Peggy Wood

Peggy Wood

Mary Margaret Wood was an American actress of stage, film, and television. She is best remembered for her performance as the title character in the CBS television series Mama, for which she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series; her starring role as Naomi, Ruth's mother-in-law, in The Story of Ruth; and her final screen appearance as Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. Wood studied voice in France with the legendary soprano Emma Calve - the greatest exponent of the role of CARMEN in the first half of the 20th century. Upon returning to the U.S., Wood was an early member of the Actors' Equity Association, spending nearly 50 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 starred 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 chosen by Noel Coward to star in the original London production of his wildly successful operetta BITTER SWEET. In 1941, she starred in the New York premiere of Blithe Spirit. 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 popularTV series Mama. 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. 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 Sound of Music, 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.

  • Title: Peggy Wood
  • Popularity: 3.965
  • Known For: Acting
  • Birthday: 1892-02-09
  • Place of Birth: Brooklyn [now in New York City], New York, USA
  • Homepage:
  • Also Known As: Mary Margaret Wood, Mary Margaret "Peggy" Wood
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Peggy Wood Movies

  • 1937
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    A Star Is Born

    A Star Is Born

    7.2 1937 HD

    Esther Blodgett is just another starry-eyed farm kid trying to break into the movies. Waitressing at a Hollywood party, she catches the eye of her...

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  • 1953
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    Main Street to Broadway

    Main Street to Broadway

    6.5 1953 HD

    In New York, a surly, down-on-his-heels playwright meets a country girl who's giving up trying to act and returning home. He goes with her for...

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  • 1965
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    The Sound of Music

    The Sound of Music

    7.7 1965 HD

    In the years before the Second World War, a tomboyish postulant at an Austrian abbey is hired as a governess in the home of a widowed naval captain...

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  • 1960
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    The Story of Ruth

    The Story of Ruth

    7.3 1960 HD

    Ruth is one of two Moabite women who marry the sons of Elimelech and Naomi. When Elimelech and sons Mahlon and Chillion die, leaving Naomi a widow...

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  • 1935
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    The Right to Live

    The Right to Live

    5.1 1935 HD

    A man with a broken back dies after his wife has an affair with his brother.

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  • 1937
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    Call It a Day

    Call It a Day

    5 1937 HD

    The various members of the middle-class Hilton family have a series of romantic misadventures during one eventful spring day.

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  • 1929
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    Wonder of Women

    Wonder of Women

    3 1929 HD

    A German pianist is going to break up with his unfaithful wife, when he receives the message that his favourite stepchild has died. This film is...

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  • 1939
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    The Housekeeper's Daughter

    The Housekeeper's Daughter

    3.5 1939 HD

    A mobster's moll leads a newsman, cub reporter and photographer to a scoop.

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  • 1946
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    The Bride Wore Boots

    The Bride Wore Boots

    5.9 1946 HD

    A bookish husband tries to win back the affections of his horse-breeding wife.

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  • 1946
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    Magnificent Doll

    Magnificent Doll

    5.9 1946 HD

    While packing her belongings in preparation of evacuating the White House because of the impending British invasion of Washington D.C., Dolly Payne...

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  • 1948
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    Dream Girl

    Dream Girl

    4.5 1948 HD

    A young woman spends much of her time fantasizing about what might be, but a realistic admirer tries to convince her to live the life she has.

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  • 1919
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    Almost a Husband

    Almost a Husband

    1 1919 HD

    A New England schoolteacher arrives in a small Southern town. He becomes the savior of several local people in time of emergency, including a young...

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  • 1935
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    Jalna

    Jalna

    4.8 1935 HD

    A young poet, accompanied by his new bride, returns home to his large family at their Canadian farm.

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  • 1934
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    Handy Andy

    Handy Andy

    1 1934 HD

    A small-town druggist is henpecked by his social-climbing wife to sell his pharmacy to a national chain. In addition, she tries to set up her pretty...

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  • 1962
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    The Merv Griffin Show

    The Merv Griffin Show

    5.6 1962 HD

    The Merv Griffin Show is an American television talk show, starring Merv Griffin. The series ran from October 1, 1962 to March 29, 1963 on NBC,...

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  • 1949
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    Mama

    Mama

    1 1949 HD

    Mama was a weekly Maxwell House and Post-sponsored CBS television comedy-drama series from July 1, 1949 until March 17, 1957.

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  • 1948
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    The Philco Television Playhouse

    The Philco Television Playhouse

    6 1948 HD

    The Philco Television Playhouse is an American anthology series that was broadcast live on NBC from 1948 to 1955. Produced by Fred Coe, the series...

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  • 1956
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    Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre

    Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre

    5.5 1956 HD

    Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre, sometimes simply called Zane Grey Theatre, is an American Western anthology series which ran on CBS from 1956 to...

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  • 1961
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    Dr. Kildare

    Dr. Kildare

    5.4 1961 HD

    The story of a young intern in a large metropolitan hospital trying to learn his profession, deal with the problems of his patients, and win the...

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  • 1948
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    The Ed Sullivan Show

    The Ed Sullivan Show

    6.632 1948 HD

    The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by...

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  • 1948
    imgS8 E12

    The Philco Television Playhouse

    The Philco Television Playhouse

    6 1948 HD

    The Philco Television Playhouse is an American anthology series that was broadcast live on NBC from 1948 to 1955. Produced by Fred Coe, the series...

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  • 1968
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    The Dick Cavett Show

    The Dick Cavett Show

    6.658 1968 HD

    The Dick Cavett Show has been the title of several talk shows hosted by Dick Cavett on various television networks.

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