Betty Lynn Buckley (born July 3, 1947) is an American stage, film and television actress, and singer. She starred from 1977 to 1981 on the ABC series Eight is Enough, before going on to win the 1983 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role as Grizabella in the original Broadway production of Cats. Her other musical roles include playing Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard from 1994 to 1996, in both London and New York, receiving an Olivier Award nomination. She is a 2012 American Theater Hall of Fame inductee.

Buckley made her Broadway debut in the 1969 musical 1776. Other Broadway musical credits include Pippin (1973) and Drood (1985). She played gym teacher Ms. Collins in the 1976 Brian de Palma film Carrie and went on to star in the short-lived Broadway musical version of Carrie in 1988, this time playing Carrie's mother, Margaret White. She received a Tony Award nomination for the 1997 musical Triumph of Love, and Grammy Award nominations for The Diaries of Adam and Eve (1999) and Stars and the Moon: Live at the Donmar (2001). Her other film roles include Dixie Scott in Tender Mercies (1983), Sondra Walker in Frantic (1988), Kathy in Another Woman (1988) and Mrs. Jones in The Happening (2008). She also had a recurring role in the HBO series Oz (2001–03). In the 2010s, her stage work includes Dear World (2013) in London, and The Old Friends (2013) and Grey Gardens (2015) in New York.

Biography

Buckley was married to Peter Flood in 1972, divorced in 1979, and has no children.

She lives on a ranch in Texas and participates in NCHA cutting horse competitions while continuing to appear in films, television and theater and to sing concerts in a wide variety of venues.

Buckley has also taught song interpretation and scene study for over 40 years. She conducts master classes in Fort Worth, New York City, Los Angeles and other cities around the country.

Buckley's official website contains her concert and theater schedule, a detailed biography and timeline, and summaries of her singing and acting accomplishments.

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