Betsy Palmer | |
|---|---|
 Palmer in 1960 | |
| Born | Patricia Betsy Hrunek (1926-11-01)November 1, 1926 East Chicago, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | May 29, 2015(2015-05-29) (aged 88) Danbury, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Education | East Chicago Business College Art Institute of Chicago |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1951–2007 |
| Notable work | Friday the 13th |
| Television | I've Got a Secret, anthology series, game shows |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1[1] |
Betsy Palmer (bornPatricia Betsy Hrunek; November 1, 1926 – May 29, 2015) was an American actress known for her many film and Broadway roles, television guest-starring appearances, as a panelist on the game showI've Got a Secret, and later for playing the antagonist and mother ofJason Voorhees,Pamela Voorhees, in the firstFriday the 13th film (1980).
Palmer was born Patricia Betsy Hrunek on November 1, 1926,[2] inEast Chicago, Indiana, the daughter[3][4] of Marie (née Love), anadoptee, who launched the East Chicago Business College before she married,[5][6][7][1][8] and Vincent Rudolph Hrunek (1894-1969),[9][10] an industrial chemist who immigrated fromCzechoslovakia, and became astay-at-home father.[11][12] She performed in school plays all through childhood, graduated from East Chicago's Roosevelt High School in 1944, then attended East Chicago Business College.[8] After graduation, she worked as a stenographer and secretary for the car foreman on theRIP track of theB&O Railroad. She hated it, she said, because she was shut off from people.[13] Some time after Palmer took an aptitude test at the Chicago YWCA, which indicated a flair for the arts, her father brought a coworker home for dinner, a former New York actor who recommended she study with David Itkin. Working days and commuting to night classes from East Chicago, she graduated from theGoodman School of Drama at theArt Institute of Chicago (now atDePaul University).[14][15][16]
Palmer began working in summer stock inLake Geneva, Wisconsin, then in winter stock at the Woodstock Opera House inWoodstock, Illinois, withPaul Newman, and then summer stock in Chicago withImogene Coca. Having saved $400, she told her parents she was changing her name to Betsy Palmer and moving to New York City with Sasha Igler, who had a job in advertising.[citation needed]
Palmer got her first television acting job in 1951 when she joined the cast of the 15-minute weekday television soap operaMiss Susan, which was produced inPhiladelphia, and all actors traveled each day from New York City by train.[17][8] She was "discovered" for this role byNorman Lessing while attending a party in the apartment of actorFrank Sutton, who was married to Toby Igler, the sister of Palmer's roommate, Sasha Igler. She had been in Manhattan less than one week.[citation needed]
A life member of theActors Studio,[18] Palmer's stage work included a tour ofSouth Pacific (as Nellie Forbush) and a summer-stock season in the title role inMaggie, the 1953 musical adaptation ofWhat Every Woman Knows byWilliam Roy and Hugh Thomas.
In 1953, she created the role of Virginia in the original teleplay version ofPaddy Chayefsky'sMarty. Also in 1953, she appeared in aStudio One television broadcast ofHound-Dog Man withJackie Cooper and others.[citation needed] She became a familiar face on television as a news reporter onToday in 1958 (theToday Girl), and a long-running regular panelist on the quiz showI've Got a Secret. She joined the show's original run, replacingFaye Emerson in 1958 and remaining until the show's finale in 1967. She did not reprise her role in any of the various revivals of the show. Palmer was the last surviving member of theI've Got a Secret first version's cast.
Palmer appeared as Kitty Carter inThe Long Gray Line (1955), starringTyrone Power andMaureen O'Hara. She also played nurse Lt. Ann Girard (the main female character) inMister Roberts (1955), starring withHenry Fonda,Jack Lemmon,James Cagney, andWilliam Powell. In the same year, she played Carol Lee Phillips inQueen Bee, which starredJoan Crawford.[17]
Palmer starred alongsideAnthony Perkins and Fonda again in the Paramount production ofThe Tin Star (1957).[19]
In 1958, she played undercover agent Phyllis Carter/Lynn Stuart in the filmThe True Story of Lynn Stuart, co-starringJack Lord and featuringKim Spalding as her husband, Ralph Carter.
Palmer appeared in seven Broadway shows. All the original productions had short runs, but she replaced other actresses in long-run shows, notablyLauren Bacall inCactus Flower in 1967, andEllen Burstyn inSame Time Next Year in 1977. In 1976, Palmer was the actress whomTennessee Williams chose to embody the frustrated lead, Alma Winemiller, in hisThe Eccentricities of a Nightingale.[20]
Palmer'sMercedes-Benz stopped working on the highway to her home inConnecticut after a performance in New York City. To replace her car, her daughter suggested theVolkswagen Scirocco at a cost of $10,000. The offer of $1,000 a day for ten days work on location at aBoy Scout camp in New Jersey was a reason for taking a role inFriday the 13th. Her initial reaction to the experience was "What a piece of shit! Nobody is ever going to see this thing."[21] Despite her distaste for the film, she reluctantly consented to a cameo appearance inFriday the 13th Part 2.[22] She ultimately came to accept and celebrate her participation in the franchise, eventually commenting "I was dumb,Friday the 13th is an excellent film." Palmer was asked to reprise her role as Mrs. Voorhees inFreddy vs. Jason in 2003 and agreed to return, but she ultimately turned down the role after being offered a surprisingly low salary.[22]
In 1982, Palmer created the role of Suzanne Becker on the CBS daytime soap operaAs the World Turns. From 1989 to 1990, the actress appeared onKnots Landing as Virginia "Ginny" Bullock, the aunt ofValene Ewing (played by series starJoan Van Ark). Palmer acted in a Mayfield Dinner Theatre production ofOn Golden Pond inEdmonton, Alberta, in 1997.
In 2002, Palmer provided the voice of the title character, the ghost of a witch, for the horror filmBell Witch: The Movie, released in 2007.
In 2005, at around 79 years old, she appeared as Trudie Tredwell in thehorrorshortPenny Dreadful, and in 2007, at 81, as the older version of the title character inWaltzing Anna.[citation needed]
Palmer appeared in the 2006 documentary,Betsy Palmer: Scream Queen Legend,[citation needed] as part of the publicity for the 2007 release ofBell Witch: The Movie.[23][24]
Palmer datedJames Dean;[17] the two met while working on an episode ofStudio One television series.[citation needed]
Palmer married Vincent J. Merendino, an obstetrician-gynecologist, in 1954, whom she met in New York on a blind date.[25] They divorced in 1971 after 17 years. She had one daughter, Melissa.[citation needed]
Palmer died of natural causes on May 29, 2015, at a hospice care center inDanbury, Connecticut.[26] She was 88.
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1955 | Death Tide | Gloria | |
| The Long Gray Line | Kitty Carter | ||
| Mister Roberts | Lt. Ann Girard | ||
| Queen Bee | Carol Lee Phillips | ||
| 1957 | The Tin Star | Nona Mayfield | |
| 1958 | The True Story of Lynn Stuart | Phyllis Carter / Lynn Stuart | |
| The Time of Your Life | Kitty Duval | ||
| 1959 | It Happened to Jane | Herself (panelist) | |
| The Ballad of Louie the Louse | Tina Adams | TV movie | |
| The Last Angry Man | Anna Thrasher | ||
| 1968 | A Punt, a Pass, and a Prayer | Nancy | TV movie |
| 1980 | Friday the 13th | Pamela Voorhees | |
| 1981 | Friday the 13th Part 2 | ||
| Isabel's Choice | Ellie Fineman | TV movie | |
| 1988 | Windmills of the Gods | Mrs. Hart Brisbane | TV movie |
| Goddess of Love | Hera | TV movie | |
| 1992 | Still Not Quite Human | Aunt Mildred | TV movie |
| 1994 | Unveiled | Eva | |
| 1999 | The Fear: Resurrection | Grandmother | |
| 2005 | Penny Dreadful | Trudie Tredwell | |
| 2006 | Waltzing Anna | Anna Rhoades | (Final film performance) |
| Betsy Palmer: Scream Queen Legend | Self | Documentary | |
| 2007 | Bell Witch: The Movie | Bell Witch | (Final film release) |
| 2009 | His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th | Herself | Documentary |
From 1953 to 2001, Palmer was a guest star on 73 television programs, including (in no particular order):
| Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fantasporto Film Festival | Special Career Award | Penny Dreadful | Won |
| Golden Raspberry Award | Worst Supporting Actress | Friday the 13th | Nominated |
| New England Theatre Conference (NETC) 2005 Major Award | Award for Stage Work[27] | Various | Won |
Her mother founded the East Chicago Business College 36 years ago ("even before she met daddy") and she still runs it and teaches.
Mrs. V. R. Hrunek, 4329 Baring Ave., director of the East Chicago Business College and mother of actress Betsy Palmer was appointed to the library board
Rudolf V. Hrunek, 74, a reared chemist and father of Betsy Palmer, a television personality, died at his home Monday after a long illness. A native of Prak, Czechoslovakia, he also is survived by his wife, Mrs. Marie Hrunek, and a son, Jack Hrunek of St. John, Ind.
