Betty Harford, the television actress best known for her roles on ABC soap opera Dynasty and CBS/Showtime’s serialized adaptation of The Paper Chase, has died at the age of 98.
Her death was confirmed by friend Wendy Mitchell, who wrote on Facebook that Harford “passed away peacefully with family at her side, noon on November 2, 2025.”
In The Paper Chase — based on the 1971 John Jay Osborn Jr. novel and subsequent 1973 film adaptation starring John Houseman (for which he won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar) — Harford portrayed supremely efficient legal secretary Mrs. Nottingham for longtime law professor Charles W. Kingsfield, the role originated by Houseman and which he reprised in the series. The show, which followed the lives of law students like lead James T. Hart (James Stephens) at a fictional university modeled after Harvard, first aired on CBS from 1978-79 before being canceled and later resurrected by Showtime for three more seasons in 1983, culminating in James’ graduation from law school.
Later, Harford had a recurring role as Hilda Gunnerson on sudser Dynasty, which followed the rivalries between two warring, oil-wealthy families, the Carringtons and the Colbys, in Denver, Colo. Mrs. Gunnerson worked as a staff member/chef for John Forsythe’s Blake Carrington across 34 episodes of the primetime soap, reprising her role for the 1991 reunion miniseries.
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In addition to her most notable performances, Harford logged credits in such series as Alfred Hitchcock Presents (and its continuation The Alfred Hitchcock Hour), Gunsmoke, Dr. Kildare, The Twilight Zone and The Big Valley.
On the film side, Harford appeared in 1959’s The Wild and the Innocent as Mrs. Forbes, who cared for Sandra Dee’s Rosalie Stocker, and as the sister to Natalie Wood’s titular character in 1965’s Inside Daisy Clover.
Harford logged several collaborations with director James Bridges (who helmed both The Paper Chase film and subsequently developed the show), appearing in a 1963 episode of The Great Adventure written by the two-time Oscar-nominated scribe-director, playing a nurse in his 1977 movie September 30, 1955 and featuring in his 1979 action-thriller The China Syndrome.
She was also a member of the UCLA Theatre Group circa the 1960s, which was supported by the likes of Paul Newman and Eva Marie Saint.