Beverly Bentley (February 26, 1930 â€" September 13, 2018) was an
American actress. Her career began during the Golden Age of Television
in the 1950s and continued on stage and in film into the first decade
of the 21st century.Born Beverly Claire Rentz in Atlanta, Georgia, her
parents divorced when she was young, and she moved with her mother to
Florida. She studied drama at Sarasota High School, but was forced to
leave school at age 16 to move again to Pensacola. It was there while
working in a diner that she met entertainer Arthur Godfrey, who was a
Reservist at a nearby naval station.Rentz later moved to New York City
and searched for Godfrey. He asked her to appear regularly on his
show, where she became a "Little Godfrey" who held up signs for
commercials. Godfrey introduced her as "Beverly Bentley", because he
thought the name "sounds better". She then changed her name
professionally.She briefly married advertising executive Alex Mumford
and worked as hostess and fashion commentator on several TV game
shows, such as Beat the Clock, The Big Payoff, and The Price Is Right.
She also worked as a "hand model" for perfume commercials, had been to
Ernest Hemingway's birthday party in Spain, and had celebrity
boyfriends, including Orson Bean, Eddie Fisher, Andy Griffith, and
Miles Davis. In due time, she had her first off-Broadway role as
Connie Bliss in Clifford Odets' The Big Knife, in which she starred
opposite James Earl Jones.
American actress. Her career began during the Golden Age of Television
in the 1950s and continued on stage and in film into the first decade
of the 21st century.Born Beverly Claire Rentz in Atlanta, Georgia, her
parents divorced when she was young, and she moved with her mother to
Florida. She studied drama at Sarasota High School, but was forced to
leave school at age 16 to move again to Pensacola. It was there while
working in a diner that she met entertainer Arthur Godfrey, who was a
Reservist at a nearby naval station.Rentz later moved to New York City
and searched for Godfrey. He asked her to appear regularly on his
show, where she became a "Little Godfrey" who held up signs for
commercials. Godfrey introduced her as "Beverly Bentley", because he
thought the name "sounds better". She then changed her name
professionally.She briefly married advertising executive Alex Mumford
and worked as hostess and fashion commentator on several TV game
shows, such as Beat the Clock, The Big Payoff, and The Price Is Right.
She also worked as a "hand model" for perfume commercials, had been to
Ernest Hemingway's birthday party in Spain, and had celebrity
boyfriends, including Orson Bean, Eddie Fisher, Andy Griffith, and
Miles Davis. In due time, she had her first off-Broadway role as
Connie Bliss in Clifford Odets' The Big Knife, in which she starred
opposite James Earl Jones.
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