Mary Martin

The original Nellie Forbush, Peter Pan, and Maria von Trapp.

Martin died of cancer at age 76 in Rancho Mirage, California, on November 3, 1990.^[1] Weatherford, Texas was the birthplace of Mary Martin.^[2]

Last updated 2026-09-30 from the source article.

Quick Facts

Birth name: Mary Virginia Martin
Born: 1 December 1913
Birthplace: Weatherford, Texas, U.S.
Died: 3 November 1990
Place of death: Rancho Mirage, California, U.S.
Resting place: Greenwood Cemetery, Weatherford, Texas
Years active: 1938–1985
Occupation: Actress, singer

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

Martin described her childhood as secure and happy, with close relationships with her parents and siblings.^[2] She sang every Saturday night at a bandstand near her father's courtroom.^[3] She opened a dance studio after her sister taught her the waltz clog.^[4] Martin made her Broadway debut in Cole Porter's Leave It to Me! in November 1938.^[5]

Martin's childhood activities included climbing trees and riding ponies with her older sister Geraldine.^[3] Martin's Broadway debut as Nellie Forbush in South Pacific occurred on April 7, 1949, a role that earned her a Tony Award.^[6] The American Theater Hall of Fame inducted Martin in 1973, and she was a Kennedy Center Honors recipient in 1989.^[7]

What the cited sources add

Heller Halliday's obituary confirms she was born in Los Angeles on November 4, 1941, and died in Chestertown, Maryland, on April 21, 2024.^[8]

References

Wikipedia, "Mary Martin" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Gussow, "Mary Martin, 76, First Lady of Musicals, Dies", The New York Times, November 5, 1990; "Milestones", November 5, 1990 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Mary Martin" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Martin, "My Heart Belongs", Morrow, 1976 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Mary Martin" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Pylant, "Larry Hagman's southern roots", December 11, 2012; Pylant, "Larry Hagman's southern roots", December 11, 2012 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Mary Martin" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Pylant, "Larry Hagman's southern roots", December 11, 2012 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Mary Martin" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Davis, "Free preview at Amazon.com", University of Oklahoma Press, 2008 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Mary Martin" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Mary Martin", PBS.org (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Mary Martin" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "15 Inducted into theater Hall of Fame", The Blade, January 17, 1974 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
"Heller Halliday (2024)", www.fhnfuneralhome.com. facts only, no text reused. fhnfuneralhome.com

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Mary Martin (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.