Description:
Handsome, blond-haired, steely-eyed villain in many film Westerns. He was never the grizzled outlaw, covered in trail dust. No, he was the immaculate-looking, "respectable" (but two-faced) dandy in silk damask vest, often puffing suavely on a cheroot, whose ashes he then might contemptuously flick in the hero's face. He could confront an antagonist wearing a wry smile, even while neatly inserting his dirk between the latter's ribs. One wonders why Bettger, with his Aryan looks and menacing sneer, never became typecast as the stereotypical Nazi SS officer or Gestapo interrogator. (Perhaps the man was just fortunate in that regard.)
Birthday
February 13, 1915
Born In
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Height
183 cm
Spouse/Ex-
Mary Gertrude Rolfe April 8, 1941 - October 28, 1996 (her death)
Parents
Franklin Lyle "Frank" Bettger
Children
Frank
Trivia
The son of Franklin Bettger, a third baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals.
Quotes
[about his constantly being cast in films as the villain] It was tough being a dad at that time. I remember my two sons, then seven and eight, accompanying their mom to one of my movies. I was, of course, the villain, and near the end where you have the big fight my sons yelled out, "Gee, I hope my daddy wins". But they were disappointed.
