Betty Harford, the veteran actress best known for her recurring roles on the primetime soap opera “Dynasty” and the legal drama “The Paper Chase,” died November 2 in Santa Barbara, California. She was 98.
Harford’s death was confirmed by her friend Wendy Wilkins Mitchell in a Facebook post, stating that Harford died peacefully surrounded by family. Her son Chris had informed Mitchell of his mother’s passing.
Born January 28, 1927, in New York City, Harford built a lengthy career in television and film spanning several decades. Her most recognizable role came as Hilda Gunnerson, the cook for the wealthy Carrington family on ABC’s “Dynasty.” Reports indicate she appeared in over 30 episodes of the series during its nine-season run from 1981 to 1987, working in the household of Blake Carrington, played by John Forsythe, and his wife Krystle, portrayed by Linda Evans. Harford’s popularity with the show’s producers led to her reprising the role in “Dynasty: The Reunion” in 1991.
Concurrent with her “Dynasty” appearances, Harford maintained another prominent television role as Mrs. Nottingham on “The Paper Chase.” The CBS drama, which later moved to Showtime, featured Harford as the secretary to law school professor Charles W. Kingsfield, played by John Houseman. Sources vary on her episode count, with reports indicating she appeared in 41 episodes across the show’s run from 1978 to 1986. The series, which spanned one season on CBS and three additional seasons on Showtime, was based on a 1971 novel by John Jay Osborn Jr. and a 1973 film that earned Houseman an Academy Award.
Harford’s connection to Houseman predated “The Paper Chase.” She had performed with the UCLA Theatre Group during the 1960s, the Westwood-based company Houseman co-founded in 1959 alongside Eva Marie Saint, Paul Newman, Robert Ryan and others. This theatrical background helped establish the professional relationship that would lead to her television role alongside the acclaimed actor.
Her film career included notable appearances in several major productions. In 1965, she appeared in “Inside Daisy Clover,” a melodrama directed by Robert Mulligan that starred Robert Redford and Natalie Wood. Six years earlier, she had performed in “The Wild and the Innocent” in 1959. Her resume also featured small roles in the epic “Spartacus” in 1960 and other films throughout the 1960s and 1970s.
Television work beyond her signature roles included appearances on classic anthology series and dramas. Harford guest-starred on episodes of “The Twilight Zone,” “Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” and “Dr. Kildare.” She also worked in radio during the 1950s, performing on “Gunsmoke” and the docudrama series “Crime Classics.” Additionally, she provided voice work for animation, voicing Gumby’s mother on the popular cartoon series.
Harford was married twice during her lifetime. Her first husband was sculptor Oliver Andrews, who died in 1978 at age 53 while scuba diving off the California coast. She later married Hungarian actor Sándor Naszódy, who passed away in 1996 at age 81. Both marriages ended with the deaths of her spouses rather than divorce.
Director James Bridges worked with Harford on multiple occasions throughout her career. She played a nurse in his 1977 film “September 30, 1955,” which starred Richard Thomas and centered on the day James Dean died in a car crash. Bridges also wrote a 1963 episode of “The Great Adventure” in which Harford appeared, and later directed her in a small role in “The China Syndrome” in 1979.
Mitchell’s Facebook announcement noted that Harford had been living in Carpinteria, California, prior to her death. The post indicated she had been recovering from the flu in her final days.
Harford is survived by her son Chris, from her first marriage to Andrews, and her grandsons. Her career in entertainment spanned from the 1950s through the early 1990s, encompassing work in radio, television, film and theater. Her roles as supporting characters on two major television series of the late 1970s and 1980s remain her most enduring contributions to American popular culture, introducing her to audiences across multiple generations during the height of network television’s dominance.
