Actress/Walt Disney Voiceover Icon Betty Lou Gerson: A Look Back at Her 'Animated' Life and Career

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Betty Lou Gerson, who died in 1999 at 84, was an actress with a rich, husky voice that carried her career from radio to the big screen. Her name was Betty Lou Gerson, and she died from a stroke on January 12, 1999, at 84 years old. This is her story.

A Closer Look

Betty Lou Gerson was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on April 20, 1914, and was educated in private schools in Birmingham and Miami. When she was 16 years old, Gerson moved with her family to Chicago, where she performed in the radio serial The First Nighter Program.

By the mid-1930s, Gerson soon became a regular in radio dramas including Women in White, Road of Life, Lonely Women, Curtain Time, Grand Hotel, and a radio edition of the daytime serial Guiding Light (playing Charlotte Wilson).

In the 1940s, Gerson relocated to Los Angeles, where she continued her work in radio, while also making movies like The Fly, The Miracle on the Hills, An Annapolis Story, The Green-Eyed Blonde, and The Trip to Bountiful. She also appeared on television shows, such as Perry Mason, The Twilight Zone, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Hazel, and The Rifleman.

Animated Performances

Betty Lou Gerson also made her presence known on the big screen, namely as Cruella De Vill in the Walt Disney classic animated movie, One Hundred and One Dalmatians.

Gerson also served as the narrator for the original Cinderella animated movie and played the Old Crone in the original Mary Poppins film. Both productions were also presented by Disney.

In 1966, Gerson retired, but she still utilized her vocal talents, working at the telephone answering service of her second husband, Louis R. "Lou" Lauria.

In 1996, she was honored as a Disney Legend and returned to voice acting in the 1997 animated feature Cats Don't Dance.

Conclusion

Betty Lou Gerson made her mark in Hollywood, and her performances in voice and on-screen remain legendary and cherished by countless of her fans around the world.