Betty Buckley
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Betty Lynn Buckley (born July 3, 1947) is an American theater, film, and television actress.
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[edit] Biography
Buckley was born in Fort Worth, Texas to Ernest Buckley (who was born in South Dakota) and Betty Bob; she she is the eldest of their five children. She has four brothers.
She was crowned "Miss Fort Worth" in 1966 and was runner-up in the Miss Texas competition. She was then invited to perform at the Miss America pageant in Atlantic City. She worked for a time as a reporter for the Fort Worth newspaper, but went to New York City in 1969 at the age of 22, where she landed a part in 1776. She was married in 1972 and divorced in 1979. She has never had children.
Buckley currently lives on a ranch in Parker County, Texas and participates in NCHA cutting horse competitions.
[edit] Stage and screen career
Buckley made her Broadway debut in 1969 and has been called "The voice of Broadway!" by New York Magazine. Her rendition of "Memory" in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats established her as a singer of incredible power, range and emotion, and she is now considered one of the true living legends of American theatre.
Buckley has recorded twelve solo albums and now concertizes extensively across the United States each year. She has been highly acclaimed by critics for her insightful, dramatic performances of popular and Broadway songs in such venues as the Cafe Carlyle and the Blue Note in New York and the Cinegrill in Los Angeles. At 59, her voice is still powerful, emotive and very beautiful. She has also been universally lauded for her skill as a "musical storyteller" and her versatility in covering songs ranging from blues and jazz to country.
She is also a composer - her first recording contains mostly songs she wrote.
Buckley very much enjoys the music of country music singer-songwriter, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and covers her songs during her shows. She has professed that the country singer is among her favorite "musical-poet-songwriter-singers". Carpenter once attended one of Buckley's performances and afterwards presented her with a personal letter of thanks. Ms. Buckley keeps the note in a frame and has said that receiving it was "one of the highlights of my life." It is a story the singer frequently shares during her live show.
Buckley frequently performs with her band, Quintessence. One of Quintessence's members is Kenny Werner, well-known jazz pianist - he has played and arranged for her for over sixteen years. They continue to work closely together on arrangements for songs they perform.
Recently she performed at Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg, Florida. With her were bandmates, Ed, on drums; Phil, on cello; Clifford, on piano; and Paul, on reed. Paul has been with Buckley a number of years.
[edit] On Broadway, she has appeared in:
- 1776 - 1969, her Broadway debut as Martha Jefferson where she sang "He Plays the Violin."
- Cats - 1982 where she won the Tony Award for outstanding achievement in the theater that year for playing Grizzabella.
- The Mystery of Edwin Drood - 1985
- Song and Dance-1986
- Carrie - 1988 - as Carrie's mother.
- Sunset Boulevard - 1994 (Andrew Lloyd Webber's adaptation of the film) as Norma Desmond, the aging diva silent screen actress.
- Triumph of Love - 1997 with F. Murray Abraham and Christopher Sieber. She was nominated for a Tony award for this show.
She is perhaps best known for the 1977 - 1981 TV dramedy Eight is Enough. She joined the show in its second season after the original star, Diana Hyland, died after the first four episodes of season one. Hyland's character (Joan Bradford) died, and Buckley was cast as Sandra Sue Abbott (nicknamed Abby), who went on to become step-mother to the 'eight' (kids) the series' title refers to.
Buckley also gave a much remembered performance in the original movie version of Carrie in 1976. She played Miss Collins, Carrie's gym teacher. In 1977, she recorded a solo on the song Walking in Space, in the movie Hair.
She played the role of a country singer in Bruce Beresford's film Tender Mercies (1982) where she sang the awarded song Over You. She also appeared in the Woody Allen's film Another Woman (1988) and in Roman Polanski's Frantic (1988). In 2001-2003, she played a role in the 4th, 5th and 6th seasons of HBO series Oz. She also has guest-starred in a number of television series, including Without a Trace, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit and Monk.
[edit] Current career
Buckley has made twelve solo albums and now performs extensively across the United States each year in such venues as the Cafe Carlyle and the Blue Note in New York and the Cinegrill in Los Angeles. Buckley frequently performs with her band, Quintessence. One of Quintessence's members is Kenny Werner, well-known jazz pianist - he has played and arranged for her for over sixteen years. They continue to work closely together on arrangements for songs they perform.
