Betty McGuire, Growing Pains Actress, Dies at 100
Her rep confirmed she died of natural causes on Oct. 8 at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills.
Betty McGuire, the Broadway actress who also appeared on the ABC sitcom Growing Pains, has died at 100. Her rep confirmed to Deadline that she died of natural causes on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026 at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills.
McGuire was best known on screen for her recurring guest role as grandmother Kate Malone on Growing Pains, a character who became a familiar part of the sitcom's family storylines.
Born in 1933 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, McGuire made her Broadway debut as Rebecca in the 1955 musical Plain and Fancy. She went on to appear on Broadway in Happy Hunting in 1956 and Oh Captain! in 1958, sharing stages with performers including Ethel Merman, Barbara Cook, Bea Arthur and Tony Randall.
Her onscreen debut came in a 1973 episode of The Doris Day Show. Her film credits included Cheech & Chong's Up in Smoke (1978), Hometown USA (1980), The Incredible Shrinking Woman (1981) and Wishmaster (1997).
Beyond acting, McGuire volunteered for years at the Coalition for Economic Survival legal clinic in Los Angeles. She also hosted GabFest, an NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt segment spotlighting residents of The Motion Picture & Television Fund Home.
Quick answers
How did Betty McGuire die?
Her rep said she died of natural causes on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026 at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills.
What was Betty McGuire best known for?
She was best known for her recurring guest role as grandmother Kate Malone on the ABC sitcom Growing Pains.
What was Betty McGuire's Broadway debut?
She made her Broadway debut as Rebecca in the 1955 musical Plain and Fancy.