Camilla Jessen
The actress passed away peacefully at age 98, surrounded by family.
Betty Harford has died at the age of 98.
Harford passed away peacefully on November 2 in Santa Barbara, California, with family at her side, her close friend Wendy Mitchell confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter.
“Betty’s son contacted me this morning,” Mitchell wrote in a heartfelt Facebook post, “and Betty Harford Naszody passed away peacefully with family at her side, noon on November 2, 2025. She was 98.”
Harford became a fan favorite in the 1980s as Mrs. Gunnerson, the foul-mouthed yet fiercely loyal cook to the Carrington family on Dynasty, appearing from 1981 to 1989. She was known not only for her warmth but for her sharp-tongued wit and one particularly enduring gag: her “legendary lamb stew for Blake.”
She reprised the role in the 1991 reunion miniseries.
On social media, tributes poured in, with one X user calling her “the foul-mouthed cook of the Carringtons” and a standout talent even in ensemble casts.
A career that spanned film, TV, and theater
Before her Dynasty fame, Harford played the prim and loyal secretary Mrs. Nottingham in the TV adaptation of The Paper Chase, holding her own opposite John Houseman’s intimidating Professor Kingsfield.
Her career stretched from stage to screen, with appearances in television classics such as The Twilight Zone, Gunsmoke, Dr. Kildare, The Big Valley, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents.
On the big screen, she acted alongside legends in Spartacus (1960), Inside Daisy Clover (1965), and The Wild and the Innocent (1959).
Born in New York City in 1927, Harford began in theater and maintained close ties to the arts throughout her life, often working with producer John Houseman.
She was married to sculptor Oliver Andrews until his death in 1978 and later to Hungarian actor Sándor de Naszody, who died in 1996.
She is survived by her son Chris and two grandsons.
This article is made and published by Camilla Jessen, who may have used AI in the preparation
