Betty Cooper

Betty Cooper
Archie character
Classic version of Betty Cooper
First appearance	Pep Comics #22 (Dec. 1941)
Created by	Bob Montana
Portrayed by	Lauren Holly (Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again) Lili Reinhart (Riverdale)
Voiced by	Rosemary Rice (radio) Jane Webb (The Archie Show; speaking, The U.S. of Archie) Toni Wine (The Archie Show; singing) Lisa Coristine (The New Archies) Danielle America Young (Archie's Weird Mysteries, The Archies in Jugman)
Hometown	Riverdale
School	Riverdale High
Information
Spouse(s)	Archie Andrews (from #603-605), Dilton Doiley (from #606-present) (husband)
Significant other(s)	Archie Andrews, Adam Chisholm Reggie Mantle, Jason Blossom, Sayid Ali, Trevor Smith, Dilton Doiley
Relatives	Chic Cooper (brother), Polly Cooper (sister), Hal Cooper (father), Alice Cooper (mother)

Elizabeth "Betty" Cooper is one of the main characters appearing in American comic books published by Archie Comics. The character was created by Bob Montana, and first appeared in Pep Comics #22 (cover-dated Dec. 1941), on the first page of the first Archie story, serving as a love interest to Archie Andrews. Betty's infatuation with Archie making her strive for his attention using whatever means possible has been one of the longest running themes in the comics. In 2011, Betty Cooper was ranked 66th in Comics Buyer's Guide's "100 Sexiest Women in Comics" list.

Betty was named for, and originally based on, Betty Tokar Jankovich, a Czech immigrant who briefly dated Archie creator Bob Montana in 1939 when she was 18. She is portrayed as a nice, beautiful, smart, sweet, tomboyish and funny girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. She was created to serve as a love interest for Archie Andrews.

Betty Cooper is the daughter of Hal Cooper and Alice Cooper. Her older brother Chic Cooper and older sister Polly Cooper have both moved out of Riverdale, their hometown. Chic moved to New York City and Polly to San Francisco, but both occasionally appear in flashbacks to Betty's childhood, and both occasionally visit their family. The quintessential 17-year-old girl next door, Betty's middle class upbringing is a world apart from the flashy lifestyle of her wealthy friend and rival, Veronica Lodge. Nowhere is this more evident than when she and Veronica are competing for Archie Andrews' heart, and yet they remain best friends (Veronica once told Archie that she and Betty are only rivals in unimportant matters, like boys.)

In the late 1960s, the two girls joined Archie's band, a garage band appropriately named The Archies. Both sang (usually backup), and Betty played tambourine, while Veronica played organ. This implies that Veronica is more musically talented, but this is not necessarily true. Some stories indicate that Betty is the better vocalist. Additionally, there is little consistency in the instruments she is able to play. Betty has played the recorder, tambourine, maracas, guitar, banjo, keyboard, saxophone, cello, and the bongos.