Mary Martin

Mary Martin born (December 1, 1913 – November 3, 1990) in Weatherford, Texas was an American star of (mainly stage) musicals. Amongst the roles originally created by her were those of Nellie Forbush in South Pacific and Maria in The Sound of Music.

Related Topics:
December 1 - 1913 - November 3 - 1990 - Weatherford, Texas - American - South Pacific - The Sound of Music

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In 1929 she married Ben Hageman. They divorced in 1936. Their son is actor Larry Hagman, who once appeared with his mother in South Pacific as a member of the chorus. She married a second time in 1940 to Richard Halliday, and they had a daughter, Heller Halliday, who is Larry Hagman's half-sister.

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Martin received the Donaldson Award and the New York Film Critics Circle Award in 1943 for One Touch of Venus. In 1954, she received an Emmy and a Tony Award for Peter Pan. She also received Tony Awards for "South Pacific" and in 1959 for The Sound of Music.

Related Topics:
New York Film Critics Circle Award - 1954 - Emmy - 1959

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Although she did a few films early in her career, she was generally passed over for the filmed version of the musical plays in which she starred. Listening to CD's of her performances suggests that her clear, powerful voice, which projected "to the back row" for theater and for television stage shows, might have been considered too strong for the somewhat more subtle voice techniques used in musical films.

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She died of cancer in 1990 at the age of 76.

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She published her autobiography, My Heart Belongs, in 1967.

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• Leave It To Me (1938) Broadway
• The Great Victor Herbert (1939) film
• Rhythm on the River (1940) film
• Love Thy Neighbor (1940) film
• Kiss the Boys Goodbye (1941) film
• New York Town (1941) film
• Birth of the Blues (1941) film
• Star Spangled Rhythm (1942) film
• Happy Go Lucky (1943) film
• True to Life (1943) film
• One Touch of Venus (1943) Broadway and tour
• Pacific 1860 (1946) London
• Lute Song (1946) Broadway
• Night and Day (1946) film
• Annie Get Your Gun (1947) national tour
• South Pacific (1949) Broadway
• America Applauds: An Evening for Richard Rodgers (1951) television
• Kind Sir (1953) Broadway
• Ford 50th Anniversary Show (1953) television
• Main Street to Broadway (1953) film
• Peter Pan (1954) Broadway
• General Foods 25th Anniversary Show (1954) television
• Person to Person (1954) television
• The Skin of Our Teeth (1955) Broadway, Washington, DC, Paris
• Peter Pan (1955) television
• Ford Star Jubilee: Together With Music (1955) television
• Hallmark Hall of Fame, Born Yesterday (1956) television
• Peter Pan (1956) television
• Annie Get Your Gun (1957) television
• The Sound of Music (1959) Broadway
• Magic with Mary Martin (1959) television
• Music with Mary Martin (1959) television
• Peter Pan (1960) television
• Bing Crosby Christmas Show (1962) television
• Jennie (1963) Broadway
• Hello Dolly (1965) tour, London
• Mary Martin, Hello Dolly 'Round the World (1966) television
• I Do! I Do! (1966) Broadway, national tour
• Mary Martin at Eastertime (1966) television
• Jack Paar Special (1972) television
• Together On Broadway with Ethel Merman (1977)
• Do You Turn Sommersaults? (1977) Broadway and tour
• Bing Crosby, His Life and Legend (1978) television
• Valentine (1979) television/film
• Standing Room Only: Showstoppers (1980) television
• Beverly Sills Farewell (1981) television
• Over Easy (1981-1983, PBS, Host) television
• The Sound of American Music: Rodgers and Hammerstein (1985) television
• Irving Berlin's America (1986) television
• Legends! (1986) national tour
• In Performance at the White House, A Salute to Broadway (1988) television

The Canadian band The New Pornographers pay tribute to Mary Martin in their song The Mary Martin Show.

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