March 17, 2024 – The Villages, Fla. – Beth Peters, whose career included a popular role in the early 1980s edition of ABC soap General Hospital, passed away March 14 in Central Florida following a short illness.
Peters played the featured role of Mrs. Whitaker during the soap’s elevation to a national phenomenon. The motherly Mrs. Whitaker dispensed country wisdom from her farm kitchen in Beecher’s Corners, serving as a surrogate mother to Laura Spencer, played by Genie Francis, as the teenager’s story arc saw her fall in love with Luke Spencer, portrayed by Anthony Geary.
Peters’ career began as a teen herself in coastal New Jersey as a singer-actress, with appearances on WJLK-AM and as a frequent guest artist singing opera. She made her Broadway debut in 1955 as a supernumerary (extra) in Inherit the Wind, eventually playing Mrs. Brady for the last months of the play’s 800-plus run.
The bulk of her career was spent in regional theatre, with frequent roles at the Sacramento Music Circus, Circle Star Theatre, Melodyland, Carousel Theater, Hyatt Music Theater, Dallas State Fair Summer Musicals, Fiesta Dinner Playhouse, Galveston Summer Musicals and many more. She played Mrs. Paroo, Marion the Librarian’s mother, in more than 20 productions. Sound of Music, Show Boat, Big River and Funny Girl were other musicals which she frequently performed.
On television, Peters was a guest star on Mr. Belvedere, Quantum Leap, Beyond Belief, Hart to Hart, Simon and Simon, Highway to Heaven, The Waltons, and others. Her final major performance was in a commercial for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the early 2000s. Her film credits include Where Love Has Gone, Fitzwilly, Kandyland and Back to School.
Peters is survived by a son, Sean Williams (Sandy) of Bowling Green, Ohio, step-daughters Barbara Davison (Don) of Yardville, N.J., and Monica Lange (Long Beach, Calif.), plus nieces, nephews, grandchildren and great-grandchildren from coast to coast. Her husband, Jack Danon, also an actor, died in 1996.
She was a longtime member of Actor’s Equity Association, Screen Actors Guild, and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. In lieu of flowers, her family asks for donations in her name to the Entertainment Community Fund: https://entertainmentcommunity.org/