Carl Betz
Betz as Clinton Judd (1967)
Born	Carl Lawrence Betz (1921-03-09)March 9, 1921 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	January 18, 1978(1978-01-18) (aged 56) Los Angeles,California, U.S.
Education	Duquesne University Carnegie Mellon University (BFA)
Years active	1952–1977
Spouses	Lois Harmon ​ ​ (m. 1952; div. 1961)​ Gloria Stone Martin ​ ​ (m. 1963⁠–⁠1978)​
Children	1

Carl Lawrence Betz^[1] (March 9, 1921 – January 18, 1978) was an American stage, film, and television actor. He appeared in a variety of television series, including theCBSsoap operaLove of Life; he is best remembered for playingDonna Reed's television husband, Dr. Alex Stone, from 1958 to 1966 in theABCsitcomThe Donna Reed Show. Then between 1967 and 1969, Betz played defense attorney Clinton Judd in ABC's courtroom dramaJudd, for the Defense, winning anEmmy Award in 1969 for his work on that series.

Betz was born inPittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1921, the eldest child of Carl W. and Mary Leona Betz. His siblings were Mary Louise, Leona Ruth, and William Harlow.^[2] His father was a native ofMissouri; and according to the federal census of 1930, was then the chief chemist at a local laboratory and later, by 1940, forAllegheny County.^[2][3]

Growing up in the Pittsburgh suburbs ofCrafton andMt. Lebanon,^[4] Betz began his amateur acting career at the age of 10, when he formed a theatrical company with six friends who performed plays in his grandmother's basement.^[5] After graduating fromMt. Lebanon High School in 1939, he won a scholarship toDuquesne University.^[6] Beginning in 1942, Betz served three and a half years in theU.S. Army duringWorld War II, seeing action inNorth Africa andItaly.^[5]

After the war, Betz returned toCarnegie Tech and earned a degree in drama. After graduation, he worked as a radio announcer and disk jockey before moving toNew York City. Betz continued working in summer- and winter-stock companies and also worked for a while as a doorman atRadio City Music Hall.^[7][4][5]

Betz made hisBroadway debut in 1952 inThe Long Watch,^[8] and toured withVeronica Lake in the summer-stock play,The Voice of the Turtle. He then appeared for 18 months as Collie Jordan onLove of Life. Prior to his eight-year run onThe Donna Reed Show, Betz made guest appearances on such television series asSheriff of Cochise,Perry Mason,Gunsmoke (as Nate Timble and Ned Glass, an outlaw trying to go straight under an assumed name in the 1957 episode “Gone Straight” - credited as “Carl Bentz”),The Millionaire, andAlfred Hitchcock Presents.

In 1958, Betz was cast aspediatrician Dr. Alex Stone in ABC sitcomThe Donna Reed Show. The show revolves around the home and school problems of a middle-class American family in the late 1950s through the mid-1960s. Alex was often called upon to rescue wife Donna Stone (Reed) from awkward situations and to monitor the behavior of their children, Mary (Shelley Fabares) and Jeff (Paul Petersen). Jeff Stone introduced the sentimental hit song "My Dad" in a 1962 episode, specifically singing the tune to Betz. The series was a hit for ABC and aired for eight seasons from September 1958 to March 1966. During the run of the series, Betz continued acting in stage roles during the show's hiatus. In 1964, he appeared as Reverend T. Lawrence Shannon in a limited stage run ofThe Night of the Iguana, for which he earned excellent reviews.^[7][9]

AfterThe Donna Reed Show was cancelled, Betz returned to television roles and stage work.^[10] In 1967, producerPaul Monash offered Betz the role of defense lawyer Clinton Judd in the legal dramaJudd, for the Defense. Monash had seen Betz's performance inNight of the Iguana in 1964 and was impressed with his acting. Betz initially thought the role was for a guest spot, but soon realized Monash had proposed that he star in a new series. Betz initially had misgivings, stating, "I did not want to do another series, you get bored", but eventually relented, because he liked the scripts.^[9] The series, which premiered on ABC in September 1967, was praised by critics, but struggled in the ratings.^[7] Shortly after ABC cancelled the series in 1969, Betz won thePrimetime Emmy Award forOutstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Series for his work on the series.^[11] He also made many guest appearances on a variety of popular television shows, such asMission: Impossible,The Mod Squad,Love, American Style, andStarsky & Hutch. One of his last roles was asGeneralDouglas MacArthur in the one-man stage playI Shall Return.

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.^[12] In December 1963, Betz married Gloria Stone Martin, sister of actressNita Talbot.^[13] Through his marriage to Martin, Betz had a stepdaughter, Rio. Gloria and he remained together for 15 years, until Carl's death.^[14]

In 1977, Betz was diagnosed with terminal and inoperablelung cancer. He kept his diagnosis private in order to continue working.^[10] On November 29, 1977, Betz enteredCedars-Sinai Medical Center inLos Angeles. He died seven weeks later, on January 18, 1978, at age 56.^[15] His remains were cremated.^[14]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toCarl Betz.

• Carl Betz at theInternet Broadway Database
• Carl Betz atIMDb

• 1921 births
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