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Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

51

Gender

Female

Birthday

1916-01-03

Day of Death

1994-04-02 (78 years old)

Place of Birth

New York City, New York, USA

Also Known As

Elizabeth Mary Furness

Betty Furness

Biography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Elizabeth Mary Furness (January 3, 1916 – April 2, 1994) was an American actress, consumer advocate, and current affairs commentator. She began her professional career as a model before being noticed by a talent scout and being signed to a film contract in 1932 by RKO Studios. Her first film role was as the "Thirteenth Woman" in the film Thirteen Women (1932) but her scenes were deleted before the film's release. Over the next few years, she appeared in several RKO films, and became a popular actress. Among her film successes were Magnificent Obsession (1935) and the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers film Swing Time (1936). By the end of the decade, she had appeared in over forty films, but during the 1940s, she found it difficult to secure acting roles. In 1948, Furness was performing in the television series Studio One, which was broadcast live. She filled in for an actor to promote Westinghouse products during the advertisement break, and impressed the company with her easy and professional manner. They offered her a contract to promote their products and she thus became closely associated with them.

Known For

Acting

Swing Time

1936

Swing Time

as

Margaret Watson

The Rockingham Tea Set

1950

The Rockingham Tea Set

as

Self - Commercial Spokeswoman

The Kill

1952

The Kill

as

Self - Commercial Spokeswoman

Flying Down to Rio

1933

Flying Down to Rio

as

Belinha's Friend (uncredited)

Magnificent Obsession

1935

Magnificent Obsession

as

Joyce Hudson

Emergency Call

1933

Emergency Call

as

Alice Averill

The President's Mystery

1936

The President's Mystery

as

Charlotte Brown

Beggars in Ermine

1934

Beggars in Ermine

as

Joyce Dawson

Dangerous Corner

1934

Dangerous Corner

as

Mrs. Betty Whitehouse

Headline Shooter

1933

Headline Shooter

as

Miss Saunders

Mama Steps Out

1937

Mama Steps Out

as

Leila Cuppy

Mister Cinderella

1936

Mister Cinderella

as

Patricia 'Pat' Randolph

The Life of Vergie Winters

1934

The Life of Vergie Winters

as

Joan Shadwell

A Wicked Woman

1934

A Wicked Woman

as

Yancey Stroud, aka Yancey Trice

Shadow of Doubt

1935

Shadow of Doubt

as

Lisa

Ellis in Freedomland

1952

Ellis in Freedomland

as

Spokeswoman for Westinghouse

Here Comes Cookie

1935

Here Comes Cookie

as

Phyllis Allen

Gridiron Flash

1934

Gridiron Flash

as

Jane Thurston

Scarlet River

1933

Scarlet River

as

Babe Jewel

The Defender (Studio One)

1957

The Defender (Studio One)

as

Self / Commercial Spokeswoman

Calm Yourself

1935

Calm Yourself

as

Mary Elizabeth Allenby

They Wanted to Marry

1937

They Wanted to Marry

as

Sheila Hunter

Lucky Devils

1933

Lucky Devils

as

Ginger

The Great Jasper

1933

The Great Jasper

as

Sylvia Bradfield

The Band Plays On

1934

The Band Plays On

as

Kitty O'Brien

McFadden´s Flats

1935

McFadden´s Flats

as

Molly McFadden

Ace of Aces

1933

Ace of Aces

as

Card Playing Party Guest (uncredited)

Midshipman Jack

1933

Midshipman Jack

as

Ruth Rogers

Cross Fire

1933

Cross Fire

as

Pat "Mike" Plummer

The Good Old Soak

1937

The Good Old Soak

as

Lucy Hawley

All American Chump

1936

All American Chump

as

Kitty Crane

North of Shanghai

1939

North of Shanghai

as

Helen Warner

Renegades of the West

1932

Renegades of the West

as

Mary Fawcett

Twelve Angry Men

1954

Twelve Angry Men

as

Herself / Commercial Spokeswoman

The Three Wise Guys

1936

The Three Wise Guys

as

Clarabelle Brooks

Fair Warning

1937

Fair Warning

as

Kate Farnham

It Can't Last Forever

1937

It Can't Last Forever

as

Carol Wilson

Studio One

Studio One

as

Coral, Princess Livitski

Climax!

Climax!

as

Beth Jaynes

Climax!

Climax!

as

Ann Kilgore

Studio One

Studio One

as

Self - Commercial Spokeswoman

Production

Crew

Directing