Background
Bethune was born in New York City, the daughter of Ivy (née Vigder), an actress (born June 1, 1918, Sevastopol, Russia) and William Charles Bethune, a sculptor and painter who died in 1950 when Zina was five years old.
Bethune was born in New York City, the daughter of Ivy (née Vigder), an actress (born June 1, 1918, Sevastopol, Russia) and William Charles Bethune, a sculptor and painter who died in 1950 when Zina was five years old.
Zina began her formal ballet training aged six at George Balanchine"s School of American Ballet. By age 14 she was dancing with the New York City Ballet. As a child performer, she also appeared in the original cast of The Most Happy Fella as well as several American daytime television dramas, including a stint as the first "Robin Language" on The Guiding Light from May 1956 to April 1958.
Bethune played President Franklin Doctorate. Roosevelt"s daughter in Sunrise at Campobello in 1960.
She starred as "The Girl" alongside Harvey Keitel in Martin Scorsese"s first feature film, Who"s That Knocking at My Door, released in 1967, although much of it (including Bethune"s acting parts) was filmed in 1965 for Scorsese"s film project at New York University. She was featured on The Nurses (1962-1965), and other series, including Kraft Television Theatre (with Martin Huston in the series finale), Route 66, The Judy Garland Show, Pantomime Quiz, Hollywood Squares, Young Doctor Malone, Doctor Kildare, and Emergency!.
Zina Bethune married Sean Feeley in 1970. He survives her. Her mother, who survives her, is retired actress Ivy Bethune.
On February 12, 2012, Bethune was killed in an apparent hit-and-run accident while she was trying to help an injured opossum in Griffith Park, Los Los Angeles
She was five days shy of her 67th birthday.