Sandy Duncan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sandy Duncan
Duncan in 1972
Born	Sandra Kay Duncan New London, Texas, U.S.
Occupation	Actress comedian dancer singer
Years active	1958–present
Known for	The Hogan Family Peter Pan The Cat from Outer Space The Million Dollar Duck
Spouse(s)	Bruce Scott ​ ​ (m. 1968; div. 1972)​ Dr. Thomas Calcaterra ​ ​ (m. 1973; div. 1979)​ Don Correia ​ (m. 1980)​
Children	2

Sandra Kay Duncan is an American actress, comedian, dancer, and singer. She is famous for her roles in the Broadway show Peter Pan. She also starred in the TV show The Hogan Family. You might know her from Disney movies like The Million Dollar Duck and The Cat from Outer Space. Sandy Duncan has been nominated for many awards, including three Tony Awards. She also received two Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards nominations.

Early Life and First Steps in Entertainment

Sandy Duncan was born in New London, Texas. Her parents were Sylvia and Mancil Ray Duncan. Her dad owned a gas station. She lived in New London for her early years. Later, when she was in third grade, her family moved to Tyler, Texas. Sandy started dancing very young. She had her first dance show when she was just five years old.

Starting Her Career

Sandy Duncan began her professional acting career at age 12. She earned $150 a week in a local play called The King and I. In 1965, she moved to New York City. She lived at the Rehearsal Club, a place for young actresses. In the late 1960s, she appeared in a TV commercial. She also had a small role in the TV show Search for Tomorrow in 1968.

Rise to Stardom

Duncan as Pinocchio with Flip Wilson as Fox and Liz Torres as Cat (TV musical, 1976)

In 1970, Time magazine called Sandy Duncan one of the "most promising faces of tomorrow." That same year, she starred in a Broadway play called The Boy Friend. Critics really liked her performance.

Early Film and TV Roles

Sandy Duncan made her first movie appearance with Dean Jones. It was a Disney family comedy called The Million Dollar Duck. She also played Amy Cooper in the movie Star Spangled Girl. This movie was based on a play by Neil Simon.

In 1971, Sandy starred in her own TV show, Funny Face. It aired on CBS on Saturday nights. Even though some critics didn't love the show, they all praised Sandy. A TV Guide writer called her "a wonderful commedienne."

Health Challenges and Return to TV

Soon after Funny Face started, Sandy had surgery. Doctors removed a harmless brain tumor from behind her left eye. She lost sight in that eye. However, her eye still moved with her right eye, so she didn't need a glass eye. Sandy recovered quickly. The TV show paused filming for a while.

Even though the show's ratings were low at first, they later became much better. Sandy was nominated for an Emmy Award for her role. In 1972, Funny Face returned as The Sandy Duncan Show. It had new writers and a new time slot. But the ratings dropped, and the show was canceled after 13 episodes.

More TV and Broadway Success

In 1976, Sandy played the main character in a TV musical version of Pinocchio. She also appeared on The Muppet Show. She received another Emmy nomination for her role in the miniseries Roots.

Sandy then returned to Broadway. In 1979, she played the main role in Peter Pan. She received many awards for this performance. She was nominated for a Tony Award three times. These nominations were for Canterbury Tales in 1969, The Boy Friend in 1971, and Peter Pan in 1980.

In 1972, an animated version of Sandy Duncan appeared in The New Scooby-Doo Movies. She voiced her own character. She returned to voice herself again in Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? in 2020. In 1976, she guest-starred on The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman.

In 1978, Sandy starred in Disney's The Cat from Outer Space. She also appeared in commercials for Nabisco's Wheat Thins crackers for many years.

Voice Acting and Later TV Roles

In 1981, Sandy Duncan voiced Vixey in the animated movie The Fox and the Hound. In 1984, she performed in a dance show at Radio City Music Hall. She also voiced characters like Firefly and Applejack in the My Little Pony TV special Rescue at Midnight Castle. She continued voicing Firefly in the My Little Pony 'n Friends series from 1986 to 1987.

In 1987, Sandy joined the cast of the TV show Valerie's Family. This show later became The Hogan Family. She played Sandy Hogan, who moved in with her brother and his three sons. She helped raise the family after the mother's death. Sandy stayed with the show until it ended in 1991.

She also worked on the first three Barney and the Backyard Gang videos in 1988. She was asked to join the Barney & Friends TV series but decided not to. In 1991, she voiced Peepers the mouse in the movie Rock-a-Doodle. In 1994, she voiced Queen Uberta in the film The Swan Princess.

From 1999 to 2001, Sandy co-hosted a PBS show called Championship Ballroom Dancing.

Recent Stage Performances

In 2003, Sandy appeared in an Off-Broadway play reading called Wit & Wisdom. In 2008, she performed in the musical No, No, Nanette. In 2009, she played the main role in the play Driving Miss Daisy in Texas. She also starred in Tennessee Williams' play The Glass Menagerie in Pennsylvania. She has traveled with many stage productions, including The King and I.

On February 12, 2016, Sandy Duncan took on the role of Madame du Maurier in the Broadway show Finding Neverland. She later took a short break from the show for family reasons.

Personal Life

Duncan in 1999

Sandy Duncan has been married three times. Her first marriage was to singer-actor Bruce Scott in 1968. They divorced in 1972. Sandy later said that her growing fame made things difficult for their marriage.

Her second marriage was to Dr. Thomas Calcaterra in 1973. They met when he was a surgeon for her brain tumor operation. This marriage ended in 1979. Sandy felt that her busy acting career made it hard to be a "doctor's wife."

Since July 21, 1980, Sandy has been married to actor and choreographer Don Correia. They have two sons, born in 1982 and 1984. Sandy and Don performed together on stage before they got married. They live in Connecticut.

A street in Taylorville, Illinois, is named Sandy Duncan Drive in her honor. Her character in Funny Face and The Sandy Duncan Show was from Taylorville.

Filmography

Movies

Television Shows

Theater Performances

Awards and Nominations