Peggy Wood facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Peggy Wood
Photograph of Wood in 1917
Born	Mary Margaret Wood (1892-02-09)February 9, 1892 Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Died	March 18, 1978(1978-03-18) (aged 86) Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.
Occupation	Actress, singer
Years active	1910–1969
Spouse(s)	John Weaver ​ ​ (m. 1924; died 1938)​ William Walling ​ ​ (m. 1946; died 1973)​
Children	1

Mary Margaret Wood (born February 9, 1892 – died March 18, 1978) was an American actress and singer. She was famous for her work in plays, movies, and TV shows. Many people remember her as the main character in the TV series Mama (1949–1957). She was nominated for an Emmy Award for this role.

She also played Naomi in the movie The Story of Ruth (1960). Her last movie role was as the Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music (1965). For this role, she was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award.

Her Acting Life

Peggy Wood and Charles Purcell in the Broadway musical Maytime (1917)

Peggy Wood was born in Brooklyn, New York. Her father, Eugene Wood, was a journalist, and her mother, Mary Gardner, was a telegraph operator. Peggy studied singing in France.

She started her acting career in 1910, singing in the chorus of a show called Naughty Marietta. She quickly became a well-known singer and star on Broadway, which is a famous theater district in New York City. In 1917, she starred in Maytime. In this show, she sang the popular song "Will You Remember."

Peggy Wood was an early member of the Actors' Equity Association. This is a union that helps protect actors' rights. She spent almost 50 years performing on stage. She also starred in many other musicals. In 1928, she played Portia in a play called The Merchant of Venice.

From the late 1920s to the late 1930s, Peggy had lead roles in musicals in London and New York. A famous writer named Noël Coward chose her to star in his popular show Bitter Sweet in London.

Peggy Wood also wrote plays with her father and with another writer, Samuel Merwin. She was part of a famous group of writers and critics called the Algonquin Round Table.

In 1941, she starred in the New York show Blithe Spirit. In this play, she played Ruth Condomine, whose husband is bothered by the ghost of his first wife.

Peggy Wood did not act in many movies. Some of her film roles were in Jalna, A Star Is Born, and The Housekeeper's Daughter.

From 1949 to 1957, she played Marta Hansen, the mother, in the popular TV series Mama. This show was based on a play and a movie called I Remember Mama. When the show was first canceled, many people protested. So, the TV network brought it back. It became very successful when it was shown in different cities.

After Mama, Peggy Wood appeared in TV shows like Zane Grey Theatre and The Nurses. In 1963, she acted in a short play called Opening Night. She played Fanny Ellis, a famous star getting ready for a performance.

Peggy Wood returned to movies in 1960 in The Story of Ruth. She played Naomi, the mother-in-law of the main character. Her last movie role was in 1965 as the Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music. She was very happy to be in this movie. She was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for her role. She could no longer sing the song "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" herself, so another singer, Margery McKay, sang for her.

In 1969, Peggy Wood joined the cast of the TV show One Life to Live. She played Dr. Kate Nolan for a while.

Other Work

Peggy Wood wrote two autobiographies, which are books about her own life. The first one, How Young You Look, came out in 1941. An updated version, Arts and Flowers, was published in 1963. She also wrote a book about the actor John Drew, Jr. and a novel called The Star Wagon. She also helped write a play called Miss Quis.

Peggy Wood received many awards for her theater work. For some time, she was the president of the American National Theater and Academy (ANTA), an important organization for theater.

Personal Life

Peggy Wood was married two times, and both of her husbands passed away. Her first husband was a poet and writer named John Van Alstyne Weaver. He died when he was 44 years old. Peggy gave birth to their son, David Weaver, in 1927 when she was 35.

Her second husband was William H. Walling. He worked in the printing business. They got married in 1946 and were together for 27 years until he died in 1973. Peggy was a religious person and a member of the Episcopal Actors Guild.

Death

Peggy Wood passed away on March 18, 1978, in Stamford, Connecticut. She was 86 years old and had a stroke.

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage Appearances

Peggy Wood in the play Buddies (1919)

• Love O' Mike (1917)
• Maytime (1917)
• Buddies (1919)
• Bitter Sweet (1929)
• Old Acquaintance (1940)
• Blithe Spirit (1941)

See also

In Spanish: Peggy Wood para niños