Mary Beth Peil facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mary Beth Peil
Peil at the 2011 Peabody Awards
Born	(1940-06-25) June 25, 1940 (age 84) Davenport, Iowa, U.S.
Education	Northwestern University
Occupation	Actress Singer
Years active	1962–present

Mary Beth Peil (pronounced peel; born June 25, 1940) is an American actress and soprano singer. She started her career as an opera singer in 1962. She won important singing contests in 1964, which led to her performing in operas across the country from 1965 to 1967.

Later, Mary Beth Peil moved into musical theatre. She became well-known for her role as Anna Leonowens in the Broadway show The King and I, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award. She also received another Tony nomination in 2017 for her role in the musical Anastasia.

On television, she is famous for playing Evelyn 'Grams' Ryan in Dawson's Creek (1998–2003) and Jackie Florrick in The Good Wife (2009–2016). She has also appeared in many movies, including The Stepford Wives (2004) and Collateral Beauty (2016).

Early Life and Training

Mary Beth Peil was born in 1940 in Davenport, Iowa. She studied to become a soprano singer at Northwestern University. Her teachers there helped her develop her singing skills. She gave her final student concert in 1962. While in college, she was also part of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority.

Becoming an Opera Singer

In 1962, Mary Beth Peil performed in a student opera at Northwestern University. A famous opera director, Boris Goldovsky, saw her and invited her to join his opera company. She moved to New York City and made her professional debut as Violetta in the opera La traviata.

In 1964, she won two big singing competitions: the Young Concert Artists International Auditions and the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Winning these helped her career a lot. She signed a contract with the Metropolitan Opera National Company, which was a touring group of the famous Metropolitan Opera.

From 1965 to 1967, she toured nationally with this company. She performed in many operas, including La Cenerentola, Carmen, The Marriage of Figaro, and La bohème. She sang in 72 cities during one nine-month tour!

Mary Beth Peil continued to perform in operas through the 1970s. A special moment was when she created the role of Alma in the first-ever performance of the opera Summer and Smoke in 1971.

Moving to Stage Acting

In 1983, Mary Beth Peil decided to try musical theatre. She played the main role in Kiss Me, Kate with the Minnesota Opera. She realized she loved acting while singing, not just singing.

Soon after, she joined a national tour of the famous musical The King and I. She played Anna Leonowens, the teacher, opposite the legendary actor Yul Brynner. The show later moved to Broadway in New York City in 1985. Mary Beth Peil was nominated for a Tony Award for her amazing performance. She later returned to the role of Anna in other productions.

After her Broadway debut, she continued to act in many plays and musicals. She won an Obie Award in 1995 for her work in three plays. She was also nominated for other awards, like the Drama Desk Award.

Career in TV and Film

In 1992, Mary Beth Peil made her first movie appearance in Jersey Girl. Her first TV role was in Law & Order in 1994.

Her most famous TV roles were:

• Evelyn 'Grams' Ryan in Dawson's Creek (1998–2003): She played the wise and loving grandmother in this popular teen drama. She was one of the few actors to appear in almost all episodes of the show.
• Jackie Florrick in The Good Wife (2009–2016): She played the mother of the main character, Peter Florrick, in this legal drama.

She has also appeared in many films, including:

• The Odd Couple II (1999)
• The Stepford Wives (2004)
• Flags of Our Fathers (2006)
• Mirrors (2008)
• Collateral Beauty (2016)

In 2020, she was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for her guest role in the digital series After Forever. In 2021, she played the famous dancer Martha Graham in the Netflix series Halston.

Recent Stage Work

Mary Beth Peil continues to be active on stage. In 2008, she appeared in the Broadway musical Sunday in the Park with George. She also performed in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (2010) and Follies (2011) on Broadway.

In 2017, she joined the cast of the musical Anastasia on Broadway. She played the role of the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, the grandmother of the main character, Anastasia. For this role, she was nominated for a Tony Award, a Drama Desk Award, and an Outer Critics Circle Award.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theater

See also

In Spanish: Mary Beth Peil para niños