Bette Katzenkazrahi
Bette Katzenkazrahi (nee Douglas; formerly Duke, Lakin, Goodman, Kennedy, and Davis) is a fictional character from the US NBC soap opera Sunset Beach, played by Kathleen Noone.
| Bette Katzenkazrahi | |||||||||||
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| Sunset Beach character | |||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Kathleen Noone | ||||||||||
| Duration | 1997–99 | ||||||||||
| First appearance | January 6, 1997 | ||||||||||
| Last appearance | December 31, 1999 | ||||||||||
| Created by | Robert Guza, Jr. | ||||||||||
| Introduced by | Gary Tomlin, Aaron Spelling and E. Duke Vincent | ||||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||||
| Occupation | Gossip Columnist | ||||||||||
| Home | Sunset Beach, California | ||||||||||
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Character development
Noone was cast into the role after previously appearing on daytime television for a number of years appearing in rival soap opera All My Children.[1] Noone signed a new contract with the serial in August 1999, she also incorrectly predicted that Sunset Beach would not be axed by NBC.[2]
She is a blast. They didn't use her properly on the show, but she was a blast. I'm sorry they didn't have the insight to do that, but they didn't. But on we go, you know? At least I got a chance to create her. And maybe I'll play something like this someplace else.
Storylines
During the entire run, Bette was a much beloved person. Although she always knew the newest gossip and eventually ended up hired by Gregory Richards (Sam Behrens) as a gossip columnist, Bette was always fun and entertaining. She had been married 7 times. During the first year, Bette was involved in a storyline involving her best friend Olivia Richards (Lesley-Anne Down). She supported her while knowing that Olivia had been in an affair with her daughter's boyfriend. She even lied to her best friend Elaine Stevens (Leigh Taylor-Young) about the whereabouts of her long-lost son. However, she did it all to protect the people she loved. Bette was also involved in a short story where her ex-husband Al Kennedy died in her hot tub.
Bette had also been flirting with Eddie Connors (Peter Barton) for a while, but their love never happened because Eddie was killed off. Later, the arrival of her daughter Emily Davis (Cristi Harris) in May 1998 brought a whole new story for Bette. Their relationship was rocky, so they slowly worked on becoming closer to each other, which they finally did. In 1999, during the end, Bette found love again in A.J. Deschanel (Gordon Thomson).
Reception
Julia Shih of The Michigan Daily opined that Bette is one of the soap opera's most "annoying" characters because of her "sexual appetite".[3] In 1998, for her portrayal of Bette, Noone was nominated in the category of "Female Scene Stealer" at the Soap Opera Digest Awards.[4]
References
- Ostrow, Joanne (January 13, 1997). "Amply fleshed "Sunset Beach' guns for young viewers". The Denver Post. (MediaNews Group). Retrieved October 15, 2011.
- Stone, Sally (August 29, 1999). "Mike's a little worried about Ali's confession on 'Days'". Portsmouth Daily Times. (Heartland Publications). Retrieved October 15, 2011.
- Shih, Julia (March 20, 1997). "'Sunset Beach' brings night drama to daytime TV". The Michigan Daily. (University of Michigan). Retrieved October 10, 2011.
- "Daytime Television's Brightest Stars Selected; Nominations for 15th Soap Opera Digest Awards Announced; Fans Can Vote for Their Favorites". PR Newswire. (UBM plc). November 13, 1998. Retrieved October 14, 2011.