B. J. Ward (actress)


Betty Jean Ward, professionally known as B. J. Ward, is an American actress, voice actress and singer. She is the creator and star of Stand-Up Opera, a musical one-woman show, and is a licensed aviator.

Early life

Betty Jean Ward was born in Wilmington, Delaware, but grew up in New York City.

Personal life

Ward was first married to Donald Trenner in the mid 1960s, they divorced a couple of years later. She was later married to director Gordon Hunt from 1995 until his death in 2016. Her stepdaughter is actress Helen Hunt.

Acting career

Early career

She made her debut on the stage in 1960, in the original off-Broadway production of The Fantasticks, 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 voice over career on Hanna-Barbera's Jana of the Jungle in 1978.

Voice acting career

Ward is best known as a voice actress. Her animation voice credits include:
In 1985, she made a rare film appearance in the TV movie Malice in Wonderland alongside Elizabeth Taylor and Jane Alexander.
Ward has also guest-starred on television series such as Frasier, ER, and In-Laws.

Video game career

She has also done voices for video games, including:
In addition, she has also done voiceovers for theme parks, including:

Television