Emmy-winning TV reporter and former Wizard of Oz star Betty Ann Bruno passes away at 91
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The acting and journalism communities are in mourning following the devastating news of the passing of Betty Ann Bruno.
The former Wizard of Oz star, who later carved out a successful 20-year career as an Emmy-winning TV reporter, passed away on Monday at the age of 91.
The Press Democrat reported that Betty Ann was dancing at the Sonoma Women's Club on Sunday when she developed a 'sudden splitting headache'. Her long-time husband Craig Scheiner drove her to the hospital, though when they reached the front desk, 'she had a massive heart attack and collapsed on the floor'.
Though the media personality was still very active in the weeks leading up to her passing, teaching hula classes and socialising with friends, her husband confirmed that Betty had simply 'died of old age, her heart just wore out’.
From her Hollywood childhood to her career in the CIA, her lifelong love for hula, as well as her final farewell in the form of a published memoir, anything seemed within reach for Betty Ann Bruno, who was witty, determined and full of vitality throughout her life.
Betty Ann grew up in California, and was just seven years old when she was cast as one of the children Munchkins in the classic film The Wizard Of Oz.
Prior to this, she also had an uncredited role in director John Ford's 1937 film The Hurricane.
After graduating from Stanford University in 1953, she worked as a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) secretary, meeting her first husband, Russell Bruno.
The couple moved to Berkeley, California in 1966, where they raised three sons, and Betty Ann started her career as a broadcast journalist.
In 1971, after joining the Oakland League of Women Voters, local network KTVU offered her a writing gig on the 10 O'Clock News program. This marked the start of Bruno's 20-year career as a television reporter in what was to be her most successful act yet.
Bruno went on to impress in her field, winning three Emmy Awards for breaking news, news-feature series and investigative series. She even made headlines when reporting, covering the Oakland Hills Fire of October 1991, while the fire completely destroyed Bruno's own home.
Bruno retired from television news in 1992 and moved to Sonoma, where she opened Hula Mai in 2009 and taught hula dancing for a decade. In 2020, at the age of 89, Betty completed her memoir, The Munchkin Diary: My Personal Yellow Brick Road, sharing with readers her full and incomparable life story.
She is survived by her husband Craig Scheiner and her three sons with her first husband, Russell Bruno.
The world has lost an incredible woman this week, and her legacy will live on for many years. May she rest in peace.
The former Wizard of Oz star, who later carved out a successful 20-year career as an Emmy-winning TV reporter, passed away on Monday at the age of 91.
Betty Ann Bruno was one of the child stars in Victor Fleming's 1939 classic The Wizard Of Oz. Image source: Shutterstock.
The Press Democrat reported that Betty Ann was dancing at the Sonoma Women's Club on Sunday when she developed a 'sudden splitting headache'. Her long-time husband Craig Scheiner drove her to the hospital, though when they reached the front desk, 'she had a massive heart attack and collapsed on the floor'.
Though the media personality was still very active in the weeks leading up to her passing, teaching hula classes and socialising with friends, her husband confirmed that Betty had simply 'died of old age, her heart just wore out’.
From her Hollywood childhood to her career in the CIA, her lifelong love for hula, as well as her final farewell in the form of a published memoir, anything seemed within reach for Betty Ann Bruno, who was witty, determined and full of vitality throughout her life.
Betty Ann grew up in California, and was just seven years old when she was cast as one of the children Munchkins in the classic film The Wizard Of Oz.
Prior to this, she also had an uncredited role in director John Ford's 1937 film The Hurricane.
After graduating from Stanford University in 1953, she worked as a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) secretary, meeting her first husband, Russell Bruno.
The couple moved to Berkeley, California in 1966, where they raised three sons, and Betty Ann started her career as a broadcast journalist.
In 1971, after joining the Oakland League of Women Voters, local network KTVU offered her a writing gig on the 10 O'Clock News program. This marked the start of Bruno's 20-year career as a television reporter in what was to be her most successful act yet.
Bruno went on to impress in her field, winning three Emmy Awards for breaking news, news-feature series and investigative series. She even made headlines when reporting, covering the Oakland Hills Fire of October 1991, while the fire completely destroyed Bruno's own home.
Bruno retired from television news in 1992 and moved to Sonoma, where she opened Hula Mai in 2009 and taught hula dancing for a decade. In 2020, at the age of 89, Betty completed her memoir, The Munchkin Diary: My Personal Yellow Brick Road, sharing with readers her full and incomparable life story.
She is survived by her husband Craig Scheiner and her three sons with her first husband, Russell Bruno.
The world has lost an incredible woman this week, and her legacy will live on for many years. May she rest in peace.
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