Beth Porter

American actress (1942–2023)

Beth Jane Porter (May 23, 1942 – August 1, 2023) was an American stage, film and television actress and writer, who worked in Britain for most of her career. She became a British citizen in 2014.

Beth Porter made her first professional appearance at age 12 in a Westchester County touring company. She studied acting on scholarship at the Stratford Connecticut Shakespeare Festival and with Helen Menken at the American Theatre Wing before completing dramatic studies at Bard College, New York University, and Hunter College at The City University of New York (CUNY).

After appearing in the American premiere of Jules Romains's Donogoo in 1961 at the Greenwich Mews Theatre, Isaac Babel's Sunset at the Chelsea Theater Center in 1966, and later that year as the star of David Starkweather's Ascent at The Playwrights Workshop, Porter was chosen as a member of original Obie Award winning New York LaMaMa Troupe under director Tom O'Horgan (Hair), where she starred in the play and later film of Futz!, and featured in Paul Foster's Tom Paine and Melodrama Play by Sam Shepard. A critic declared of her co starring role in Futz! : "Beth Porter makes the Whore of Babylon look like the Singing Nun." Ellen Stewart and Tom O'Horgan invited Porter and her Scots husband Peter Reid to co found the first foreign branch of La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, based in the UK. Known as The Wherehouse La MaMa with Porter as its administrative director, it operated as a touring company throughout Europe and guest appearing at La MaMa New York. Porter featured in their plays, including Groupjuice, Little Mother by Ross Alexander, The Hilton Keen Show, Hump, a dramatization of the novel by David Benedictus. U. S. television guest spots included Baretta and Kojak. U. K. television roles include Thames Television's Armchair Theatre play, Verité (1973) with Richard Morant and Tim Curry, co starring in Rock Follies of '77 (1977) and Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, in which she reprised her role as The Marketing Girl from the original radio series. Her television films include Blue Money, again with Tim Curry, and Pleasure (1994), part of the Alan Bleasdale Presents series. She guest starred with Bill Nighy in The Men's Room (1991). Feature film roles include Reds (1981), Mrs. McKee in The Great Gatsby (1974), sister in law Anna to Woody Allen’s Boris in Love and Death (1975), and Yentl (1983), in which she worked as Barbra Streisand's understudy and played Sophie, Amy Irving's maid in an uncredited role. She appeared in several saucy UK comedies in the 1970s including Eskimo Nell (1975), an early feature film by Martin Campbell.

Porter featured on Roger Waters' album The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking as The Wife. Her voice has been heard on re voices and dubbings of many films. She was the White Witch in the animated version of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. She and John Ratzenberger did all the post synch voices in John Schlesinger's Honky Tonk Freeway (1981).

Porter became a British citizen in 2014. She died on August 1, 2023, at the age of 81.

Year Title Role Notes1967The Naked Witch Beth 1969Me and My BrotherFutz!Majorie Satz1971Long Drawn Out Trip: Sketches from Los AngelesVariousShort, Voice1974The Great GatsbyMrs. McKee1975Eskimo NellBillie HarrisLove and DeathAnnaDick Deadeye, or Duty DoneYum YumVoice1976FeelingsMrs. Lustig1978The Ballad of the DaltonsMiss WorthlesspennyVoiceWhat's Up Superdoc!MelanieOn a Paving Stone MountedAmerican Woman1980Superman II Football FanUncredited1981Reds1983YentlSophie

Year Title Role Notes1973Thirty Minute TheatreJoannaEpisode "The Baby's Name Being Kitchener"Armchair TheatreBarbaraEpisode "Verite"1974MouseySandra aka Cat and Mouse1975BarettaDoreenEpisode "Nobody in a Nothing Place"1976KojakClaraEpisode "By Silence Betrayed"1977Seven Faces of WomanAnne LiebowitzEpisode "She: Anxious Anne"Rock Follies of '77Kitty Schreiber 6 episodes, 19771978Crown CourtBetty Lou Episode "Scalped"1979The Lion, the Witch and the WardrobeJadis, The White Witch(voice)The Deep ConcernCarrie Stone (6 episodes)1980Tales of the UnexpectedJoanna Bligh Episode "Taste"1981The Hitchhiker's Guide to the GalaxyMarketing GirlEpisode #1.61982Blue MoneyBarmaid1988FloodtideAmerican WomanSeason 2 Episodes 4 and 51988Square DealHannah Episodes #1.1 and #1.71990Ruth Rendell MysteriesDavina IlbertEpisode "Put on by Cunning"1994PleasureAmberaka Alan Bleasdale Presents Pleasure