Betty McGuire, the veteran actress who played the beloved grandmother on the hit ABC sitcom “Growing Pains” and enjoyed a remarkable career spanning Broadway, television and film, has died. She was 100.
McGuire died of natural causes on October 8 at the Motion Picture & Television Fund retirement community in Woodland Hills, California, according to her close friend and power of attorney, Keith Gerchak, who confirmed her death to The Hollywood Reporter.
Best remembered by television audiences as Kate Malone, the mother of Maggie Seaver, played by Joanna Kerns, McGuire appeared in 12 episodes of “Growing Pains” between 1986 and 1991.
Her character was the grandmother of the Seaver children, including Mike, played by Kirk Cameron, Carol, portrayed by Tracey Gold, and Ben, played by Jeremy Miller.
The beloved family sitcom, which aired from 1985 to 1992, became one of ABC’s defining comedies of the era and also helped launch the career of a young Leonardo DiCaprio, who joined the cast during its final season.
Although McGuire was never a regular cast member, she appeared across six of the show’s seven seasons, making her a familiar face to longtime viewers.
Born in Connecticut in 1926, McGuire began her entertainment career decades before becoming a television grandmother. She made her Broadway debut in the musical “Plain and Fancy” in 1955 and went on to perform in “Happy Hunting” and “Oh, Captain!”
Her stage career brought her alongside legendary performers including Ethel Merman, Barbara Cook, Bea Arthur and Tony Randall. She also headlined a Las Vegas production of “Mame” and toured in musicals including “Gypsy,” “Oliver!” and “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.”
As television grew in popularity, McGuire became a familiar character actress, appearing in some of the most recognizable shows of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
Her extensive credits included “Columbo,” “Charlie’s Angels,” “The Doris Day Show,” “Hill Street Blues,” “Falcon Crest,” “MacGyver,” “Moonlighting,” “ER” and “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.”
She also appeared in “CSI: Miami,” “7th Heaven” and “Murphy Brown,” demonstrating a versatility that allowed her to work across generations of television.
On the big screen, McGuire portrayed Sister Mary Quacker in the 1978 comedy “Up in Smoke,” starring Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong. That same year, she played a nurse in the medical thriller “Coma,” starring Geneviève Bujold and Michael Douglas.
Away from Hollywood, McGuire devoted time to helping others. She volunteered with the Coalition for Economic Survival, a Los Angeles organization that assists low-income renters facing eviction.
Even after moving into the Motion Picture & Television Fund retirement community in 2017, she remained active and found a new way to entertain people.
McGuire created and hosted “GabFest,” a talk show broadcast on the retirement community’s in-house television station. Rather than focusing on celebrity residents, she interviewed staff members about their lives and personal experiences.
Her enthusiasm for trying new things continued well into her 90s.
During a 2019 NBC News interview, McGuire expressed how grateful she was to remain active and discover new interests at an age when many people had long since retired.
McGuire had no surviving immediate family members, according to published reports.