Mary Badham (born October 7, 1952) is an American actress who portrayed Jean Louise "Scout" Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. At the time, Badham (aged 10) was the youngest actress ever nominated in this category.
Career
Mary Badham had no film acting experience before being cast in To Kill a Mockingbird. The Oscar in her category went to another child actress, Patty Duke, for The Miracle Worker. During filming, Badham became particularly close to actor Gregory Peck, who played Scout's father, Atticus Finch; she kept in contact with him, always calling him "Atticus," until his death in 2003. Peck called her "Scout" in return.
Badham played Sport Sharewood in "The Bewitchin' Pool", the final episode of the original Twilight Zone series. Due to technical issues, her voice in outdoor scenes was dubbed in post production by adult voice actress June Foray. She also appeared in the films This Property Is Condemned and Let's Kill Uncle before retiring from the acting profession.
Personal life
Badham is the younger sister of director John Badham.
, Badham was an art restorer and a college testing coordinator. She is married to Richard W. Wilt, dean of Library and Educational Support Services at Lehigh Carbon Community College, and the mother of two children. She has traveled around the world recalling her experiences making To Kill a Mockingbird, while expounding the book's messages of tolerance and compassion. In 2015, she defended the release of Harper Lee's first draft of Go Set a Watchman and its portrayal of an older, more bigoted, Atticus Finch.
Filmography
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+Mary Badham film and television work
|-
!scope="col"| Year
!scope="col"| Title
!scope="col"| Director
!scope="col"| Role
!scope="col" class="unsortable"|Notes
|-
| 1962
!scope="row"| To Kill a Mockingbird
|Robert Mulligan || Jean Louise "Scout" Finch ||
|-
| 1963
!scope="row"| Dr. Kildare
| Elliot Silverstein || Cora Sue Henty ||
|-
| 1964
!scope="row"| The Twilight Zone
| Joseph M. Newman || Sport Sharewood || "The Bewitchin' Pool"
|-
| 1966
!scope="row"| This Property Is Condemned
| Sydney Pollack || Willie Starr||
|-
| 1966
!scope="row"| Let's Kill Uncle
|}
See also
- List of oldest and youngest Academy Award winners and nominees - Best Supporting Actress, Youngest Nominees