Actress. Born Bette Joan Henritze, her father was an electrician, her mother was a secretary, Bette studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City.

This led to her Broadway debut in the production "Jenny Kissed Me" (1948). Over the next four decades, she would appear in scores of wide range stage productions which included several Shakespearian plays. She distinguished herself in 1967, when she received the Obie Award for her performances in the production "The Rimers of Eldritch".