Betty Buckley Biography

Betty Lynn Buckley (born July 3, 1947) is an American stage, film and television actress, and singer. She starred from 1977 to 1981 on the ABC series Eight is Enough, before going on to win the 1983 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role as Grizabella in the original Broadway production of Cats. Her other musical roles include originating the role of Martha Jefferson in 1776 and playing Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard from 1994 to 1996, in both London and New York, receiving an Olivier Award nomination. She is a 2012 American Theater Hall of Fame inductee.

Buckley made her Broadway debut in the 1969 musical 1776. Other Broadway musical credits include Pippin (1973) and Drood (1985). She played gym teacher Ms. Collins in the 1976 Brian de Palma film Carrie and went on to star in the short-lived Broadway musical version of Carrie in 1988, this time playing Carrie's mother, Margaret White. She received a Tony Award nomination for the 1997 musical Triumph of Love, and Grammy Award nominations for The Diaries of Adam and Eve (1999) and Stars and the Moon: Live at the Donmar (2001). Her other film roles include Dixie Scott in Tender Mercies (1983), Sondra Walker in Frantic (1988), Kathy in Another Woman (1988) and Mrs. Jones in The Happening (2008). She also had a recurring role in the HBO series Oz (2001-03). In the 2010s, her stage work includes Dear World (2013) in London, and The Old Friends (2013) and Grey Gardens (2015) in New York.

Early life

Betty Lynn Buckley was born in Big Spring, Texas and raised in Fort Worth, the daughter of Betty Bob (ne Diltz), a dancer and journalist, and Ernest Lynn Buckley, a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force and former dean of engineering at South Dakota State University. She is the oldest of their four children. She has three brothers"?Norman Buckley is a film editor and TV director, and Patrick and Michael Buckley are engineers. While a student at Texas Christian University (TCU), she was a member of Zeta Tau Alpha and crowned "Miss Fort Worth" in 1966 and was runner-up in the Miss Texas competition. Buckley was then invited to perform at the Miss America pageant in Atlantic City, and it was there that she was spotted by a talent scout. After returning to TCU to earn her college degree, she toured Asia to visit soldiers wounded in the Vietnam War. After this, she worked for a time as a reporter for the Fort Worth Press, but went to New York City in 1969, where she landed the role of Martha Jefferson in 1776 her first day in town.

Career

Stage and screen career

Buckley made her Broadway debut in 1969 in the original production of the musical 1776; she has been called "The Voice of Broadway" by New York magazine. She is perhaps best known for the 1977-81 TV dramedy Eight Is Enough. She joined the show in its second season when 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 the widower's new romantic interest, Sandra Sue Abbott (nicknamed Abby), who became stepmother of the eight children to which the series' title refers.

Buckley appeared in the original movie version of Carrie in 1976, playing Miss Collins, Carrie's gym teacher. She would go on to appear as Margaret White in the 1987 musical adaptation of the film on Broadway.

In 1977, she recorded an uncredited solo on the song "Walking in Space", in the movie Hair.

In 1982, Buckley starred as Grizabella in the original Broadway production of the musical Cats, which features the song "Memory". She would stay with the production for eighteen months. For this role, she won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.

Screen roles during the 1980s include Bruce Beresford's film Tender Mercies, where she played a country singer and sang the Academy Award nominated song "Over You". She also appeared in the Woody Allen film Another Woman (1988), Roman Polanski's Frantic (1988), Lawrence's Kasden's Wyatt Earp (1994) and M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening (2008). On television, she received two Daytime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Performer in a Children's Program/Special, for NBC Special Treat - Bobby and Sarah (1984) and ABC Afterschool Special - Taking a Stand (1989).

Buckley starred in both London (1994) and New York (1995) as Norma Desmond in the musical Sunset Boulevard. For her role in the London production, she received an Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical. In 1997, she starred as Hesione in the Broadway musical Triumph of Love and received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical.

In 2001-03, she played a role in seasons 4-6 of the HBO series Oz. She also has guest-starred in a number of television series, including Without a Trace, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and Monk. She guest-starred in a Christmas special of the TV series Remember WENN, in which she sang "You Make It Christmas".

Buckley sang "Memory" from Cats at the Kennedy Center Honors in December 2006 as part of the tribute to Andrew Lloyd Webber. In 2007, Buckley appeared with Quintessence at Lincoln Center in its Great American Songbook series.

In 2008, Buckley played "Mrs. Jones" in M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening opposite Mark Wahlberg and Zooey Deschanel. She appeared as "Marion Leckie", mother of Robert Leckie in the HBO series The Pacific, produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, which aired in 2010.

Buckley appeared in the 18th episode of Melrose Place in 2010 as a food critic cast by her brother Norman Buckley, who directed the episode. She also guest starred in an episode of the new Fox series The Chicago Code. She was a recurring guest star on Pretty Little Liars as Regina Marin, also directed by her brother Norman.

Buckley participated in a reading of the musical Ruthless! in September, 2010, playing the role of Sylvia St. Croix/Ruth DelMarco. She then played Mrs. White in the off-Broadway comedy White's Lies from March-May 2010. In 2011, Buckley starred in the Dallas Theater Center production of Arsenic and Old Lace by Joseph Kesselring with Tovah Feldshuh.

On January 28, 2013 Buckley was inducted into The American Theater Hall of Fame. From January-March 2013, she starred in the London Premiere of Jerry Herman's Dear World, receiving rave reviews. The musical was directed and choreographed by Gillian Lynne, who Buckley had previously worked with on Cats. In September 2013, she starred in the World Premiere of Horton Foote's The Old Friends at the Signature Theatre off-Broadway. She repeated her performance in 2014 at Houston's famed Alley Theatre.

In May 2015, it was announced that Buckley would appear as Big Edie in the musical, "Grey Gardens" at Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor, NY. The production ran August 4, 2015 through August 30, 2015.

On November 30, 2015, Buckley guest-starred as the character Meg's mother in the TV series The Leftovers.

From July 13, 2016 through August 14, 2016, she is again appearing as Big Edie in the musical "Grey Gardens" at the Ahmanson Theater in Los Angeles.

Music career

Buckley has recorded 16 solo albums, and performs in concert across the U.S. each year. She is also a composer; her first recording contains mostly songs she wrote. She is also featured on many Broadway compilation recordings, and on the original cast recording of 1776, the Original Broadway recording of Cats, the London recording of Promises, Promises, Triumph of Love and The Mystery of Edwin Drood.

In 2002, Buckley was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album Category, for her album Stars and the Moon: Live at the Donmar, which was recorded at the Donmar Warehouse Theatre in London. This was her second Grammy nomination, she had previously been nominated in 2000, in the Best Spoken Word Album category for The Diaries of Adam and Eve.

Her albums Quintessence and 1967 were released by Playbill Records in February 2008. Quintessence features jazz arrangements of standards by her longtime collaborator, jazz pianist Kenny Werner; while 1967 is a recording produced by T-Bone Burnett, and made when Buckley was just 19.

Her album Bootleg: Boardmixes From the Road was released in 2010, and her recording of her hit show at Feinstein's at the Regency with pianist Christian Jacob, entitled Ah, Men: The Boys of Broadway debuted on 28 August 2012.

Her most recent album Ghostlight was produced by the legendary T Bone Burnett and was released on September 16, 2014.

Personal life

Buckley was married to Peter Flood in 1972, divorced in 1979, and has no children.

She lives on a ranch in Texas and participates in NCHA cutting horse competitions while continuing to appear in films, television and theater and to sing concerts in a wide variety of venues.

Buckley has also taught song interpretation and scene study for over 40 years. She conducts master classes in Fort Worth, New York City, Los Angeles and other cities around the country.

Buckley's official website contains her concert and theater schedule, a detailed biography and timeline, and summaries of her singing and acting accomplishments.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1976	Carrie	Miss Collins
1983	Tender Mercies	Dixie
1987	Wild Thing	Leah
1988	Frantic	Sondra Walker
1988	Another Woman	Kathy
1992	Rain Without Thunder	Beverly Goldring
1994	Last Time Out	Maxine Black
1994	Wyatt Earp	Virginia Earp
1995	Ride for Your Life		Short film
1998	Of Love & Fantasy	Dr. Tania Brandt	Video
1999	Simply Irresistible	Aunt Stella
2002	New World Order	Rose Kross
2004	Mummy an' the Armadillo	Let
2008	'	Mrs. Jones
2011	5 Time Champion	Fran
2017	Split

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1977	Ryan's Hope	Divorced Lady	Episode: "1.405"
1977	'	Rosie	TV movie
1977-1981	Eight Is Enough	Sandra Sue 'Abby' Abbott Bradford	102 episodes
1981	'	Barbara Slaner	TV movie
1984	Special Treat	Mrs. Lawson	Episode: "Bobby and Sarah"
1984	'	Nancy Grier	TV movie
1985	Evergreen	Mrs. Bradford	TV miniseries
1987	Roses Are for the Rich	Ella	TV movie
1987	Cagney & Lacey	Marci Bruckman	Episode: "You've Come a Long Way, Baby"
1989	ABC Afterschool Specials	Lillian Robinson	Episode: "Taking a Stand"
1989	Babycakes	Wanda	TV movie
1991	L.A. Law	Elisa Chandler	Episode: "Something Old, Something Nude" Episode: "TV or Not TV"
1992	Mathnet	Sally Storm	Episode: "The Case of the Mystery Weekend"
1992	Bonnie & Clyde: The True Story	Mrs. Parker	TV movie
1992	Square One TV	Sally Storm	3 episodes
1993	Tribeca	Ruth	Episode: "The Rainmaker"
1994	Betrayal of Trust	Dr. Jan Galanti	TV movie
1996	Critical Choices	Dr. Margaret Ludlow	TV movie
1996	Remember WENN	Gloria Redmond	Episode: "Christmas in the Airwaves"
2001-2003	Oz	Suzanne Fitzgerald	18 episodes
2003	Monk	Mrs. Fleming	Episode: "Mr. Monk Goes to the Theater"
2004	'	Carla Kohler	Episode: "Last Rites"
2005	Vinegar Hill	Mary Margaret Grier	TV movie
2006	Brothers & Sisters	Iva March	Episode: "Unaired Pilot"
2006	Without a Trace	Catherine Ryder	Episode: "Expectations"
2006	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Attorney Walsh	Episode: "Manipulated" Episode: "Clock" Episode: "Lunacy"
2010	Melrose Place	Bernadette Reese	Episode: "Sepulveda"
2010	'	Marion Leckie	Episode: "Home"
2011	'	Sister Paul	Episode: "Hog Butcher"
2011	Pretty Little Liars	Regina Marin	Episode: "I Must Confess"
2013			Episode: "She's Better Now"
2014	Getting On	Dottie Levy	Episode: "Is Soap A Hazardous Substance?"
2015	The Leftovers	Jane	Episode: "Ten Thirteen"

Theatre

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1969	1776	Martha Jefferson	Broadway
1969	Promises, Promises	Fran Kubelik	West End
1972	What's A Nice Girl Like You Doing in a State Like This		Off-broadway
1973	Pippin	Catherine	Broadway (replacement)
1980-81	I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking it on the Road	Heather	New York/Los Angeles
1982-84	Cats	Grizabella	Broadway
1985	Song and Dance	Emma	Broadway (replacement)
1985	Drood	Edwin Drood / Miss Alice Nutting	Broadway
1985	Juno's Swans		Off-broadway (Second Stage Theatre)
1988	Carrie	Margaret White	Broadway
1992	The Threepenny Opera	Jenny Diver	Williamstown Theatre Festival
1992	Gypsy	Mama Rose	Arizona
1993	The Fourth Wall		Chicago Opera Theatre
1994-6	Sunset Boulevard	Norma Desmond	West End/Broadway (replacement)
1997	Triumph of Love	Hesione	Broadway
1998	Gypsy	Mama Rose	Paper Mill Playhouse
1998	Camino Real		Hartford Stage
2003	Elegies: A Song Cycle		Lincoln Center
2003	The Threepenny Opera	Jenny Diver	Williamstown Theatre Festival
2010	White's Lies	Mrs. White	Off-broadway
2011	Arsenic and Old Lace	Martha Brewster	Dallas Theater Center
2013	Dear World	Countess Aurelia	Charring Cross Theatre, London
2013	The Old Friends	Gertrude	Off-broadway
2015	Grey Gardens	Big Edie	Bay Street Theater, Sag Harbour N.Y.

Discography

Solo Albums

Name	Year	Label	Notes
Betty Buckley	1986	Rizzoli
Children Will Listen	1993	Sterling
With One Look	1994	Sterling
New Ways to Dream - Songs from Sunset Boulevard	1994	Really Useful
The London Concert	1995	Sterling	Recorded March 19, 1995
An Evening at Carnegie Hall	1996	Sterling	Recorded June 10, 1996
Betty Buckley's Broadway	1996	Sterling	Compilation Album
Much More	1997	Sterling
Betty Buckley (15 Year Anniversary Re-Release)	2000	KO
Heart to Heart	2000	KO
The Doorway	2001	Fynsworth Alley
Stars and the Moon - Live at the Donmar	2001	Concord	Recorded August 31 and September 1, 2000
1967	2007	Playbill	Recorded in 1967, released 40 years later
Quintessence	2008	Playbill
Bootleg: Boardmixes from the Road	2010	Practical Magic
Ah, Men! The Boys of Broadway	2012	Palmetto	Songs originally sung by men on Broadway
Ghostlight	2014	Practical Magic	Produced by T Bone Burnett

Cast Recordings

Show	Cast	Year	Role
1776	Original Broadway Cast	1969	Martha Jefferson
Promises, Promises	Original London Cast	1969	Fran Kubelik
Hair	Film Soundtrack	1979
Cats	Original Broadway Cast	1982	Grizabella
The Mystery of Edwin Drood	Original Broadway Cast	1985	Edwin Drood / Dick Datchery / Miss Alice Nutting
Prom Queens Unchained	Studio Cast	1997
The Civil War	Concept Album	1998
Triumph of Love	Original Broadway Cast	1998	Hesione
Elegies, A Song Cycle	Original Off-Broadway Cast	2003

Other Contributions

Album	Year	Notes
Sondheim: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall	1992	Sings "Children Will Listen"
George & Ira Gershwin: A Musical Celebration	1993	Sings "How Long Has This Been Going On?"
Mathis On Broadway	2000	Sings "Children Will Listen" and "Our Children"
The Maury Yeston Songbook	2003	Sings "I Had a Dream About You" and "Be On Your Own"

Awards and nominations

Year	Nominated work	Award	Category	Result
1983	Cats	Drama Desk Award	Outstanding Actress in a Musical
1983	Cats	Tony Award	Best Featured Actress in a Musical
1985	NBC Special Treat: Bobbby and Sarah	Daytime Emmy Award	Outstanding Performer in a Children's Program/Special
1989	ABC Afterschool Special: Taking a Stand	Daytime Emmy Award	Outstanding Performer in a Children'c Program/Special
1994	Sunset Boulevard	Olivier Award	Best Actress in a Musical
1998	Triumph of Love	Drama Desk Award	Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
1998	Triumph of Love	Tony Award	Best Actress in a Musical
2000	The Diaries of Adam and Eve	Grammy Award	Best Spoken Word Album
2002	Stars and the Moon: Live at the Donmar	Grammy Award	Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
2014	The Old Friends	Drama Desk Award	Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play

Honorary awards

• 2004 Legend of Cabaret Award
• 2007 Texas Film Hall of Fame Inductee
• 2012 American Theater Hall of Fame Inductee