Jack Betts, "Spider-Man" Actor, Dies at 96
Jack Betts, who starred in Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" (2002) and over a dozen Spaghetti Western films, has died at the age of 96.
Betts died Thursday in his sleep at his Los Osos, Calif. home, his nephew, Dean Sullivan, said.
Jack Betts
Born Jack Fillmore Betts (saying he bore a relation to the 13th POTUS Millard Fillmore) on April 11, 1929 in Jersey City, NJ, he grew up in Miami, where he eventually studied theater at the University of Miami. Afterward, he moved to New York City, where he made his Broadway debut in 1953's "Richard III".
When a friend asked him to help with an audition for Lee Strasberg's famed nonprofit, The Actors Studio, the director of the prestigious acting school granted him a three-year scholarship to study there. As a result, the venerated Elia Kazan later cast him in a production of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof".
He later returned to Broadway for Kazan's 1959 production of "Sweet Bird of Youth", as well as a late '70s revival of "Dracula", in which he once portrayed the eponymous count as Raul Julia's standby.
Betts' first film credit was in 1959's "The Bloody Brood", and in 1966 he was cast as the title character in Franco Giraldi's "Sugar Colt", billed as Hunt Powers for the first time, that kicked off a string of credits in over a dozen Spaghetti Westerns through the 1970s.
On the television side, Betts racked up several appearances in daytime soaps, including "General Hospital", "The Young Marrieds", "The Edge of Night", "The Doctors", "Another World", "All My Children", "Falcon Crest", "Search for Tomorrow", "Guiding Light", "Generations", and "The Young and the Restless".
His other notable arcs included episodes for "Perry Mason" and The F.B.I." as well as turns in popular series like "Gunsmoke", "Seinfeld", "Mad TV", "Frasier", "Everybody Loves Raymond", "Friends", "The Mentalist", and "Monk".
Betts was great friends with "Everybody Loves Raymond" star Doris Roberts, whom he met at The Actors Studio in the '50s; the two shared a home from the late '80s until she died in 2016.
Jack Betts in 'Spider-Man'
In "Spider-Man", Betts notably portrayed Henry Balkan, the Oscorp Technologies board chairman, who booted Willem Dafoe's Norman Osborn from the company, kicking off the Green Goblin's villainous arc. Later on in the movie, Osborn parrots back the phrase to Balkan as he vaporizes the board in an attack on Times Square while gleefully shouting: 'Out, am I?'.
Additional film credits include 1993's "Falling Down," with Michael Douglas and Robert Duvall, the 1995 Val Kilmer-starring "Batman Forever", and 1998's "Gods and Monsters" opposite Ian McKellen and Brendan Fraser.
In addition to his nephew, Betts' survivors include his nieces, Lynne and Gail, and his sister, Joan, who turns 100 in November.
Following the news of his death, Beverly Hills Playhouse shared a tribute to the late star on Instagram, writing: 'Our beloved Jack Betts passed away peacefully at home. It is a sad day for the BHP as we have enjoyed his presence for so many years. There are actors who credit him with their not giving up because of his encouragement. We were so fortunate to have enjoyed his great spirit, passion and true dedication to the work. There was only ever one like this and we are the richer for having his presence in our theatre. Rest in peace, Jack.'
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