| Betty Ann Bruno | |
| Birthname: | Betty Ann Cain |
| Birth Date: | 1 October 1931 |
| Birth Place: | Wahiawa, Hawaii, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Sonoma, California, U.S. |
| Education: | Stanford University |
| Occupation: | Child actress, television producer and host, reporter |
| Spouse: | Craig Scheiner |
| Children: | 3 |
| Awards: | 3 Emmy Awards |
Betty Ann Bruno (Cain; October 1, 1931 – July 30, 2023) was an American child actress and journalist. She started her journalist career as a political talk show television producer and host and was an investigative reporter who worked for KTVU-Channel 2 in San Francisco for over 20 years, retiring in 1992.
Betty Ann Cain was born on October 1, 1931,[1] in Wahiawa, Hawaii,[2] but grew up in Hollywood, California. She was the daughter of a Hawaiian–Chinese mother and a Dutch–Irish father.[3]
She was a Stanford University graduate.[4]
As a child, she appeared in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz as one of the Munchkins.[5] Before that she had a bit role in John Ford's 1937 film The Hurricane. Her work in television won her three Emmy Awards.[6] After retiring from television in 1992, she became a hula dance instructor. In 2020, she published her autobiography, The Munchkin Diary: My Personal Yellow Brick Road.[7] She appeared on television once again in an episode of To Tell the Truth which was broadcast in May 2022.
Bruno lived in California, was married to Craig Scheiner, a former KTVU photographer, and had three sons. She was reported in media as one of the few surviving cast members from The Wizard of Oz.[8]
Bruno died from a heart attack on July 30, 2023, in Sonoma, California, at the age of 91.[9] [10]
| Title | Year | Role | Director | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Hurricane | 1937 | John Ford | ||
| The Wizard of Oz | 1939 | Munchkin | Victor Fleming | |
| To Tell the Truth | 2022 | Herself |