Veteran television actress Betty Harford, best remembered for her roles on the hit ABC soap Dynasty and CBS/Showtime’s acclaimed legal drama The Paper Chase, has died. She was 98 years old.
Her passing was confirmed by her close friend Wendy Mitchell, who shared the news on Facebook, writing that Harford ‘passed away peacefully with family at her side, noon on November 2, 2025.’
Harford’s long and varied television career spanned decades, but she is perhaps most fondly remembered for her role as Mrs. Nottingham, the supremely efficient legal secretary to law professor Charles W. Kingsfield on The Paper Chase.
The series was based on the 1971 novel by John Jay Osborn Jr. and the 1973 Academy Award–winning film adaptation starring John Houseman, who reprised his iconic role as Kingsfield for television.
Set at a fictional Ivy League law school modeled after Harvard, The Paper Chase followed the trials and triumphs of first-year law student James T. Hart (James Stephens) as he navigated the pressures of academia under Kingsfield’s intimidating instruction.
Originally airing on CBS from 1978 to 1979, the series was later revived by Showtime in 1983 for three additional seasons, ultimately concluding with Hart’s graduation from law school.
In addition to her role on The Paper Chase, Harford appeared in a range of television series across her prolific career, including the prime-time staple Dynasty, where she became a familiar presence to soap audiences.
Veteran television actress Betty Harford, best remembered for her roles on the hit ABC soap Dynasty and CBS/Showtime’s acclaimed legal drama The Paper Chase, has died
