Carl Lawrence Betz (March 9, 1921 – January 18, 1978) was an American stage, film and television actor.

A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Betz participated in childhood theatricals and later worked in summer stock. He graduated from Mt. Lebanon High School in 1939 and then served in the military. Following military service, he graduated from Carnegie Tech in Pittsburgh and made his Broadway debut in 1952. He appeared in the CBS television soap opera, Love of Life, but is best remembered for having played Donna Reed's television husband, Dr. Alex Stone, from 1958 to 1966 in the ABC sitcom, The Donna Reed Show. Between 1967 and 1969, he played defense attorney Clinton Judd in ABC's Judd for the Defense, and won an Emmy Award in 1969 for his work. He died at the age of 56 of lung cancer.

Biography

Betz was married twice and had one child. Betz married actress Lois Harmon on June 20, 1952. They had a son, Richard. They separated in May 1960 and were divorced in 1961. In December 1963, Betz married Gloria Stone Martin, sister of actress Nita Talbot. Through his marriage to Martin, Betz had a stepdaughter named Rio. The couple remained married until Betz's death in 1978.