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Elizabeth June Thornburg (better known as Betty Hutton) is an American actor, musician and comedienne. She was born on February 26, 1921 in Battle Creek, Michigan. Raised by a single mother, Hutton started singing in the family's speakeasy at the age of three. Related troubles with the police kept the family on the move; eventually they moved to Detroit. As a teenager, she sang in several local bands, and at one point visited New York hoping to perform in Broadway, where she was rejected.

A few years later, she was scouted by orchestra leader Vincent Lopez, who signed her immedately, giving Hutton her doorway into the entertainment world. In 1939 she appeared in several mucial shorts, and first appeared on Broadway in the musicals Panama Hattie and Two for the Show, which was produced by B.G. DeSylva in 1940.

When DeSylva became a producer at Paramount Studios, Hutton acquired a starring role in Let's Face It in 1943. She made 14 films in 11 years during the 1940s and 1950s. In 1942, one of the first artists to sign with Capitol Records, Hutton was unhappy with their management, and signed with RCA. Her status as a Hollywood star ended during contract disagreements with Paramount.

Hutton continued working in radio and toured in nightclubs, and then entered popular entertainment on television through the 1960s. In 1967, she was signed for starring roles in Paramount westerns, but was fired shortly after the projects began. Afterwards, Hutton had trouble with alcohol abuse and eventually attempted suicide, and had a nervous breakdown. Upon taking control of her life, she went on to teach acting.

Betty Hutton married four times, and had three children, and currently lives in Palm Springs.