Betty Louisa Gerson (1914 - 1999)

Born 20 Apr 1914 in Chattanooga, Hamilton, Tennessee, United States

Ancestors

Wife of Louis Rocco Lauria — married 2 Dec 1966 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States

Died 12 Jan 1999 at age 84 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States

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Biography

Betty Lou Gerson is Notable.

Betty Lou Gerson (April 20, 1914 – January 12, 1999) was an American actress, predominantly active in radio, but also in film and television, and as a voice actress. She is best known as the voice of the villainous, selfish socialite Cruella de Vil from Walt Disney's animated film, One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) for which she was named a Disney Legend in 1996.

Birth and Youth

Betty was born on 20 Apr 1914, in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, where her father was an executive with a steel company. She was educated in private schools in Birmingham and later in Miami, Florida. At age 16, she moved with her family to Chicago, Illinois,

Career

Betty began her acting career in radio drama with a part in the serial The First Nighter. While still in her 20s, she became a mainstay of radio soap operas, appearing on Arnold Grimm's Daughter as the titular daughter Constance (1938); Midstream in the lead role of Julia; Women in White, as Karen Adams; Road of Life as Nurse Helen Gowan; Lonely Women as Marilyn Larimore; and the radio version of The Guiding Light, as Charlotte Wilson. She also co-starred with Jim Ameche in the 1938 summer drama Win Your Lady and was the resident romantic lead on romantic anthologies such as Curtain Time and Grand Hotel.

Betty moved to Los Angeles in the 1940s, where she established herself on such radio series as The Whistler; Mr. President; Crime Classics; Escape; and Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar. She was also heard on several episodes of Lux Radio Theater, and played a variety of roles on Johnny Modero, Pier 23.

Of all her many roles, Betty's voice is perhaps most recognized today as the narrator of Walt Disney's animated Cinderella (1950), and even more so as villainous socialite Cruella de Vil, in Disney's animated feature One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961). On camera, Betty can also be seen in a small cameo role as an old crone, in Disney's Mary Poppins (1964).

Betty had a few other on-camera film roles, including appearances in The Fly (1958), The Miracle on the Hills (1959). She also made periodic guest appearances on such television shows as Perry Mason, The Twilight Zone, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Hazel, Wanted Dead or Alive, and The Rifleman. She retired from show business in 1966, with the exception of a brief return to the screen in 1985 in the film A Trip to Bountiful, and again in 1997, as the voice of Frances in Cats Don't Dance.

Personal Life and Family

In 1936, Gerson married Joseph T. Ainley, ^[1] radio director of the Leo Burnett Company. Although Betty was born Jewish, the marriage took place at the Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago. The couple remained married until his death in 1965. The union was childless.

In 1966, Betty married Lou Lauria, ^[2] owner of a telephone answering service. They remained married until his death in 1994. That union was also childless.

Death and Legacy

Betty was honored as a Disney Legend in 1996, just three years before her passing.

She died following a stroke, Jan 12, 1999, at Los Angeles, California. She was 84 years old.^[3]

Sources

1. ↑ "Illinois, Cook County Marriages, 1871-1968"
   Citing Marriage, Cook, Illinois, United States, citing Cook County Clerk. Cook County Courthouse, Chicago; FHL microfilm 102258503.
   FamilySearch (accessed 4 October 2021)
   Joseph T Ainley and Betty L Gerson, 27 Apr 1936
2. ↑ "California Marriage Index, 1960-1985"
   Citing Los Angeles City, California, Center of Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento.
   FamilySearch (accessed 4 October 2021)
   Louis R Lauria and Betty L Gerson, 02 Dec 1966
3. ↑ https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times-obituary-for-betty/142728446/

• "Tennessee Births and Christenings, 1828-1939", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F6G4-PYY : 27 January 2020), Betty Louisa Gerson, 1914.

• "United States Census, 1920", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MX8H-YFY : 31 January 2021), Bettie L Gerson in entry for Max J Gerson, 1920.

• "United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, 1980-2014," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKRD-DWSQ : accessed 22 November 2021), Betty Lou Gerson, Oklahoma, United States, 15 Jan 1999; from "Recent Newspaper Obituaries (1977 - Today)," database, GenealogyBank.com (http://www.genealogybank.com : 2014); citing Tulsa World, born-digital text.

See also:

• Wikipedia: Betty Lou Gerson
• Wikidata: Item Q1998128
• IMDB: Betty Lou Gerson
• Disney Wiki: Betty Lou Gerson
• WikiTree: Classic Disney Project