Former child actress and journalist Betty Ann Bruno recently passed away on July 30, 2023, at the age of 91. She was known for her portrayal of a munchkin in the musical fantasy film, The Wizard of Oz, which was released in 1939. She later switched her career and began working as a news reporter.
The news of her death was confirmed by her husband Craig Scheiner on Facebook and he revealed that she collapsed after a “massive heart attack.”
“We were at the kanikapila in Sonoma and she had just finished dancing Pua Mana. She developed a sudden, splitting head ache and I drove her to Emergency. She made to the from desk and collapsed on the floor with a massive heart attack. We were together 46 years. I am devastated,” he wrote.
Betty Ann Bruno featured in The Wizard of Oz alongside Judy Garland
Betty Ann Bruno was known for her appearance as a Munchkin in The Wizard of Oz (Image via MsCeeAngel/Twitter)
Born on October 1, 1931, Betty Ann Bruno completed her education at Stanford University. She made her acting debut with the film, The Hurricane, released in 1937. It was inspired by a novel published in 1936 and featured Dorothy Lamour, Jon Hall, Mary Astor, and others in lead roles.
She was then featured as a munchkin in The Wizard of Oz, which won the hearts of many. Judy Garland played the lead role in the film.
Betty spoke about her experience working in the film, saying that she was a fan of Garland and her aim was to get a signed photo from her. She eventually got an autograph without a picture and wrote about the entire experience in her memoir, The Munchkin Diary: My Personal Yellow Brick Road, published in 2020.
The All Things Oz Museum shared a Facebook post to pay tribute to Betty Ann Bruno and wrote:
“Betty Ann was light, joy, and kindness. She had an energy and a sparkle in her eye that was infectious to all who she came in contact with. She made us all want to do the hula. We are all thinking of Craig at this time.”
When her family shifted to the countryside she was forced to leave Hollywood. In 1971, she began working as an investigative journalist at KTVU. She covered several important topics, including the Oakland Hills fire in 1991.
She retired from KTVU the same year and established a Polynesian dance troupe in Sonoma, after which she was given the name ‘The Hula Lady.’
“I am ‘the hula lady,’ that’s what the people in the grocery store call me when they see me. I sought my Hawaiian identity through the hula… It’s a beautiful culture and I’m so proud of it and that is a core of my life,” she told KITV-4 in an interview last year.
Betty Ann Bruno was later chosen as the City of Sonoma’s 2020 Treasure Artist by the Cultural and Fine Arts Commission, as they recognized her contribution to the community.
Betty Ann Bruno is survived by her husband Craig Scheiner and her three sons.
Edited by Adelle Fernandes
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Source: newstars.edu.vn