Betty Lynn

Early life

Betty Lynn was born in Kansas City, Missouri,

Acting career

Betty Lynn began her acting career in radio. She was later discovered in a Broadway production by Darryl F. Zanuck and signed to 20th Century Fox.

Lynn made her film debut in the 1948 film Sitting Pretty opposite Robert Young. That same year, she appeared in June Bride with Bette Davis followed by roles in Mother Is a Freshman (1949), Cheaper by the Dozen (1950), and Payment on Demand (1951).

In the 1953–1954 television season, Lynn was cast as June Wallace, the sister-in-law of the Ray Bolger character in the ABC sitcom Where's Raymond? Allyn Joslyn played her husband, Jonathan Wallace. Lynn and Joslyn left the series in its second season when it was renamed The Ray Bolger Show.

After guest-starring on various television series, including Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, The Gale Storm Show, Sugarfoot, and Markham, Lynn won the role of Thelma Lou on The Andy Griffith Show. She portrayed the role regularly from 1961 until 1965, then made a final guest appearance in one episode during the sixth season (1965–1966). Following the end of The Andy Griffith Show, Lynn continued appearing in various television and film roles. In 1986, she reprised the role of Thelma Lou in the reunion television movie Return to Mayberry in which Thelma Lou and Barney Fife were finally married. In 2006, Lynn retired from acting and relocated to Mount Airy, North Carolina, the hometown of Andy Griffith and the town on which Mayberry is believed to have been based despite Griffith's repeated denials.

Personal life

Betty Lynn has never married, although she has said she was once engaged. She makes monthly appearances at the Andy Griffith Museum in Mount Airy to sign autographs and meet with her fans.

Honors

In 2007, Lynn was inducted into the Missouri Walk of Fame, located in Marshfield, Missouri, and is still "The Cats".

On August 30, 2016, then-North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory granted and North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest presented Lynn with the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest civilian honor in North Carolina.