episode: "Extreme Measures" |
2017–2020 | Supergirl | Patricia Arias | 4 episodes |
2018 | Preacher | Madame Marie L'Angelle | Season 3 |
2021 | Supergirl | Owl (voice) | Episode: "Dream Weaver" |
2021–2022 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Trial Division Chief Lorraine Maxwell | Recurring role (seasons 23-24) |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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1969 | 1776 | Martha Jefferson | 46th Street Theatre |
1969 | Promises, Promises | Fran Kubelik | Prince of Wales Theatre |
1972 | What's A Nice Girl Like You Doing in a State Like This | Off-broadway | |
1973 | Pippin | Catherine (replacement) | Imperial Theatre |
1980–1981 | I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking it on the Road | Heather | Circle in the Square Theatre Downtown Huntington Hartford Theatre, Los Angeles |
1982–1984 | Cats | Grizabella | Winter Garden Theatre |
1985 | Song and Dance | Emma (replacement) | Royale Theatre |
1985 | Drood | Edwin Drood / Miss Alice Nutting | Shakespeare in the Park Imperial Theatre |
1985 | Juno's Swans | Second Stage Theatre | |
1988 | Carrie | Margaret White | Virginia Theatre |
1992 | The Threepenny Opera | Jenny Diver | Williamstown Theatre Festival |
1992 | Gypsy | Mama Rose | Arizona Civic Light Opera |
1993 | The Fourth Wall | Chicago Opera Theatre | |
1994–1996 | Sunset Boulevard | Norma Desmond (replacement) | Adelphi Theatre Minskoff Theatre |
1997 | Triumph of Love | Hesione | Royale Theatre |
1998 | Gypsy | Mama Rose | Paper Mill Playhouse |
1998 | Camino Real | Hartford Stage | |
2003 | Elegies: A Song Cycle | Lincoln Center | |
2003 | The Threepenny Opera | Jenny Diver | Williamstown Theatre Festival |
2010 | White's Lies | Mrs. White | New World Stages |
2011 | Arsenic and Old Lace | Martha Brewster | Dallas Theater Center |
2013 | Dear World | Countess Aurelia | Charing Cross Theatre, London |
2013–2014 | The Old Friends | Gertrude | Pershing Square Signature Center Alley Theatre, Houston |
2015 | Follies | Carlotta Campion | Royal Albert Hall, London |
2015–2016 | Grey Gardens | Big Edie | Bay Street Theater, Sag Harbour, New York Ahmanson Theater, Los Angeles |
2018–2019 | Hello, Dolly! | Dolly Gallagher Levi | National Tour |
Discography
Name | Year | Label | Notes |
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Betty Buckley | 1985 | Rizzoli | |
Children Will Listen | 1993 | Sterling | |
With One Look | 1994 | Sterling | |
New Ways to Dream – Songs from Sunset Boulevard | 1994 | Really Useful | |
The London Concert | 1995 | Sterling | Recorded March 19, 1995 |
An Evening at Carnegie Hall | 1996 | Sterling | Recorded June 10, 1996 |
Betty Buckley's Broadway | 1996 | Sterling | Compilation album |
Much More | 1997 | Sterling | |
Betty Buckley (15 Year Anniversary Re-Release) | 2000 | KO | |
Heart to Heart | 2000 | KO | |
The Doorway | 2001 | Fynsworth Alley | |
Stars and the Moon – Live at the Donmar | 2001 | Concord | Recorded August 31 and September 1, 2000 |
1967 | 2007 | Playbill | Recorded in 1967, released 40 years later |
Quintessence | 2008 | Playbill | |
Bootleg: Boardmixes from the Road | 2010 | Practical Magic | |
Ah, Men! The Boys of Broadway | 2012 | Palmetto | Songs sung by men on Broadway |
Ghostlight | 2014 | Practical Magic | Produced by T Bone Burnett |
Story Songs | 2017 | Palmetto | |
Hope | June 8, 2018 | Palmetto |
Show | Cast | Year | Role |
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1776 | Original Broadway Cast | 1969 | Martha Jefferson |
Promises, Promises | Original London Cast | 1969 | Fran Kubelik |
Hair | Film Soundtrack | 1979 | |
I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking It on the Road | Off-Broadway Cast | 1980 | Heather |
Cats | Original Broadway Cast | 1982 | Grizabella |
The Mystery of Edwin Drood | Original Broadway Cast | 1985 | Edwin Drood / Dick Datchery / Miss Alice Nutting |
Prom Queens Unchained | Studio Cast | 1997 | |
The Civil War | Concept Album | 1998 | |
Triumph of Love | Original Broadway Cast | 1998 | Hesione |
Elegies, A Song Cycle | Original Off-Broadway Cast | 2003 |
Album | Year | Notes |
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Sondheim: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall | 1992 | Sings "Children Will Listen" |
George & Ira Gershwin: A Musical Celebration | 1993 | Sings "How Long Has This Been Going On?" |
Mathis on Broadway | 2000 | Sings "Children Will Listen" and "Our Children" |
The Maury Yeston Songbook | 2003 | Sings "I Had a Dream About You" and "Be on Your Own" |
The Diaries of Adam and Eve, by Mark Twain | ?? | Reads the part of Eve |
Awards and Nominations
Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
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1983 | Tony Award | Best Featured Actress in a Musical | Cats | Won |
Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Nominated | ||
1985 | Daytime Emmy Award | Outstanding Performer in a Children's Program/Special | NBC Special Treat: Bobby and Sarah | Nominated |
1989 | ABC Afterschool Special: Taking a Stand | Nominated | ||
1995 | Olivier Award | Best Actress in a Musical | Sunset Boulevard | Nominated |
1998 | Tony Award | Best Actress in a Musical | Triumph of Love | Nominated |
Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Nominated | ||
2000 | Grammy Award | Best Spoken Word Album | The Diaries of Adam and Eve | Nominated |
2002 | Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album | Stars and the Moon: Live at the Donmar | Nominated | |
2014 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play | The Old Friends | Nominated |
2016 | Fright Meter Awards | Best Actress | Split | Won |
2017 | Saturn Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated |
Special Honors
- 2004 Legend of Cabaret Award
- 2007 Texas Film Hall of Fame Inductee
- 2012 American Theater Hall of Fame Inductee
See also
In Spanish: Betty Buckley para niños