Betsy Blair in MARTY

Betsy Blair (1923 - )

In Cliffside Park, New Jersey on December 11, 1923, Betsy Blair was born. Her given name at birth was Elizabeth Winifred Boger.

Betsy Blair was a child model. She worked as a chorus dancer at the age of 15.

PANAMA HATTIE on Broadway in 1940 was Betsy Blair's first break. Blair only had a one line part. However, by the following year she starred in William Saroyan's THE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE.

Betsy Blair married Gene Kelly in 1940. Gene Kelly will always be known for his role in SINGIN' IN THE RAIN in 1952.  They had one daughter together, Kerry, who was born in 1942. Blair later divorced Kelly in 1957. In 1963 Betsy Blair married Karel Reisz who was the director of THE DEEP BLUE SEA in 1994.They remained together until Reisz's death in 2002.

THE GUILT OF JANET AMES in 1947 was Betsy Blair's screen debut. In the same year she also starred in A DOUBLE LIFE. In 1948, Betsy Blair starred in THE SNAKE PIT with co-star Olivia De Havilland. The same year she also starred in ANOTHER PART OF THE FOREST.

Betsy Blair's career came to a sudden halt when she became involved in SAG politics in 1946 when a proposal was made for the formation of the first Anti-Discrimination Committee.  Within a year's time, Senator Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee investigated Betsy
and other actors and put her name on the Red Channels.  By 1950 her career was completely undone and there were no more movie offers.

In 1955, Gene Kelly threatened to stop working for MGM, if they did not allow his wife, Betsy Blair to star in MARTY. That was the only reason she won the female lead.  It became the role of Betsy Blair's lifetime.   She was awarded the Cannes Film and British Film acting award and an Oscar nomination.  However, it did not help Betsy Blair overcome the blacklist.

Blair, published her own memoirs and spoke candidly about her life on Broadway, with Gene Kelly and her life being blacklisted.  She continues to live in England.

Betsy Blair's other credits include...

BROADWAY: THE GOLDEN AGE, BY THE LEGENDS WHO WERE THERE - 2003
GENE KELLY: ANATOMY OF A DANCER - TV - 2002
SCARLETT - 1994
BETRAYED - 1988
A DELICATE BALANCE - 1973
ALL NIGHT LONG - 1961
THE HALLIDAY BRAND - 1957
MARTY - 1955
KIND LADY - 1951
THE SNAKE PIT - 1948
ANOTHER PART OF THE FOREST - 1948
A DOUBLE LIFE - 1947
THE GUILT OF JANET AMES - 1947

Awards Betsy Blair achieved include...

BAFTA Award - MARTY - 1956
Chicago International Film Festival - Career Achievement Award - 2006

Betsy Blair in MARTY (1955)