1. Carl Lawrence Betz was an American stage, film, and television actor.
17 Facts About Carl Betz
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Carl Betz appeared in a variety of television series, including the CBS soap opera Love of Life; he is best remembered for playing Donna Reed's television husband, Dr Alex Stone, from 1958 to 1966 in the ABC sitcom The Donna Reed Show.
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Carl Betz's siblings were Mary Louise, Leona Ruth, and William Harlow.
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Carl Betz's father was a native of Missouri; and according to the federal census of 1930, was then the chief chemist at a local laboratory and later, by 1940, for Allegheny County.
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Lebanon, Carl Betz began his amateur acting career at the age of 10, when he formed a theatrical company with six friends who performed plays in his grandmother's basement.
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Carl Betz continued working in summer- and winter-stock companies and worked for a while as a doorman at Radio City Music Hall.
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Carl Betz made his Broadway debut in 1952 in The Long Watch, and toured with Veronica Lake in the summer-stock play, The Voice of the Turtle.
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Carl Betz then appeared for 18 months as Collie Jordan on Love of Life.
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In 1958, Carl Betz was cast as pediatrician Dr Alex Stone in ABC sitcom The Donna Reed Show.
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Carl Betz initially thought the role was for a guest spot, but soon realized Monash had proposed that he star in a new series.
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Carl Betz initially had misgivings, stating, "I did not want to do another series, you get bored", but eventually relented, because he liked the scripts.
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Shortly after ABC cancelled the series in 1969, Carl Betz won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Series for his work on the series.
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In December 1963, Carl Betz married Gloria Stone Martin, sister of actress Nita Talbot.
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In 1977, Carl Betz was diagnosed with terminal and inoperable lung cancer.
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Carl Betz kept his diagnosis private in order to continue working.
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On November 29,1977, Carl Betz entered Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
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Carl Betz died seven weeks later, on January 18,1978, at age 56.