She had an aortic aneurysm and died at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. She was teaching at a non-profit she had founded, Theatre West, on Wednesday and showed no signs of ill health.

She was admitted to the Hospital Friday evening with heart problems and died on Saturday morning, February 12, 2011. Her son, composer Garrett Parks, confirmed she died surrounded by family. Betty was a well-known figure on the Broadway scene in the 1940’s.

In film, he had a role in “On the Town” with Frank Sinatra and in “Neptune’s Daughter” and “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” with Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly. Her movie career was short after her membership in the Communist Party USA was revealed.

She came back years later in television. Probably her most notable role was that of Irene Lorenzo, Edith’s friend and next door neighbor who had interesting pointed conversations with Archie Bunker in “All in the Family.”