Betsy Brantley is an American actress. She has appeared in numerous films, plays, and television shows since the early 1980s. Her breakout role was in the 1982 film Five Days One Summer with Sean Connery.

Early life Betsy Brantley was born in 1955 to Jack R. Brantley, a textile executive, and Dotty Brantley (née Rabey). In 1960, Jack moved the family to Greensboro, North Carolina, moving into the same house on Meadowbrook Terrace where he grew up. In 1962 Jack moved the family to Rutherfordton, North Carolina, to serve as division president at dress-manufacturer Tanner. Betsy has a fraternal twin Alison, an older brother Jack Jr., and a younger brother Duncan who is a producer and screenwriter.

Growing up Brantley spent a great deal of her time in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Rutherfordton, where she developed a love for mountains. Her affinity with mountains helped her land her first major role in the film Five Days One Summer.

Brantley graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1977 and the Central School of Speech and Drama in the United Kingdom in 1980.

Career Brantley's first major role was Kate in the 1982 film Five Days One Summer with Sean Connery. The film's director, Fred Zinnemann, cast Brantley because he wanted a new, unfamiliar face. Zinnemann only auditioned young women with little or no acting experience because he didn't want audiences associating a known actress, who had been around the block a time or two on screen or in a publicized personal life, spoiling the illusion of virtue. Until her role in Five Days One Summer, her acting experience had been limited to a few roles in the English theater, a five-minute part in a British TV movie and a minor role in the film Shock Treatment.

Like Five Days One Summer, many of Brantley's films are based in Europe. Her most famous role, perhaps, is her portrayal of Neely Pritt in Shock Treatment (1981). She also played alongside Pierce Brosnan and Michael Caine in the film version of The Fourth Protocol (1987) and acted a cameo in the Ashley Judd movie Double Jeopardy (1999). Brantley was also the performance model for Jessica Rabbit in Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988).Listed in the end of movie credits

Along with roles in several other films, including Havana (1990) and Deep Impact (1998), Betsy has been a cast member in a number of television shows, including Tour of Duty and Second Noah. On Tour of Duty, she played the role of Dr. Jennifer Seymour (later Major Jennifer Seymour). On Second Noah, she played Jesse Beckett, a veterinarian and the mother of eight adopted children.

Brantley played Dolph Lundgren's girlfriend in Dark Angel (1990, retitled I Come in Peace in America).

She has also appeared as Elsie Cubitt in the Granada Television production of "The Dancing Men", from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and also appeared in the 1987 BBC Horizon film, Life Story (the story of the discovery of the DNA double helix) as James Watson's sister, Elizabeth Watson.

Personal life In 1986, Brantley married filmmaker Steven Soderbergh. She has one daughter, Sarah, with Soderbergh. Sarah lives in Seattle, Washington. Brantley and Soderbergh divorced in 1994.

Brantley is a private person and somewhat uncomfortable with the stardom she achieved. After her critical success with Five Days One Summer, she said "I'd like to have had my career move a little slower, I find the attention just a bit daunting."

Brantley lives in a pre–Civil War era home in the Montford, Virginia area with her pet cat Blueberry.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes1981Shock TreatmentNeely Pritt1982Five Days One SummerKate1984Another CountryJulie Schofield1987Eileen McWhirterThe Mother1988Who Framed Roger RabbitJessica's Performance Model1990I Come in PeaceDiane Palloneaka Dark AngelHavanaDiane1993Flesh and BonePegShepherd on the RockJean1996SchizopolisMrs. Munson / Attractive Woman No. 21997Washington SquareMrs. Montgomery1998Mercury RisingSpecial Ed Teacher No. 2Deep ImpactEllen Biederman1999WaitressShortRogue TraderBrenda GrangerDouble JeopardyProsecutor2002Mary Barlow2008This Man's LifeMrs. ZimmermanShort2022KimiKimiVoice

Television Year Title Role Notes1984Sherlock HolmesElsie CubittEpisode: "The Dancing Men"1985Romance on the Orient ExpressStaceyTV filmOscarAmerican BeautyEpisode: "Gilded Youth"1987HorizonElizabeth WatsonEpisode: "The Race for the Double Helix"Dreams Lost, Dreams FoundJane McAllisterTV filmLondon EmbassyFlora Domingo-DuncanEpisodes: "The Winfield Wallpaper", "Tomb with a View"1988VanessaEpisode: "The Yob"CynthiaEpisode: "Glory Days"HeartbeatDorothyEpisode: "Where's Solomon When You Need Him?"Beauty and the BeastNancy TuckerEpisodes: "Ozymandias", "A Happy Life"American PlayhouseMarion CastleEpisode: "The Big Knife"1989MenClaireEpisode: "Baltimore"Tour of DutyJennifer SeymourRecurring role (seasons 2–3)1992Yesterday TodayTV film1993Gail HarperEpisode: "Stand Up for Bastards"Jack's PlaceClaudiaEpisode: "True Love Ways"Final AppealFranTV film1995Little Lord FauntleroyMrs. ErrolTV miniseriesAmazing GraceEpisode: "The Fugitive"Dad, the Angel & MeSusan LyonsTV film1996–1997Second NoahJessie BeckettMain role1997Touched by an AngelJoanne McNabbEpisode: "Great Expectations"1998NYPD BlueVal DixonEpisode: "Speak for Yourself, Bruce Clayton"From the Earth to the MoonJan ArmstrongEpisode: "Mare Tranquilitatis"1999Chicago HopeMrs. DanoEpisode: "The Heavens Can Wait"2002ImpactDiane CousinsTV film

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