Zina Bethune facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Zina Bethune
Bethune in 1968
Born	Zina Bianca Bethune (1945-02-17)February 17, 1945 Staten Island, New York City, U.S.
Died	February 12, 2012(2012-02-12) (aged 66) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery
Occupation	Actor, ballet dancer, choreographer and teacher
Years active	1951–2006
Known for	Theater Bethune
Spouse(s)	Sean Feeley ​ (m. 1970)​

Zina Bianca Bethune (born February 17, 1945 – died February 12, 2012) was an American actress, dancer, and choreographer. She was known for her work in movies, TV shows, and especially for helping children with disabilities.

Early Life and Family

Zina Bethune was born on Staten Island, a part of New York City. Her mother, Ivy Vigder, was an actress from Russia. She was famous for her roles in the "Superman" radio show and later on TV shows like Father Murphy and General Hospital.

Zina's father, William Charles Bethune, was an artist who created sculptures and paintings. Sadly, he passed away in 1950 when Zina was only five years old.

Her Career in Entertainment

Dancing and Theater

Zina started her ballet training very young, at age six. She went to the famous School of American Ballet founded by George Balanchine.

By the time she was 14, she was already dancing with the New York City Ballet. She played Clara in the original 1954 Balanchine production of The Nutcracker. Her first acting job was at age six in a play called Monday's Heroes.

On Television

As a child, Zina appeared in many TV shows. She was in the original cast of The Most Happy Fella. She also played the first "Robin Lang" on the soap opera The Guiding Light from 1956 to 1958.

In 1960, she played President Franklin D. Roosevelt's daughter in a TV show called Sunrise at Campobello. A newspaper writer, Dick Kleiner, praised her acting in a 1958 TV show called This Property Is Condemned.

Zina also played Amy March in a musical TV version of Little Women in 1958. From 1962 to 1965, she played nurse Gail Lucas on The Nurses. She also appeared in many other popular shows like Route 66, The Judy Garland Show, Gunsmoke, and Emergency!.

In Movies

Zina Bethune starred in Martin Scorsese's first feature film, Who's That Knocking at My Door, which came out in 1967. She played "The Girl" alongside actor Harvey Keitel. Much of the movie was filmed in 1965 when it was a student project for Scorsese at New York University.

Helping Others

Throughout her life, Zina Bethune was dedicated to helping students with disabilities. She herself had health challenges, being diagnosed with scoliosis at age 11 and hip dysplasia at 17.

In 1981, Zina started a non-profit dance and drama company called Bethune Theatredanse, which is now known as Theatre Bethune. This company has performed all over the world and even at the White House. It is the official resident company of the Los Angeles Theatre Center.

She also founded Dance Outreach in 1980, which is now called Infinite Dreams. By 2012, this program helped about 8,000 children with disabilities take part in dance activities across Southern California.

Her Passing

On February 12, 2012, just five days before her 67th birthday, Zina Bethune died in an accident. She was trying to help an injured opossum in Griffith Park, Los Angeles, when she was hit by a car that did not stop.

Film and TV Roles

See also

In Spanish: Zina Bethune para niños