Santa Barbara Actress Betty Harford Dies at 98

Santa Barbara actress Betty Harford, best known for her appearances in ‘Dynasty’ and ‘The Paper Chase’ has died. She was 98. 

Harford passed away in Santa Barbara at noon on November 2, 2025, surrounded by her family, her friend Wendy Wilkins Mitchell shared in a social media post on November 3, 2025. 

She was living in Carpinteria and was recovering from the flu, Mitchell wrote on Facebook. In an earlier update, Wilkins shared that when she went to visit, Harford did not respond to the door or her phone. 

“She’s not answering her phone anymore so I’m afraid that she might’ve passed on,” Wilkin wrote.

Born in New York City on January 28, 1927, Harford was known for her roles in both films and television shows. She began her acting career in the 1950s on radio dramas, such as ‘Gunsmoke’ and ‘Crime Classics.’ 

She moved to television and appeared in episodes of ‘Alfred Hitchcock Presents,’ ‘Dr. Kildare,’ ‘Fireside Theatre,’ and ‘The Twilight Zone.’ 

She was cast as Mrs. Nottingham in ‘The Paper Chase’ and appeared on 45 episodes of the show, according to IMDb. Based on the novel of the same title by John Jay Osborn Jr., the series followed a group of law students under a strict professor. 

In the 80s show, ‘Dynasty,’ Harford had the recurring role of Hilda Gunnerson for 34 episodes. The soap opera revolved around two feuding wealthy families, the Carringtons and the Colbys. Harford played the role of a cook for the Carrington family. 

She reprised the role for the mini-series finale ‘Dynasty: The Reunion’ in 1991, according to IMDb. 

Harford also appeared in films, such as ‘The Wild and the Innocent’ in 1959 as Mrs. Forbes, and in ‘Inside Daisy Clover,’ which starred Natalie Wood in the titular role and Christopher Plummer. 

A member of the Westwood-based UCLA Theatre Group in the 1960s, Harford acted along with Nina Foch, Inga Swenson, and Pippa Scott, according to The Hollywood Reporter. 

She had minor roles in films such as ‘Spartacus,’ Signpost to Murder,’ ‘Win, Place or Steal,’ and ‘The China Syndrome,’ The Hollywood Reporter added. 

She also appeared in small TV roles in ‘Room 222,’ ‘The Name of the Game,’ and ‘Mrs. Columbo.’ 

Harford reportedly married Californian sculptor Oliver Andrews, with whom she had a son, Chris. The couple later divorced.  

She lived with Hungarian actor Sándor Naszódy until he died in 1996, according to the actor’s IMDb page. 

She is survived by her son, Chris, and her grandsons.