Carl Betz

Carl Lawrence Betz (March 9, 1921 – January 18, 1978) was an American stage, film, and television actor. He 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. Then between 1967 and 1969, Betz played defense attorney Clinton Judd in ABC's courtroom drama Judd, for the Defense, winning an Emmy Award in 1969 for his work on that series.

Early years Betz was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1921, the eldest child of Carl W. and Mary Leona Betz. His siblings were Mary Louise, Leona Ruth, and William Harlow. His 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.

Growing up in the Pittsburgh suburbs of Crafton and Mt. Lebanon, 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. After graduating from Mt. Lebanon High School in 1939, he won a scholarship to Duquesne University. Beginning in 1942, Betz served three and a half years in the U.S. Army during World War II, seeing action in North Africa and Italy. and toured with Veronica Lake in the summer-stock play, The Voice of the Turtle. He then appeared for 18 months as Collie Jordan on Love of Life. Prior to his eight-year run on The Donna Reed Show, Betz made guest appearances on such television series as Sheriff of Cochise, Perry Mason, Gunsmoke (as Nate Timble and Jim Glass, an outlaw trying to go straight under an assumed name in the 1957 episode “Gone Straight” - credited as “Carl Bentz”), The Millionaire, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

For the summers of 1956 and 1957, Betz appeared as the Summer stock Leading Man at the Elitch Theatre and he appeared in a production of The Seven Year Itch with Anne Kimbell.

In 1958, Betz was cast as pediatrician Dr. Alex Stone in ABC sitcom The Donna Reed Show. The show revolves around the home and school problems of a middle-class American family in the late 1950s through the mid-1960s. Alex was often called upon to rescue wife Donna Stone (Reed) from awkward situations and to monitor the behavior of their children, Mary (Shelley Fabares) and Jeff (Paul Petersen). Jeff Stone introduced the sentimental hit song "My Dad" in a 1962 episode, specifically singing the tune to Betz. The series was a hit for ABC and aired for eight seasons from September 1958 to March 1966. During the run of the series, Betz continued acting in stage roles during the show's hiatus. In 1964, he appeared as Reverend T. Lawrence Shannon in a limited stage run of The Night of the Iguana, for which he earned excellent reviews.

After The Donna Reed Show was cancelled, Betz returned to television roles and stage work. In 1967, producer Paul Monash offered Betz the role of defense lawyer Clinton Judd in the legal drama Judd, for the Defense. Monash had seen Betz's performance in Night of the Iguana in 1964 and was impressed with his acting. Betz initially thought the role was for a guest spot, but soon realized Monash had proposed that he star in a new series. Betz initially had misgivings, stating, "I did not want to do another series, you get bored", but eventually relented, because he liked the scripts. He also made many guest appearances on a variety of popular television shows, such as Mission: Impossible, The Mod Squad, Love, American Style, and Starsky & Hutch. One of his last roles was as General Douglas MacArthur in the one-man stage play I Shall Return.

Personal life and death Betz was married twice and had one child. In June 1952, he married actress Lois Harmon with whom he had a son, Richard. The couple separated in May 1960 and divorced in 1961. In December 1963, Betz married Gloria Stone Martin, sister of actress Nita Talbot. Through his marriage to Martin, Betz had a stepdaughter, Rio. Gloria and he remained together for 15 years, until Carl's death.

In 1977, Betz was diagnosed with terminal and inoperable lung cancer. He kept his diagnosis private in order to continue working. His remains were cremated. 1958 Perry Mason Dr. Ralph Chandler Episode: "The Case of the Sun Bather's Diary" 1958 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Jerome Stanton Season 3 Episode 17: "The Motive" 1958 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Store Detective Season 3 Episode 20: "On the Nose" 1958 The Silent Service LCDR Roy Benson Episode: "Mine for Keeps" 1958 Broken Arrow Trent Episode: "Jeopardy" 1958 Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer Butler Tilton Episode: "A Detective Tail" 1958–1966 The Donna Reed Show Dr. Alex Stone 272 episodes 1967–1969 Judd, for the Defense Clinton Judd 50 episodes 1968 Premiere Dr. Frank Chandler Episode: "Crisis" 1968–1974 Insight Father RyanWalter P. HendricksGeneral Dodd 3 episodes 1969 Felony Squad Clinton Judd Episode: "The Law and Order Blues" 1969 The Monk Danny Gouzenko Television movie 1969 Love, American Style John Fillmore Segment: "Love and the Former Marriage" 1969–1971 The F.B.I. Gar SheltonMartin Ashton 2 episodes 1970 Bracken's World Jeffrey Harris Episode: "Money Men" 1970 Medical Center Jason Purcell Episode: "The V.D. Story" 1970 McCloud Aldon F. Flanders Episode: "Who Says You Can't Make Friends in New York City?" 1970 Ironside Jason Banning Episode: "The Lonely Way to Go" 1970 Night Gallery Dr. Max Redford Segment: "The Dead Man" 1970–1972 Mission: Impossible General Yuri KozaniDutch Krebbs 2 episodes 1971 The Mod Squad R.J. Coleman Episode: "A Bummer for R.J." 1971 In Search of America Ben Olson ABC Movie of the Week 1971 The Deadly Dream Dr. Howard Geary ABC Movie of the Week 1972 Norman Corwin Presents Episode: "The Joy of Living" 1972 Cannon Arthur Bellamy Episode: "The Endangered Species" 1972 The Streets of San Francisco Jeff Williams Episode: "The Bullet" 1973 Set This Town on Fire Andy Wells Television movie 1973 Barnaby Jones Marshall Briggs Episode: "Stand-In for Death" 1973 The Magician Paul Ryerson Episode: "Man on Fire" 1973 The New Perry Mason Clinton Exeter Episode: "The Case of the Spurious Spouse" 1974 Killdozer! Dennis Holvig ABC Movie of the Week 1974 Marcus Welby, M.D. Dr. Simon Bryant Episode: "No Gods in Sight" 1975 The Daughters of Joshua Cabe Return Will ABC Movie of the Week 1975 The Wonderful World of Disney Will MacDonald 2 episodes 1975 S.W.A.T. Greg Colby Episode: "Criss-Cross" 1975 Matt Helm Purcell Episode: "Think Murder" 1976 Starsky & Hutch Father Ignatius Episode: "Silence" 1976 Police Story Chief Elliott Episode: "Open City" 1976 Brink's: The Great Robbery Paul Jackson Television movie 1976 Jigsaw John Episode: "Plastique" 1977 Most Wanted Hill Episode: "The Hit Men" 1977 Quincy, M.E. Attorney Paul Barkley Episode: "Hit and Run at Danny's" 1977 The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries Alex Richmond Episode: "A Haunting We Will Go" 1977 Kingston: Confidential Chaplain Potter Episode: "The Cult", (final appearance)

Awards and nominations Year Award Category Nominated work Result Golden Globe Awards Best TV Star – Male Judd, for the Defense Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Series