Legendary musical comedy star who, from her innocent, matter-of-fact mock striptease showstopper "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" in the Cole Porter musical "Leave It to Me" (1938) to her embodiment of eternal youth as "Peter Pan," displayed the perky charm of a "cockeyed optimist" and the spirited determination and sweetness of Maria von Trapp.
Although she had a brief film career in Hollywood (1938-43), most of Mary Martin's 50-year career was spent on Broadway where she starred in the musicals "One Touch of Venus," "Lute Song," "South Pacific," "Peter Pan," "The Sound of Music," "Jennie" and "I Do, I Do." She lost the film roles of her musicals to others and only her televised performance in "Peter Pan" (broadcast live in 1955 and 1956, and taped in 1960) has been preserved on video to capture her magical stage magnetism.
Family
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Daughter: Mary Heller DeMeritt.
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Father: Preston Martin.
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Mother: Juanita Martin.
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Son: Larry Hagman.
Education
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Ward Belmont finishing school, Nashville, Tennessee
Milestones
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1921 Founded the Mary Hagman School of Dance, Weatherford, TX (date approximate)
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1938 Broadway debut, Leave It to Me
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1938 Discovered by producer Lawrence Schwab at Trocadero nightclub s Sunday night talent show in Los Angeles (date approximate)
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1938 Won contract with Paramount (date approximate)
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1939 Film debut, The Great Victor Herbert
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1943 First starring role on Broadway, One Touch of Venus (directed by Elia Kazan) in a role originally tailored for Marlene Dietrich
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1943 Returned to the stage in Dancing in the Streets which closed in Boston before reaching Broadway
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1946 London stage debut in Noel Coward s Pacific 1860
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1946 Returned to Hollywood to reprise her signature song My Heart Belongs to Daddy in the whitewashed Cole Porter biopic, Night and Day
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1949 Co-starred opposite Ezio Pinza in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific
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1953 Starred opposite Ethel Merman in the legendary Ford Motor Company s 50th Anniversary TV special
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1963 Starred in first Broadway musical flop, Jennie
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1965 Played Dolly Levi in Hello, Dolly! In the US national tour and in Vietman and Tokyo; also starred in the London production (date approximate)
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1983 Was severly injured in San Francisco when a drunken driver crashed his car into the taxi Martin was riding in; the crash took the life of her aide Ben Washer and injured Janet Gaynor and her husband Paul Gregory
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1986 Made final stage appearance in a national tour of James Kirkwood s bitchy comedy, Legends opposite Carol Channing
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Appeared in local amateur theatre productions (with friend Bessie Mae Sue Ella Yaeger) from age five
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Hosted own TV series Over Easy
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Performed at benefits for the San Francisco General whose Trauma Center was renamed in her honor
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Starred as Annie Oakley (the role originated on Broadway by Ethel Merman) in the national road tour of the Irving Berlin musical Annie Get Your Gun
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Starred on Broadway in the musical, Peter Pan
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Starred on Broadway in the musical, The Sound of Music
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Traveled between Texas (where she sang on radio) to California (where she worked as nightclub singer-dancer)