Born in Sevastopol, Russia, her career spanned the early days of radio, television and film, and she was a board member with both AFTRA and Actor's Equity.
A career character actor, her earliest regular role was in the radio series The Adventures of Superman.
She appeared in various other television shows and movies throughout her career but became more widely recognized in the 1980s for recurring roles in Father Murphy and General Hospital.
Other notable appearances included the Star Trek: The Next Generation first season episode "When the Bough Breaks" and Ma Peabody in the 1985 movie Back to the Future.
[1] At the time of her death, Bethune was the second-oldest living female Star Trek performer, after Marsha Hunt.