Heroine of the Month: Betsy King Ross
Betsy King Ross is a true anomaly in the history of Hollywood, a child actor who chose not to continue acting while still in childhood instead of being dropped by the establishment after becoming an adult. Known for her trick riding, she learned how to handle a horse at an early age from her father J. King Ross a horse trainer who worked for many traveling shows.
Her first film was the George O’Brien western Smoke Lightning (1933), based on a Zane Grey western novel for Fox Studios. Then it was off to Mascot where she made two serials. Fighting With Kit Carson (1933) starred her with Johnny Mack Brown who was protecting a gold shipment from the machinations of Noah Berry, Sr. while Phantom Empire (1935) had Betsy, along with fellow child actor Frankie Darro, helping newcomer Gene Autry investigate the mysterious hidden city of Murania (1935) located under Autry’s ranch.
Then at the rip old age of 13, Ross decided she didn’t want to be an actor and quit the business. She would eventually marry an engineer and move to South America with him as he was helping to build roads. She later returned to the U.S. and settled in California with her son after her husband’s untimely death in a landslide.
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