Peggy Wood

For the chess player, see Peggy Wood (chess).

Peggy Wood
(c.1918)
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(s)	Actress, Singer
Years active	1910–68
Spouse(s)	John V.A. Weaver ​ ​ (m. 1924; died 1938)​ William Walling ​ ​ (m. 1946; died 1973)​
Children	1

Peggy Wood (February 9, 1892 – March 18, 1978) was an American actress of stage, film and television. She is best remembered for her final screen appearance as Mother Abbess in the The Sound of Music (1965), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award.

Early career

She was born Mary Margaret Wood in Brooklyn, New York, the daughter of Eugene Wood, a journalist, and Mary Gardner, a telegraph operator. She was a direct descendant of Daniel Boone. Wood was an early member of the Actors' Equity Association, spending nearly fifty years on the stage, beginning in the chorus and becoming known as a Broadway singer and star. She made her stage debut in 1910, as part of the chorus for Naughty Marietta. In 1917, she appeared in Maytime, in which she introduced the song "Will You Remember". She starred in several other musicals before playing the role of Portia in a 1928 production of The Merchant of Venice. From the late 1920s until the late 1930s, Wood had lead roles in musicals staged in London and New York.

She was a member of the Algonquin Round Table.

Later career

In 1941, she starred in the New York premiere of Blithe Spirit as Ruth Condomine, whose husband is tormented by the ghost of his deceased first wife. Wood did not star in many films. Her few film appearances include roles in Jalna, A Star is Born, Call It a Day, The Housekeeper's Daughter, The Bride Wore Boots, Magnificent Doll, and Dream Girl.

From 1949 to 1957, she played matriarch Marta Hansen in the popular CBS-TV series Mama, based on the 1943 Broadway play and 1948 film I Remember Mama. When General Foods cancelled the program, there was so much protest that CBS brought it back on Sunday afternoon, this time as a filmed series. As the network did not have all the affiliate station clearances that were needed, the show was put into syndication, where it was a huge success. 26 episodes were filmed. Following "Mama", Wood was also seen in episodes of Zane Grey Theater and The Nurses.

She co-starred with comedian Imogene Coca on Broadway in The Girls in 509. In October 1963, she and Ruth Gates appeared in a one-act play, Opening Night, which played in off-Broadway. Wood portrayed Fanny Ellis, a once famous star who prepares for a performance; the play lasted 47 performances. Ruth Gates was Aunt Jenny on the "Mama" series with Wood.

Last appearances

She returned to movies in the 1960 CinemaScope production The Story of Ruth in a co-starring role, as what she referred to in her own book as a "blonde, blue-eyed Jewess".

Her final screen appearance was as the gentle, wise Mother Abbess in the The Sound of Music (1965), for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture. She was thrilled to be in the movie although she knew that she could no longer sing "Climb Ev'ry Mountain". She was dubbed (for singing) by Margery McKay. In her autobiography, Marni Nixon, who appeared in the film as Sister Sophia, said Peggy especially liked McKay's singing voice because she sounded as Peggy did in her younger days.

In 1969, Wood joined the cast of the ABC-TV soap, One Life to Live as Dr. Kate Nolan and had a recurring role until the end of the year.

Her first autobiography, How Young You Look, was published by Farrar and Rinehart in 1941. An update, Arts and Flowers, appeared in 1963. She also wrote a biography of actor John Drew, Jr., as well as a novel called The Star Wagon and was a co-author of a play called Miss Quis.

Wood received numerous awards for her theatrical work and for a while was president of the American National Theater and Academy (ANTA).

Personal life

Wood was married and widowed twice. Her first husband, poet/writer John V.A. Weaver, died at age 44. She gave birth to their son, David Weaver, in 1924 at 32. Her second husband, in 1946 William H. Walling, was an executive in the printing business who died in 1973. They were married for 27 years.

Death

Wood died on March 18, 1978 in Stamford, Connecticut, following a stroke. She was 86 years old.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1919	Almost a Husband	Eva McElwyn
1929	Wonder of Women	Brigitte
1934	Handy Andy	Ernestine Yates
1935	The Right to Live	Nurse Wayland
	Jalna	Meg Whiteoaks
1937	Call It a Day	Ethel Francis
	A Star Is Born	Miss Phillips - Central Casting Clerk
1939	The Housekeeper's Daughter	Olga
1946	The Bride Wore Boots	Grace Apley
	Magnificent Doll	Mrs. Payne
1948	Dream Girl	Lucy Allerton
1960	The Story of Ruth	Naomi
1965	The Sound of Music	Virgilia The Reverend Mother Abbess	Nominated—Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1948	The Philco Television Playhouse	Mrs. Oliver Jordan	episode: Dinner at Eight
1949	The Philco Television Playhouse	Florence McDavid	episode: Dark Hammock
1951	Pulitzer Prize Playhouse	Gladys	episode: The Skin of Our Teeth
1949—1957	Mama	Mama Marta Hansen	10 episodes Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Best Actress (1953) Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Continuing Performance by an Actress in a Dramatic Series (1957)
1957	Zane Grey Theatre	Sarah Jolland	episode: The Bitter Land
1959	The United States Steel Hour	Lillian Granet	episode: Seed of Guilt
1962	Dr. Kildare	Katie Harris	episode: An Ancient Office
1963	The Doctors and the Nurses	Marcella Higgins	episode: The Saturday Evening of Time
1965	For the People	Mrs. Murray	episode: The Killing of One Human Being
1969	One Life to Live	Dr. Kate Nolan

Stage (partial list of appearances)

• The Lady of the Slipper (1912)
• Love O' Mike (1917)
• Maytime (1917)
• Buddies (1919)
• Marjolaine (1922)
• The Clinging Vine (1922)
• "Bitter Sweet" (1929)
• Champagne, Sec (1934)
• Old Acquaintance (1941)
• Blithe Spirit (1941)
• The Girls in 509 (1958)

External links

• Peggy Wood at IMDb
• Peggy Wood at the Internet Broadway Database
• Peggy Wood at Find a Grave
• Peggy Wood portrait gallery at NY Public Library Billy Rose Collection
• 1916 portrait with her K9 pal(Univ. of Washington, Sayre collection)
• Peggy Wood with literary friends, ..bottom left to right, Blanche Oelrichs, Dorothy Parker, Woods ..top left to right: John Colton, Howard Greer, Dudley Murphy