Betty Garrett (born May 23, 1919) is an American actress, comedienne, singer, and dancer who began her career in the golden age of movie musicals. She is known for the roles she played in two prominent 1970s sitcoms: Archie Bunker's liberal neighbor Irene Lorenzo in All in the Family and landlady Edna Babish in Laverne and Shirley.
Garrett was born in Saint Joseph, Missouri. Shortly after her birth, her parents relocated to Seattle, where her mot...
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Betty Garrett (born May 23, 1919) is an American actress, comedienne, singer, and dancer who began her career in the golden age of movie musicals. She is known for the roles she played in two prominent 1970s sitcoms: Archie Bunker's liberal neighbor Irene Lorenzo in All in the Family and landlady Edna Babish in Laverne and Shirley.
Garrett was born in Saint Joseph, Missouri. Shortly after her birth, her parents relocated to Seattle, where her mother Octavia managed the sheet music department in Sherman Clay while her father Curtis worked as a travelling salesman. His alcoholism and inability to handle finances eventually led to their divorce, and Garrett and her mother lived in a series of residential hotels in order to curtail expenses.
When Garrett was eight-years-old, her mother married the fiancé she had jilted in order to marry Curtis. They settled in Regina, Saskatchewan, where stepfather Sam worked in the meat packing industry. A year later her mother discovered her new...
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