Although on the screen and in magazines, she portrayed a sexy, happy woman, Bettie Page's four marriages all ended in divorce.
Born:
Bettie Mae Page: April 22, 1923 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Died:
Bettie Page: December 11, 2008 at the age of 85 after a heart attack. She died at Los Angeles Kindred Hospital.
Children:
Although Bettie wanted to have children, she was unable to have any. She reportedly miscarried in 1946.
1st Marriage: Billy Neal :
Billy was born abt. 1921. Billy and Bettie were high school sweethearts and were married on February 15, 1943 in Gallatin, Tennessee by the justice of the peace in the office of the clerk of the court. They divorced in November 1947.
2nd Marriage: Billy Neal :
Billy and Bettie remarried in 1953, but the marriage only lasted a month before they had problems. They divorced a second time.
3rd Marriage: Armond Walterson :
On November 26, 1958, in Florida, Bettie married Armond Walterson, who was 12 years younger. their marriage ended in divorce in 1963.
Bettie: "That was stupid on my part. I met him when I was 30 and he was 18, and all he cared for was sex, movies and hamburgers. The man was a hamburger fiend."
Source: Kevin Cook. "My Story: The Missing Years." Playboy.com. 01/1998.
4th Marriage: Harry Lear :
Harry Lear, a lineman for Florida Bell, and Bettie were married on February 14, 1967. They divorced in January 1972.
Bettie: "My breakdown came after my divorce from Harry Lear in Florida in 1972. Harry's ex-wife was so jealous of me that it ruined the marriage and my health. Harry and I had a good marriage. He was a wonderful provider and a good lover. But he had one bad fault. He was a Mr. Milquetoast. He wouldn't stand up to his ex-wife, who kept calling at four in the morning to yell at me."
Source: Kevin Cook. "My Story: The Missing Years." Playboy.com. 01/1998.
Occupations:
Bettie: Pin-up, actress, model, Playmate of the Month in January 1955.
Michael Park: "Page was a 27-year-old secretary when a photographer on the beach at Coney Island discovered her in 1950. She went on to star in a series of sensual and nude photographs, including a Playboy centerfold and some that featured her in sadomasochistic poses."
Source: Michael Y. Park. "Pin-up Legend Bettie Page Dies." People.com. 12/12/2008.
Jurgen Fauth: "The quintessential girl next door from Tennessee transformed into a sex siren, posing for a series of now infamous S&M photos."
Source: Jurgen Fauth. "Bettie Page Dies at 85." WorldFilm.about.com. 12/12/08.
Health and Legal Issues:
Bettie dropped out of sight after she had problems with the law and several nervous breakdowns. She was under state supervision for acute schizophrenia for eight years.Other Sources:
Whitney Matheson. "Happy birthday, Bettie!" USAToday.com 4/23/2003.
Gary Johnson. "Bettie Page's Life Story Finally Told." ImagesJournal.com.
Louis Sahagun. "A Golden Age for a Pinup." LATimes.com. 3/11/2006.
