Growing up in Arkansas, Betty expressed an early interest in acting and made her performing debut in a third-grade play of "Hansel and Gretel". Beautiful, talented and determined, the freshly minted'Miss Little Rock' left home at the age of 19 to live with her aunt and uncle in California. For three days a week she made ends meet working as a secretary. The remainder of her time was spent taking speech and drama lessons (in due course losing her Southern twang) and making the rounds of the various Hollywood casting departments. Was about to experience another important career change, ...