Soap opera fans are mourning the loss of a TV classic.
Betty Harford, best known as the Carrington family’s loyal cook Mrs. Gunnerson on Dynasty and as Mrs. Nottingham on The Paper Chase, has passed away at 98.
Harford died peacefully on November 2 in Santa Barbara, California, her close friend Wendy Mitchell confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. “Betty Harford Naszody passed away peacefully with family at her side,” Mitchell shared on Facebook.
From 1981 to 1989, Harford delighted Dynasty fans with her sharp wit and “legendary lamb stew for Blake,” even reprising the role for the 1991 reunion. Tributes on social media hailed her as “the wonderful, foul-mouthed cook of the Carringtons.”
Before Dynasty, she played the efficient Mrs. Nottingham on The Paper Chase and appeared in classics like The Twilight Zone, Gunsmoke, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and The Big Valley.
Her film credits include The Wild and the Innocent (1959), Spartacus (1960), and Inside Daisy Clover (1965), where she played Natalie Wood’s sister.
Born in New York City in 1927, Harford began on stage before moving to film and TV. She was twice married—first to sculptor Oliver Andrews and later to Hungarian actor Sándor de Naszody—and is survived by her son Chris and grandsons.