Betty Lynn Buckley was born on July 3, 1947 in Fort Worth, Texas.
Buckley, the little girl with the huge voice, trained herself by listening to the recordings of Judy Garland and Della Reese, but it was her own unique sound that made her a stand-out in local talent shows and she made her professional stage debut at age 15 in a production of “Gypsy.” Buckley attendedTexas Christian University, where the journalism major and head cheerleader won the title of Miss Fort Worth (1966) and was runner up in the Miss Texas competition.
Buckley eventually headed for New York in 1969. Within hours of arriving, she auditioned for and landed her first job in the Broadway musical “1776”, landing the role of Martha Jefferson. Buckley did a number of hit productions and eventually won a Tony Award for her performance as Grizabella, the Glamour Cat, in Andrew Lloyd Webber's “CATS.” This was followed by a variety of film and television work including her memorable portrayal of Dixie Scott in Horton Foote's Oscar-winning film TENDER MERCIES (1983).
For over 30 years Buckley has been a teacher of scene study and song interpretation, giving workshops in Manhattan and various universities and performing arts conservatories. She has been a faculty member in the theatre and music departments of the University of Texas at Arlington and continues to teach regularly at The Terry Schreiber School in New York City. She has been awarded two honorary Doctorates of Fine Arts for her contribution to the musical theatre by Marymount College and the Boston Conservatory of Music. She has been presented with numerous awards including “Showstopper of the Year” by Lancome of Paris the 1996 WCC “Civic Spirit” award.
