Bettye Ackerman

Bettye Ackerman was born on February 28, 1924, in Cottageville, South Carolina, and grew up in Williston, Barnwell County, as one of four children of Clarence Kilgo Ackerman and Mary Baker Ackerman.

She graduated from Columbia College in South Carolina in 1945 and moved to New York City to pursue a career in theater, studying at Columbia University. She later studied art with Joseph Mugnaini and George DeGroat at Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles.

Her television career took off in the 1960s when she played Dr. Maggie Graham on the ABC medical drama "Ben Casey" from 1961 to 1966. She also appeared in "Bracken's World" as Anne Frazer and in the daytime soap "Return to Peyton Place" as Constance MacKenzie. Her film debut came in "Face of Fire" in 1959, and she continued to work in television and film throughout her career.

Full Name	Bettye Ackerman
Other Name	Bettye Louise Ackerman
Gender	Female
Occupation	Actress/Artist
Date of Birth	28-February-1924 (82 years)
Birth Year	1924
Birth Location	Cottageville, South Carolina U.S.
Death Time	01-November-2006
Death Location	Columbia, South Carolina U.S.

In her personal life, shee married her "Ben Casey" co-star Sam Jaffe on June 7, 1956, despite a 33-year age difference. Their marriage lasted until Jaffe's death from cancer in 1984. They had no children. She sold her home in Beverly Hills, California, and returned to South Carolina in 1998 to be near her extended family. Shortly after, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

She was also a noted artist, with numerous exhibits in Beverly Hills and Columbia, South Carolina. She passed away on November 1, 2006, after suffering a stroke in Columbia, South Carolina, and is buried in Williston Cemetery in South Carolina.