Zina Bethune, a renowned ballet dancer, choreographer, and teacher, was also a talented actress who enjoyed a promising career in the late 1950s and 1960s. Born on February 17, 1945, in New York, Bethune was the daughter of William Charles Bethune and Ivy Bethune, a Russian Jewish immigrant.
Formally trained in dance from a young age, Bethune was a student at George Balanchine's School of American Ballet and performed with the New York City Ballet despite being diagnosed with various health issues, including scoliosis, lymphedema, and hip dysplasia.
As an adolescent, Bethune appeared in several daytime TV dramas, including a breakthrough role as Robin Lang on the serial Guiding Light. She also joined the cast of other soaps, including Love of Life and Santa Barbara. Bethune co-starred with Shirl Conway on the TV drama The Doctors and the Nurses and won praise for her role as a naive student nurse.
In addition to her work in television, Bethune appeared in several films, including Sunrise at Campobello and Martin Scorsese's Who's That Knocking at My Door. She also made her Broadway debut at the age of 11 in the musical "The Most Happy Fella" and went on to appear in numerous touring productions, including "Sweet Charity," "Oklahoma!," and "The Unsinkable Molly Brown."
Bethune's ultimate passion was dance, and she was a highly-regarded prima ballerina. She performed with several companies, including The Royal Danish Ballet, Nevada Dance Theatre, and San Francisco Ballet Theatre, and went on to form her own company, Zina Bethune and Company.
In her later years, Bethune was sporadically seen on camera, including small roles in the film The Boost and the TV series "Santa Barbara" and "Party of Five." She remained dedicated to her work with children with physical and mental disabilities, helping them to embrace the art of dance as a means of self-expression and therapy.
Bethune was killed in an apparent hit-and-run accident on February 12, 2012, just five days short of her 67th birthday. She was survived by her husband, Sean Feeley, and her mother, Ivy.
