Betty Lou Gerson; Voice of Cruella De Vil

Betty Lou Gerson, 84, who was the voice of the fur-loving villainess Cruella De Vil in Disney’s classic 1961 animated movie “101 Dalmatians.” Born in Chattanooga, Tenn., and raised in Birmingham, Ala., Gerson began her radio career in 1935. Her radio credits included dramatic roles on “Grand Hotel” and “The Lux Radio Theater.” She moved into television and film work when she came to Los Angeles in the 1940s. Her TV credits included “The Twilight Zone,” “Perry Mason,” “The Untouchables” and “77 Sunset Strip.” In an interview with The Times some years ago, Gerson, who also narrated Disney’s “Cinderella” and played a crone in “Mary Poppins,” said she was surprised that Cruella had taken on a life of her own. “I got the general idea that she was kind of a cult figure when . . . I went to my manicurist,” she recalled. “Her niece had an English boyfriend, and when he heard I was there, he came over to meet Cruella.” She is survived by her brother, Fred Gerson, and by her three children. Memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society. A memorial service will be announced later. At Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles on Tuesday after a massive stroke.