Mary Martin

About

Mary Martin was singer and actress from Weatherford, TX known for her roles in The Sound of Music and Peter Pan productions on Broadway. She struggled to find jobs in her early career, constantly going to auditions and eventually becoming known in Hollywood as "Audition Mary." While performing at a night club in Los Angeles, she caught the attention of theater producer Lawrence Schwab, who brought her to New York to audition for a play on Broadway. The initial production never saw opening night, but she was cast in Cole Porter's Leave It to Me!, which finally gained Martin attention on stage and on film. In 1955, she was awarded a Tony Award for her title role in Peter Pan, an Emmy for the same role on television and another Tony Award in 1959 for The Sound of Music. Martin received the Kennedy Center Honors for her entertainment achievements, particularly for spreading theater outside of New York, and passed away the following year in 1990, only a month before her 77th birthday.