Mary virginia martin biography

American singer and actress (1913–1990)

This article is about the stage actress. For the silent film actress, see Mary Martin (silent film actress). For other people named Mary Martin, see Mary Martin (disambiguation).

Mary Virginia Martin (December 1, 1913 – November 3, 1990) was an American actress and singer. A muse of Rodgers and Hammerstein, she originated many leading roles on stage over her career, including Nellie Forbush in South Pacific (1949), the title character in Peter Pan (1954), and Maria von Trapp in The Sound of Music (1959). She was named a Kennedy Center Honoree in 1989. She was the mother of actor Larry Hagman.

Early life

Martin was born in Weatherford, Texas. Her autobiography described her childhood as secure and happy. She had close relationships with both of her parents as well as her siblings. As a young actress Martin had an instinctive ear for recreating musical sounds.

Martin's father, Preston Martin, was a lawyer, and her mother, Juanita Presley, was a violin teacher. Although the doctors told Juanita that she would risk her life if she attempted to have another baby, she was determined to have a boy. Instead, she had Mary, who became a tomboy.

Martin's family had a barn and orchard that kept her entert

Martin, Mary (Virginia), endearing American singer, actress, and dancer; b. Weatherford, Tex., Dec. 1, 1913; d. Rancho Mirage, Calif., Nov. 4, 1990. Martin ranked with Ethel Merman as one of the most successful musical comedy performers of the 1940s and 1950s. She starred in two long-running musicals with songs by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, South Pacific and The Sound of Music, and appeared in a series of other theatrical works on Broadway, in the West End, and on tour from 1938 to 1987. She sang in a warm soprano and acted in an engaging manner that lent her characters a friendly wholesomeness, whether she was portraying the mischievous postulant in The Sound of Music or the kept woman who sang “My Heart Belongs to Daddy” in her first show, Leave It to Me! She also performed successfully in films, on radio, records, and television.

Martin’s father, Preston Martin, was a lawyer. Her mother, Juanita Presley Martin, was a violin teacher, and Mary took violin lessons from age five. At age 12 she began studying voice with Helen Fouts Cahoon in Fort Worth. (She resumed studying with Cahoon in N.Y. in the late 1930s and studied with William Herman in the 1950s.) On Nov. 3, 1930, she married Benjamin Jackson Hagman, an accountant who later became a lawyer. Their son, Larry Hagman, became a successful actor on television. The couple divorced in 1937.

Martin opened a dancing school in Weatherford and began studying dance locally, then at the Fanchon and Marco School of Theatre in Hollywood. Determining to pursue a career as an entertainer, she moved to Hollywood, where she struggled for several years while studying voice with Dr. Stetson Humphrey. She sang on local radio and found minor film work, but her break did not come until she participated in a talent contest at the Trocadero nightclub where she was seen by theatrical producer Lawrence Schwab, who signed her to a contract and moved her to N.Y.

Martin was cast in t

MaryVirginiaHalliday formerly Martin aka Hagman

Daughter of Preston Jackson Martin and Juanita (Pressley) Martin

Sister of Jeraldine Martin

Wife of Benjamin Jackson Hagman — married [date unknown] [location unknown]

Wife of Richard Halliday — married 1940 [location unknown]

Mother of Larry Martin Hagman and Mary Heller (Halliday) Carrigan

Profile last modified | Created 26 Mar 2016

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Biography

Mary Martin was an American actor and singer. Born in 1913, she's most famous for her role as Peter Pan on Broadway. She passed away in 1990.

• Fact: Residence (1930) Weatherford, Parker, Texas
• Fact: Immigration (1964) Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• Fact: Burial (March 1990) City Greenwood Cemetery, Weatherford, Texas, USA
• Fact: Obituary (05 Nov 1990) New York, United States
• Fact: http://familysearch.org/v1/LifeSketch
• Fact: Occupation American actress, singer, and Broadway star

Mary Virginia Martin (December 1, 1913 – November 3, 1990) was an American actress, singer, and Broadway star. A muse of Rodgers and Hammerstein, she originated many leading roles over her career, including Nellie Forbush in South Pacific and Maria von Trapp in The Sound of Music. She was named a Kennedy Center Honoree in 1989. She was the mother of actor Larry Hagman. Martin was born in Weatherford, Texas. Her life as a child, as she describes it in her autobiography My Heart Belongs, was secure and happy. She had close relationships with both her mother and father, as well as her siblings. Her autobiography details how the young actress had an instinctive ear for recreating musical sounds. Martin's father, Preston Martin, was a lawyer, and her mother, Juanita Presle