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). Over the course of her career, she won four Tony Awards and an Emmy Award. 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. Her father, Preston Martin, was a lawyer, and her mother, Juanita Presley, was a violin teacher. 10 months later, pregnant with her first child (Larry Hagman) she was forced to leave Ward–Belmont. She was, however, happy to begin her new life, but she soon learned that this life as she would later say was nothing but "role playing".

Personal life

left|thumb|upright|Martin in 1986

After Martin's 1936 divorce from Benjamin Hagman, she married Richard Halliday in 1940. Eventually, Halliday became producer or co-producer of at least two of Martin's projects.

Cultural scholar Lillian Faderman wrote that Martin and actress Janet Gaynor often traveled together along with their husbands. Martin and Janet Gaynor had adjoining ranches near Anápolis, Goiás, Brazil.

The Jack Paar Program (1962-1965) showed film from Martin at her ranch near Anápolis, Goiás, Brazil.

In the early 1970s, the couple lived, according to his March 1973 obituary in the Connecticut Sunday Herald, In 1979, Patsy Kelly told Boze Hadleigh that Martin was a lesbian. In 2016, biographer David Kaufman stated that Halliday served as "[Martin's] husband, her best friend, her gay/straight 'cover,'" while in 2019, The Advocate stated that Martin "simply [was the subject of] a lifetime of lavender rumors."

Death

thumb|[[Peter Pan (character)|Peter Pan statue in Martin's hometown of Weatherford in Parker County, Texas]]

Martin died of cancer at age 76 at her home in Rancho Mirage, California, on November 3, 1990.

Radio appearances

{| class="wikitable"

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! Year !! Program !! Episode/source

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| 1942 || Kraft Music Hall|| resident singer

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| 1943 || Stage Door Canteen || Curtain Up for Victory

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| 1943|| Philip Morris Playhouse || Roberta

|}

Recording

Albums<br>

Hit singles <br>

References

Further reading

  • Kirkwood, James, Jr. (1989). Diary of a Mad Playwright: Perilous Adventures on the Road with Mary Martin and Carol Channing, about production of the play "Legends" (Dutton)
  • Photos of Mary Martin, hosted by the Portal to Texas History
  • Desert Islands Discs appearance 26 March 1977