Actress Betty McGuire, beloved as Kate Malone on 'Growing Pains', dies at 100

Betty McGuire, the actress remembered for her role as Kate Malone on the ABC series "Growing Pains," passed away from natural causes on Oct. 8 while residing at the Motion Picture & Television Fund's Wasserman Campus in Woodland Hills, California, at the age of one hundred. Keith Gerchak, who holds her power of attorney, confirmed the news. McGuire appeared as the grandmother of Joanna Kerns' character Maggie for a total of seven seasons, first in the early years and later returning for the final four installments of the show. Beyond that sitcom, she guest‑starred on a range of TV hits, including "Falcon Crest," "The Doris Day Show," "Columbo," "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," "Hill Street Blues," "ER," "CSI: Miami," "MacGyver," "Moonlighting" and "Charlie's Angels." Her film work featured roles in "Cheech & Chong's Up in Smoke" and Michael Crichton's thriller "Coma." On stage, McGuire shared the spotlight with legends such as Ethel Merman, Barbara Cook, Bea Arthur and Tony Randall in original Broadway productions like "Plain and Fancy," "Happy Hunting" and "Oh, Captain!" She later headlined the title role in "Mame" at Caesars Palace and toured with shows such as "Gypsy," "Auntie Mame," "Oliver!" and the 1956 Ziegfeld Follies. In her later years she volunteered as a receptionist and advocate at the Coalition for Economic Survival legal clinic, helping low‑income tenants facing eviction, while living at the MPTF retirement home. At the community’s on‑site TV station, Channel 22, she hosted a talk program called "GabFest."## Context The Motion Picture & Television Fund runs a retirement campus that offers health care and social activities to industry veterans, a tradition that has supported many aging performers like McGuire throughout Hollywood's history.