
Betty Garrett
Betty Garrett (May 23, 1919 - February 12, 2011) was an American actress, comedian, singer and dancer, who starred in several Hollywood musicals and stage roles. She was at the top of her game when the Communist scare in the 1950s brought her career to a screeching, ugly halt. She and her husband Larry Parks, an Oscar-nominated actor, were summoned by the House UnAmerican Activities Committee and questioned about their involvement. As the drama played out, a very pregnant Garrett was never called to testify, but her husband was. With his admission of Communist Party membership from 1941-1945 and refusal to name names, he made it to the Hollywood Blacklist. After the incident, Garrett and Parks worked up nightclub singing/comedy acts along with appearing in legit plays. Although Parks never quite shook off the blacklist incident, he did win a role in John Huston's film, Freud (1962). Garrett went on to appear in roles in many television series.
23
Films
21
TV Shows
Known For
44 Credits
Grey's Anatomy
as Eleanor
2005

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
as Self
1962

Murder, She Wrote
as Kit Parkins
1984

Murder, She Wrote
as Martha Neilson
1984

The Love Boat
as Martha McCoy
1977

Great Performances
as Mary Hallen
1971

The Fugitive
as Margaret Ruskin
1963

The Golden Girls
as Sarah
1985

Boston Public
as Miriam Guber
2000

Laverne & Shirley
as Edna Babish
1976

The Colgate Comedy Hour
as Self
1950

Becker
as Mrs. Firth
1998