Betty Buckley is an American actress and singer. Buckley is the winner of a Tony Award, and was nominated for two Daytime Emmy Awards, two Grammy Awards, and an Olivier Award. In 2012, she was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame.
Buckley won the 1983 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role as Grizabella in the original Broadway production of Cats. She went on to play Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard (1994–96) in both London and New York, receiving a 1995 Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical, and was nominated for the 1997 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for Triumph of Love. Her other Broadway credits include 1776 (1969), Pippin (1973), and The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1985). From September 2018-August 2019 she starred as the title role in the U.S. national tour of Hello, Dolly.
Buckley starred in the TV series Eight Is Enough from 1977 to 1981 and played gym teacher Miss Collins in the 1976 film Carrie, before going on to star in the short-lived Broadway musical version of Carrie in 1988, playing Carrie White's mother, Margaret. Her other film roles include Dixie Scott in Tender Mercies (1983), Sondra Walker in Frantic (1988), Kathy in Another Woman (1988) and Mrs. Jones in The Happening (2008). She received a Saturn Award nomination for her role as Dr. Karen Fletcher in the 2016 film Split. Her other television credits include the series Oz (2001–03), and the series Preacher (2018).
History with the Macy's Parade[]
Buckley made her parade debut at the 1983 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade as the beloved "Grizabella" with the Broadway Cast of Cats and she sang her iconic number from the show "Memory".
She then made another performance at the 1985 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with the Broadway Cast of The Mystery of Edwin Drood and together they performed several numbers like "The Writing on the Wall" and "Don't Quit While You're Ahead".
She returned for a third time at the 2001 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and she sang a stirring rendition of "America the Beautiful" on the Statue of Liberty float.
For her fourth and recent appearance at the 2010 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, she sang "Blue Skies" from her forthcoming album Ghostlight while riding the Cornucopia float.