| Birth: | Dec. 1, 1913 | | Death: | Nov. 3, 1990 | 
Actress. Born in Weatherford, Texas, she began taking voice lessons at age twelve. At sixteen she attended Ward Belmont Finishing School in Nashville, Tennessee. At seventeen she married Benjamin Hagman, an accountant, and they had one son, Larry, before divorcing in 1935. She left her hometown to try to break into show business and won singing spots on national radio broadcasts and performed in Los Angeles nightclubs, but could not seem to break into films. A theatrical producer who caught a performance was impressed enough to cast her in Cole Porter's 'Leave It To Me' where she became an audience darling with her number, 'My Heart Belongs to Daddy.' She finally made her film debut in 1939's 'The Great Victor Herbert.' Under contract to Paramount, over the next three years she starred in ten more films; almost her entire filmography. Martin returned to the New York stage in 1943, to play Venus in 'One Touch of Venus,' for which she won the New York Drama Critics Poll. In 1947 she had the lead in a touring production of 'Annie Get Your Gun.' In 1948, she won a Special Tony Award for 'Annie Get Your Gun.' In 1949, she originated the role of Nurse Nellie Forbush in the Rodgers and Hammerstein hit 'South Pacific' and won a Best Actress Tony Award in 1950 for her performance, and continued the role in the London production. In 1954 she played the title role in 'Peter Pan' for 152 performances, earning another Best Actress Tony for her work. She took on the lead for 'The Sound of Music' in 1959 and remained with the show for four years. She won her fourth Tony for her portrayal of Maria. She co-starred with Robert Preston in 'I Do! I Do!' in 1966 when she was once more nominated for a Tony Award. Martin's stage career slowed during the 1970s but after the death of her second husband, she returned to Broadway in 1978 in 'Do You Turn Somersaults?' She made her final appearance on the London stage in the 1980 Royal Variety Performance when she performed 'Honeybun' from 'South Pacific.' Martin was honored by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., in 1989. She died at her home in Rancho Mirage, California the following year. (bio by: Iola)
Family links:
Parents:
Preston Martin (1872 - 1938)
Juanita Pressley Martin (1878 - 1944)
Spouses:
Benjamin J. Hagman (1908 - 1965)
Richard Halliday (1905 - 1973)*
Children:
Larry Hagman (1931 - 2012)*
*Calculated relationship
Cause of death: Cancer
Search Amazon for Mary Martin | | | Burial:
City Greenwood Cemetery
Weatherford
Parker County
Texas, USA
Plot: Section C |
Maintained by: Find A Grave
Record added: Oct 21, 1998
Find A Grave Memorial# 3709 |
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