Carl Betz

At 56 years old, Carl Betz has this physical status:

Carl Lawrence Betz (March 9, 1921 – January 18, 1978) was an American stage, film, and television actor.

He appeared in a variety of television series, including the CBS soap opera Love of Life; however, he is best remembered for playing Donna Reed's television husband, Dr.

Alex Stone, from 1958 to 1966 in the ABC sitcom The Donna Reed Show.

Then between 1967 and 1969, Betz played defense attorney Clinton Judd in ABC's courtroom drama Judd, for the Defense, winning an Emmy Award in 1969 for his work on that series.

Early years

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1921, Betz was the oldest of four children—two sons and two daughters—of Carl W. and Mary Leona Betz. His siblings (from oldest to youngest) were Mary Louise Betz, Leona Ruth Betz and William Harlow Betz. His father was a native of Missouri; and according to the federal census of 1930, he was then the "chief chemist" at a local laboratory and later, by 1940, for Allegheny County.

Growing up in the Pittsburgh suburbs of Crafton and Mt. Lebanon, Betz began his amateur acting career very early, at the age of 10, when he formed a theatrical company with six friends who performed plays in his grandmother's basement. After graduating from Mount St. Charles Academy in Rhode Island, he won a scholarship to Duquesne University.

After the war, Betz returned to Carnegie Tech and earned a degree in drama. After graduation, he worked as a radio announcer and disk jockey before moving to New York City. Betz continued working in summer and winter stock companies and also worked for a while as a doorman at Radio City Music Hall.

Personal life and death

Betz was married twice and had one child. In June 1952 he married actress Lois Harmon with whom he had a son, Richard. The couple separated in May 1960 and divorced in 1961. In December 1963, Betz married Gloria Stone Martin, sister of actress Nita Talbot. Through his marriage to Martin, Betz had a stepdaughter, Rio. He and Gloria remained together for 15 years, until Carl's death.

In 1977, Betz was diagnosed with terminal and inoperable lung cancer. He kept his diagnosis private so he could keep working. On November 29, 1977, Betz entered Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He died seven weeks later, on January 18, 1978. His remains were cremated.

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Career

Betz appeared in The Long Watch in 1952 and toured with Veronica Lake in the summer stock play The Voice of the Turtle. Collie Jordan on Love of Life continued for 18 months as Collie Jordan. Betz appeared in television shows such as Sheriff of Cochise, Perry Mason, Gunsmoke, and The Millionaire's Story before his eight-year tenure on The Donna Reed Show.

Betz appeared in ABC sitcom The Donna Reed Show in 1958 as pediatrician Dr. Alex Stone. The show revolves around the lives and education of a middle-class American family in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Donna Stone (Reed) and Jeff (Paul Petersen) were often asked to rescue their wives Donna Stone (Reed) from uncomfortable situations and to track their children's behavior. In a 1962 episode, Jeff Stone introduced the sentimental hit song "My Dad," specifically to Betz. The series ran for eight seasons from September 1958 to March 1966, and was a hit on ABC. Betz appeared on stage scenes during the show's hiatus during the series's run. In 1964, he appeared as Reverend T. Lawrence Shannon in a limited stage performance of The Night of the Irmo, for which he received acclaim.

Betz returned to television and stage performances after The Donna Reed Show was cancelled. In 1967, producer Paul Monash gave Betz the role of defense counsel Clinton Judd in Judd's legal drama for the Defense. In 1964, Monash saw Betz's appearance in Night of the Iguana and was impressed with his acting. Betz had hoped it was for a guest spot at first, but Monash soon learned that he would be playing a new series. Betz started off misgivings by saying, "I don't want to do another series, you get bored," but he eventually relented because he loved the scripts. Critics lauded the series, but viewers were disappointed in the ratings. Betz received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Series just short of ABC's cancellation of the series in 1969. In addition, he appeared on a number of popular television shows, including Mission: Impossible, The Mod Squad, Love, American Style, and Starsky & Hutch. In the one-man stage play I Shall Return, one of his last roles was as General Douglas MacArthur.

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