Betsy von Furstenberg

Betsy von Furstenberg (August 16, 1931 – April 21, 2015) was a German-born American radio, television, film, and Broadway actress.

Birth and childhood

Betsy von Furstenberg was born Elizabeth Caroline Maria Agatha Felicitas Therese, Freiin von Fürstenberg-Herdringen in Arnsberg. Her parents were Franz-Egon, Graf (Count) von Fürstenberg-Herdringen (1896–1975) and his first wife, Elizabeth Foster Johnson (1899–1961), a native of Memphis, Tennessee.[1] Her stepmothers were Gloria Rubio, Clara Ghyczy, and Joan Siegel.

She has two half siblings from her father's marriage to Gloria Rubio: Franz-Egon, Freiherr von Fürstenberg-Herdringen (b. 1939), and Dolores Maria Agatha Wilhelmine Luise (Mrs. Patrick Guinness, Freiin von Fürstenberg-Herdringen; 1936–2012).[2]

Though some published sources have described von Furstenberg as a countess, she is in fact a Freiin (baroness) by birth, according to the last published issue of the Almanach de Gotha. Children of the counts von Fürstenberg-Herdringen are known as Freiherr (baron) or Freiin (baroness), and the sons only move up in rank to Graf (count) if they inherit the primary title. She did not use the umlaut of her family surname in her professional career nor its compound hyphenation.

She began studying dancing when she was 4 and at 7 was performing with the American Ballet Theatre. At 14, she was a model.[3]

Education

She attended the Gardner School and graduated from the Hewitt School.[1]

Stage

Betsy von Furstenberg appeared on Broadway in Second Threshold (1951), The Chalk Garden and Child of Fortune (1956), Nature's Way (1957), The Paisley Convertible (1967), Avanti! (1968), The Gingerbread Lady (1970), [4] Oh, Men! Oh, Women! (1953) The Making of Moo (1958), Step on a Crack (1962), The Frog Pond (1965), and Does Anybody Here Do the Peabody? (1976).

Television

On television in the mid-1950s, she memorably starred opposite Robert Horton played a double-crossing young widow in an episode entitled "The Disappearing Trick" directed by Arthur Hiller on the anthology series, Alfred Hitchcock Presents. She also appeared in the Have Gun - Will Travel episode "Girl from Piccadilly" (1958).

Later, she played the role of Lisa Grimaldi on As the World Turns from late 1983 into early 1984, when Eileen Fulton temporarily left the show in a contract dispute. (However, a 1980 newspaper article reported that Fulton was returning after von Furstenberg replaced her for six weeks.)[5]

Personal life

In September 1951, von Furstenberg announced her engagement to Nicky Hilton, whose marriage to Elizabeth Taylor was due to become final the following January.[6]

She married, on 16 June 1954, Guy Vincent Chastenet de la Maisonneuve, a French-born mining engineer who changed his name to Guy Vincent.[7] The couple had two children, a son, Glyn Douglas,[8] and a daughter, Gay Caroline, Mrs. William Gerry.[9]

Von Furstenberg remarried, in 1984, to John J. Reynolds, a New York real-estate broker,[10] who died in 1994.[11]

Death

Von Furstenberg died on April 21, 2015 from complications of Alzheimer's disease in Manhattan. She was 83.[12]

References

  1. 1 2 "Countess Engaged to Peter S. Howard; Caroline E. von Furstenberg-Herdringen to Be Bride of Late Turfman's Grandson." The New York Times, November 7, 1950.
  2. ↑ Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Freiherrliche Häuser, Band XV, Seite 135-177, Band 69 der Gesamtreihe, C. A. Starke Verlag, Limburg (Lahn) 1989.
  3. ↑ Roberts, Sam (April 29, 2015). "Betsy von Furstenberg, Baroness and Versatile Actress, Dies at 83". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  4. ↑ "Betsy von Furstenberg: Shows". Playbill. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  5. ↑ "Soap star will resume role". The San Bernardino County Sun. California, San Bernardino. Associated Press. July 19, 1980. p. 2. Retrieved May 8, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Noble Starlet To Wed Hilton". Ogden Standard-Examiner. Utah, Ogden. p. 1. Retrieved May 8, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Betsy von Furstenberg Marries", The New York Times, 14 November 1954, p. 893
  8. ↑ "Miss Goodman Becomes Bride of Glyn Vincent", The New York Times, June 11, 1989
  9. ↑ "Miss Vincent to Wed William F. Gerry", The New York Times, May 15, 1988
  10. ↑ Marvine Howe, "Chronicle", The New York Times, September 3, 1992
  11. ↑ Eric Pace, "John J. Reynolds, 61, New York Real-Estate Broker", The New York Times, February 8, 1994
  12. ↑ "Betsy von Furstenberg, Actress and Aristocrat, Dies at 83". Variety. April 30, 2015. Retrieved April 30, 2015.

External links

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