Betsy Blair
Actor · Died March 13, 2009, aged 85 · Cliffside Park, New Jersey, USA
Betsy Blair -December 11, 1923 – March 13, 2009) was an American actress of film and stage, long based in London. Blair pursued a career in entertainment from the age of eight, and as a child worked as an amateur dancer, performed on radio, and worked as a model, before joining the chorus of Billy Rose's Diamond Horseshoe in 1940. There she met Gene Kelly. They were married the following year, when she was seventeen years old. The couple divorced sixteen years later, in 1957. After work in the theatre, Blair began her film career playing supporting roles in films such as A Double Life (1947) and Another Part of the Forest (1948). Her interest in Marxism led to an investigation by the House Un-American Activities Committee and Blair was blacklisted for some time, but resumed her career with a critically acclaimed performance in Marty (1955), winning a BAFTA Award and a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She continued her career with regular theatre, film and television work until the mid 1990s.
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Biography from TMDB.
- December 11, 1923
- March 13, 2009 (aged 85)
- Cliffside Park, New Jersey, USA
- Actor
- 16 on MovieCove · 34 credits in all
What are Betsy Blair's films like?
Across their 10 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 10
Light 1 · Serious 2 · Dark 7
A split, not a type: Grounded 5 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 1
Gentle 1 · Charged 5 · Intense 4
Steady 3 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 8 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0
Slow burn 8 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0
Casual 2 · Engaged 7 · Full focus 1
A split, not a type: Easy watch 2 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 6
Resolved 9 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 1
Roles they play
Usually the Herald: 2 of 3 analyzed roles.
- Heraldas Clara Snyder in Marty (1955)
- Allyas Clara Snyder in Marty (1955)
- Heraldas Edna in A Delicate Balance (1973)
Moods and endings
- Happy4
- Bittersweet3
- Tragic1
- Ambiguous2
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Betsy Blair's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 7 of their 16 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Pluto TV (5).
Subscription and free streaming for Betsy Blair's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
34 credits, 16 with a MovieCove page; 3 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Scarlett(1994)
Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all shows
Marcus Welby, M.D.: A Holiday Affair (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)
Betrayed(1988)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
thirtysomething (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)
Suspicion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)
Descent Into Hell(1986)
Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films
Maggie(1986)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Flight of the Spruce Goose (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)
Month of the Doctors (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
American Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
Tales of the Unexpected(1979)
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all shows
Shades of Greene (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)
A Delicate Balance(1973)
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
De Bom (of het wanhoopskomitee) (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)
Marry Me! Marry Me! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)
Death of a Salesman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)
BBC Play of the Month (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
Careless (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)
All Night Long(1962)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
The Dolphins (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)
Lies My Father Told Me (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)
Il Grido (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
The Halliday Brand(1957)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
Main Street (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
Meeting in Paris (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
Marty(1955)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
Kind Lady(1951)
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films
No Way Out(1950)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
Mystery Street(1950)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
The Snake Pit(1948)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
The Philco Television Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films
A Double Life(1947)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
The Guilt of Janet Ames(1947)
Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films
Career shape
Star power in the 93rd percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 34 titles from 1947 to 1994; peak year 1987.
Film career
Peak 1987 · at the high point of their film career. Top draw in 2 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.
- 1947Screen debut· A Double Life
- 1956First top-billed film· Main Street
- 1956Career best· Main Street
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.
How do Betsy Blair's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 78th percentile, the median of all 14; across their 10 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 70th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up8
- 50th to 74th6
- 25th to 49th1
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
10 of their 16 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved2
- Divisive1
- Crowd Pleaser10
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed2
Reviewers score the acting 77/100 in their films, across 10 reviewed titles; fans 82, detractors 55. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Betsy Blair work with?
People who share at least 2 of Betsy Blair's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; John Sturges shares the most, 2.
Directors
- John SturgesShared titles: Kind Lady (1951), Mystery Street (1950)See all 2 shared titles with John Sturges
Actors
- Joseph CottenShared titles: A Delicate Balance (1973), The Halliday Brand (1957)See all 2 shared titles with Joseph Cotten
- Charles CaneShared titles: Marty (1955), The Guilt of Janet Ames (1947)See all 2 shared titles with Charles Cane
Editors
- Ferris WebsterShared titles: Kind Lady (1951), Mystery Street (1950)See all 2 shared titles with Ferris Webster