Franca Bettoia (or Bettoja; 14 May 1936 – 13 September 2024) was an Italian actress known for her role as Ruth Collins in the film The Last Man on Earth.

Born in Rome in an upper-class family, Bettoia studied dance at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, and made her first film appearance in Un palco all'opera (1955, by Siro Marcellini).

[1] She had her breakout in 1958, starring opposite Pietro Germi in A Man of Straw , a role which got her a Grolla d'oro nomination for best actress.

[1] Among them, in 1964, Bettoia co-starred with Vincent Price in the horror/science fiction film The Last Man on Earth (1964, by Ubaldo Ragone and Sidney Salkow), the first screen adaptation of Richard Matheson's novel I Am Legend.

[2][3] In 1975, Bettoia and her mother Maris founded the Gran Loggia Femminile d'Italia, the first Italian Masonic obedience exclusively for women which was officially recognized by the Grand Orient of Italy.