Betty Jean Ward (born September 12, 1944) is an American actress. She is the creator and the star of ''Stand-Up Opera'', a musical one-woman show.

Personal life

Ward was first married to Donald Trenner in 1966, they divorced in 1978. She was later married to director Gordon Hunt from 1995 until his death in 2016.

Career

Early career

She made her debut on the stage in 1960, in the original off-Broadway production of ''

The Fantasticks ''The Fantasticks'' is a 1960 musical with music by Harvey Schmidt and book and lyrics by Tom Jones. It tells an allegorical story, loosely based on the 1894 play ''The Romancers'' (''Les Romanesques'') by Edmond Rostand, concerning two ne ...

'', where she was an understudy for the role of Luisa/the Girl. B.J. Ward had gotten the part by calling the producer of the show. She toured with the Groundlings for a short while before starting her own voice over career starting with Hanna-Barbera's '' Jana of the Jungle'' in 1978.

Singing career

Ward also worked as a singer. She is well known for her acclaimed one-woman show, "Stand-Up Opera", which became a massive success with critics and audiences alike. She has released seven albums throughout her singing career. Though Ward is best known as a voice actress, she has also appeared on television. In 1985, she made a rare film appearance in the television film '' Malice in Wonderland'' alongside

Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was an English and American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 19 ...

and

Jane Alexander Jane Alexander (née Quigley; born October 28, 1939) is an American-Canadian actress and author. She is the recipient of two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, and nominations for four Academy Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards. From 1993 ...

. She has guest-starred on television series such as ''

Frasier ''Frasier'' () is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for 11 seasons from September 16, 1993, to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey (screenwriter), Peter Casey, and David Lee (scr ...

'', '' ER,'' and ''

In-Laws In law and in cultural anthropology, affinity is the kinship relationship created or that exists between two people as a result of someone's marriage. It is the relationship each party in the marriage has to the family of the other party in t ...

''. Ward has also done voices for video games and

theme parks An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often fea ...

, including: * Voices for EPCOT and

Disneyland Paris Disneyland Paris is an entertainment resort in Marne-la-Vallée, France, located about east of Paris. It encompasses two theme parks, seven Disney-owned hotels, two convention centers, a golf course, an arena, and a shopping, dining and entert ...

, including the safety narration for Spaceship Earth from 1994 to 2007. * The narration of the former PeopleMover attraction at

Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It was the first theme park opened by the Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney, ...

. * Mother / Sarah in the 1993 version of the Walt Disney's

Carousel of Progress Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress is a rotating theater audio-animatronic stage show attraction in Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, just outside of Orlando. Created by W ...

. * Voice of mother opossum and mother rabbit in the Disneyland version of Splash Mountain (1989–2023) * The current voice guide for "

It's a Small World It's a Small World (stylized in all lowercase and in quotations or with exclamation mark) is an Old Mill boat ride located in the Fantasyland area at various Disney theme parks around the world. Versions of the ride are installed at Disney ...

" and the refurbished

Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover The PeopleMover is an attraction in Tomorrowland in the Magic Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. Designed as an urban mass-transit system of the future, vehicles take passengers on a grand circle tour of the realm ...

attraction at

Magic Kingdom Magic Kingdom Park is a Amusement park, theme park at the Walt Disney World, Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It opened on October 1, 1971, and is owned and operated by the Walt Disney Company through its Disney Experiences, Expe ...

Park.

Filmography

Television

Film

Video games

Discography

*''Vocal Ease'' (1970) *''Queen of the Night'' (1994) *''Stand-Up Opera'' (1995) *''Syrinx: Voice of the Songbird'' (2003) *''B.J. Ward Sings Marshall Barer'' (2005) *''Double Feature: Love Songs From The Movies'' (2015) *''Double Feature 2: More Songs From The Movies!'' (2016)

References

External links

Official website
*
B. J. Ward at Voice Chasers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ward, B. J. 1944 births Living people Actresses from Delaware American film actresses American musical theatre actresses American video game actresses American voice actresses Hanna-Barbera people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses 20th-century American singers 21st-century American singers 20th-century American women singers 21st-century American women singers